Slovakia’s second-largest city has roots reaching back to the 12th century. At the crossroads of major trade routes, it was granted in 1347 the same town privileges as the then capital of Hungary, Buda. In 1369 King Louis the Great gave the town its coat of arms, making it the first town in Europe to receive this by royal decree. Due to its proximity to the Hungarian border, the city has always had a large Hungarian population. Its historic old town now superbly restored, Košice is a lively, interesting city.
240,000.
6 km (4 miles) from city centre.
Staničné námestie
Staničné námestie.
Hlavná 59. Tel: (055) 625 88 88.
9am–6pm Mon–Fri, 9am–1pm Sat (also Jun–Sep: 1-5pm Sun).
The most interesting sights in Košice are clustered within its large historic centre. The main street, Hlavná, whose spindle shape is typical of the eastern region’s towns, runs north–south, with the main squares, Hlavné námestie and Námestie slobody, and the cathedral in the centre
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This lovely avenue, full of shops and cafés, makes for an enjoyable evening stroll. The most striking of its buildings are the Gothic Levoča House (Levočský dom) and the old town hall, its façade decorated with sculptures of ancient heroes by Anton Kraus. The Plague Column (1722–3) is Košice’s most beautiful piece of Baroque sculpture.
The Plague Column and beautiful houses in Hlavná
The chapel (sv. Michal) was built in the 14th century, on the site of a cemetery south of St Elizabeth’s Cathedral. The lower section of the building served as an ossuary. The upper section was used for celebrating masses for the souls of the dead. In the early 20th century 17 old tombstones from the cemetery were built into the chapel walls. Highlights include the altarpiece depicting St Michael the Archangel; the lovely stone tabernacle; and, above the sacristy door, the oldest coat of arms of Košice.
St Michael’s Chapel
The Archangel Michael is the patron saint of the 14th-century chapel in the cemetery by St Elizabeth’s Cathedral. He is depicted in a doorway relief weighing the souls of the dead.
Dominating the main square, and of great interest inside and out, St Elizabeth’s Cathedral (Dóm sv. Alžbety) is the largest church in Slovakia, and a supreme achievement of the European Gothic. Its construction began in 1378. The main, western façade of this five-aisled church was originally meant to have two towers, but by 1477 only one was built. In 1508 works were completed on the beautifully vaulted presbytery. In 1775 the second tower of the cathedral was built, topped with a Rococo copper cupola. The present form of the church is the result of reconstruction that began in the late 19th century and restored the cathedral to its former appearance, close to the original design. Inside, the spectacular main altarpiece has 48 panels. Take time also to see the relief work over the north and west doors.
The Urban Tower (Urbanova veža) stands to the north of St Elizabeth’s Cathedral. Built in the 14th century, it was remodelled in Renaissance style in 1628. St Urban’s bell was cast in 1557 and installed inside the tower. Dedicating it to St Urban was intended to honour the patron saint of viniculture: wine production has always been a source of Košice’s wealth.
Urban Tower
Following the Great Fire of Košice in 1556 the once Gothic tower was rebuilt in Renaissance style. It was then that it acquired the Urban Bell.
In the square between the cathedral and the theatre is the Singing Fountain (Spievajúca fontána), which spouts water to recorded music. At night, the pearly jets are lit up by coloured lights that change with the rhythm of the music. The fountain is at the centre of a narrow water channel that runs the length of the square.
Singing Fountain in Hlavné namestie
performances only.
The imposing building of the State Theatre (Štátné divadlo) was built in 1897–99, to a design by Adolf Lang. Its lofty dome is topped with the torch-bearing figure of Dawn. The interior, with its beautiful auditorium and lyre-shape floor plan, features a magnificent ceiling with paintings of scenes from Shakespeare. The foyer and the rest of the theatre are richly decorated with stuccoes.
The church (Univerzitný kostol sv. Trojice), one of the finest remaining Baroque structures in Košice, was built in 1681 by the Jesuit order. Its austere, Early-Baroque façade bearing traces of the Renaissance style hides a lavishly furnished interior, which includes a 17th-century pulpit and stalls and a 19th-century main altar. The central nave and all the side chapels are beautifully decorated with magnificent trompe-l’oeil paintings.
9am–5pm Tue–Sat.
The bastion (Katova bašta) takes its name from the nearby house, which was once the home of the town’s hangman. This semicircular structure was built in about 1500 and served defensive purposes, housing eight guns. The lower section of the bastion is reinforced with slanting buttresses.
9am–5pm Tue–Sat, 9am–1pm Sun.
One of Slovakia’s oldest museums, the East Slovak Museum (Východoslovenské múzeum) was established in 1872 as the Upper Hungary Museum. Its vast collections, numbering half a million exhibits, are displayed in an early 20th-century Neo-Renaissance building. The impressive façade is decorated with the town’s coat of arms and the carved figures of Perseus and Vulcan. The museum’s greatest attraction is the “golden treasure of Košice” – a huge find of nearly 3,000 gold coins dating from the 15th to the 17th centuries.
The Neo-Renaissance building housing the East Slovak Museum
The former synagogue was built in 1926–7. In 1992 a bronze memorial plaque was added to the front of the building to commemorate over 12,000 Jews who were taken from Košice to concentration camps in 1944.
