Kežmarok was an important center of guilds and crafts in the past. German immigrants,
in particular, contributed to the development of crafts, with their knowledge or techni
cal progress. Butchers, clothiers, shoemakers, tailors, blacksmiths, tanners, locksmiths,
dyers, furriers, bootmakers and coopers had the biggest share. Craftsmen began to join
guilds in the 15th century. So far, reports on the work of 41 guilds have been recorded in
Kežmarok.
Since 1991, Kežmarok (always on the second weekend of July) is be transformed again
into a royal town full of craftsmen and guilds. The European Folk and Crafts Festival
(EĽRO) offers a rich cultural program on up to three stages. Craftsmen and other artists,
through a multi-genre program, bring the audience closer to the atmosphere of the times
when the town was one of the most important Spiš centers of crafts and guilds. Every year,
EĽRO is visited by tens of thousands of spectators