The first written report about the historical village Gánovce is from 1317 where the village is mentioned as “Villa Ganau”. Among the three owners of the village in the past, the name Bazilius, son of Gaan, is mentioned. The village was named after to him. People in the village were involved in fruit growing and agriculture.
Filice is also a part of the village and it was named after Fila, the colonist, who was given the land by Béla IV., the Ugrian King, in 1236.
The name of the village changed in written documents throughout the centuries – e. g. Ganfal in 1473, Ganovecz in 1521, or the current name Gánovce in 1808. The village has also its Hungarian name – Gánóc, and its German name – Gansdorf. The village must have existed long before the 14. Century because its Early-Gothic church was built in the middle of 13. Century. At that time the part Filice must have existed; later the part joined Gánovce and built one village in 1924. .
Both villages belonged to the so-called “yeoman villages” and built a District of Malá župa which was also called Stolica X. spišských kopijníkov (The Siege of X. Spiš javelineers). The District was joined to the District of Veľká Spišská župa in 1803. The javelineers were both soldiers and guards. Some of famous Slovak historians think that the term “javelineers” has the roots in the period of the Great Moravian Empire. The javelineers had some privileges; part of javelineers kept the privileges and stayed on the yeomen state, the other part became vassals without land (the land was given to aristocratic families and was administrated by the district). Both villages of Gánovce and Filice belonged to several landlords until 1848 when the serfdom was abolished. Until 1890 the number of inhabitants was about 300.
Thermal wells on the territory of Gánovce are mentioned as late as 1549. A cure facility was gradually built throughout the history until 1852 when the owner Augustín Korponaj gave the order to damage the facility and to build a bath house instead. In the surrounding there was a restaurant and a pavilion. The original Artesian well was deepened up to 184m in 1877-79; later on a covered swimming pool with the thermal water was built. The swimming pool remained up to the present however, out of order. Other facilities in the bath house may be used. The spa was rather damaged and after the Second World War the spa was nationalized in 1948. As the result, the spa underwent reconstruction and redecoration and served as spa until 1992.
The spa wells contain aerated water predominantly with carbonic acid, calcium, magnesium, and the temperature of about 24,2ºC. The water helps the patients suffering from gastritis as well as patients suffering from various kinds of digestive problems, rheumatism, early stage of tuberculosis, scrophulosis, rhachitis, several chronic dermal diseases, anaemia, diabetes, and holarthritis.
Moreover, Gánovce is known because of its calcific hill called Hrádok which was mentioned in the early administrative writings of the Abbey of Štiavnica in 1256. The hill had the shape of a flagon on the area of 1,2 hectares and the height of 12m. From 1870s the hill was a stone-pit. From that time on, various pottery with ash and rests of dead animal bones were found in the area. In 1926 the skull of the Neanderthal man was found there. According to opinions of recognized historians from several countries the findings prove that the area used to be the settlement of the Neanderthal man from the Late Stone Age. The skull may be seen in the National Museum in Prague in the Czech Republic. The other findings may be seen in the Museum in Nitra and the District museum in Poprad. .
In the surrounding of the village’s built-up area there are historic landmarks registered as TRAVERTÍNY I., TRAVERTÍNY II., TRAVERTÍNY III. – Travertine creations originated and still being originated by water.
Processed by: Municipal Office in Gánovce