It is the second largest city in Slovakia.
St. Elizabeth's Cathedral (Dóm sv.Alžbety)
Understand
Košice has had a colorful history with its medieval Hungarian rulers, Turks for a time, Czechs, and Slovaks today. Serving as a center of what can best be described as a border of the mountainous region of Slovakia, the lowlands of Hungary and eastern Ukraine, to this day, the city is inhabited by descendants of inhabitants of eastern Slovakia who flocked in mass to the city during its industrial boom after WWII and a large Hungarian and Gypsy-speaking minority.
Watch
Most of Košice's attractions are located along the main pedestrian street, known as 'Hlavná ulica' (Main Street), 'Námestie Marathonu Mieru' (Peace Marathon Square, the northern end of Hlavna) and 'Námestie Osloboditeľov' (Plaza de los Libertadores, at the southern end of Hlavna) in various parts.
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Main Street
- Hlavná ulica. Where are most of the places worth seeing. With its unique atmosphere, it creates the heart of the city. In the past, it used to be a medieval square and the whole town started to grow from this point. Now this place is flat, although in the past it used to be mountainous and there was even a stream there. The "Čermeľský potok" (The Tshermel Stream), where the Saint Elizabeth Cathedral now stands.
- St. Elizabeth Cathedral. This remarkable medieval monument was built in the High Gothic style. The current cathedral stands on a site formerly occupied by a parish church, which was destroyed by fire around 1370.
- Chapel of St. Michel. The chapel probably dates from the first half of the 14th century and had always been part of the parish church. It was built as a cemetery chapel in the center of a cemetery within the city walls. The exterior decoration is Gothic, the turret is embedded in the roof structure. The patron of the dead is Archangel Michael, defeating Satan as a dragon as shown on the altar.
- San Urbano Tower. Originally a gothic prismatic bell tower with a pyramid roof dating from the late 14th and 15th centuries. The bell, which was installed in the tower (its weight equals 7 tons), was dedicated to Saint Urban, the patron of tasters, who was cast in a mold by the bell founder Frantisek Illenfeld of Olomuc in 1557.
- Immaculate (Plague column). The Immaculate statue is the most beautiful baroque-style sculpted monument in the city. It commemorates the plague of the years 1710-1711 and dates from 1720. There are the sculptures of the Virgin Mary and other saints on the nearby pillars.
- State Theater (Štátne divadlo). The theater was built in a new-baroque style during the years 1879-1899, according to the projects of A. Lang and A. Steinhardt, where an old theater building, built in 1788-1790, was located. The interior of the theater is richly decorated with plaster ornaments, the stage is in the shape of a lyre. The ceiling of the theater building is decorated with paintings by the Viennese painter P. Gatseb with scenes from Shakespeare's tragedies. Here is a plaque to the national playwright Janko Borodac.
You can also visit important museums and galleries in the country as well as countless palaces in the city.
Do
- Trekking. All the hiking trails in the beautiful surroundings of the city can be done. Apart from the magnificent, relatively close and serious mountains of the High Tatras (~ 1½ hour on the train to Stary Smokovec with a stopover in Poprad, take one of the faster 'rychlik' trains), you can take an easily accessible public transport Bankov [bunkow] (get on bus # 14 from Havlickova or Mier to Horny Bankov stop) which offers nice views of the city, Jahodna [yahhodna] (a little more distant, small but nice also in summer ski resort , bus # 14 as well), or Vyhliadkova Veza (the sightseeing tower that oversees the city, bus # 29 from the center, in the direction of the ZOO or 'Kavecany'). For a more challenging hike, you can take the train to the 'Ruzin' stop (you have to take the slower 'osobny vlak' train as the faster ones only stop at the furthest station in Margecany), go up the hill splurging wonderful views of surrounding Hill Country and Ruzin Dam along the Yellow Trail. The trip up and to the other side (take the green trail directly west) from Sivec Hill [seewatz] (Kosicke Hamre bus stop, with the last bus connection to Kosice at 17:24) takes about 2 , 5 hours and makes excellent views and photographs. For a shorter and easier walk to Sivec, take the bus from the bus station to Kosicke Hamre and go up the hill on the green trail. Kosicke Hamre offers mid-range accommodation and food in 'Sivec Pension' and 'Bradan'. The Ruzin Dam also makes up for some good fishing (permit required) and boating. For another beautiful day trip you can take the 30 minute 'osobny vlak' train south to Slanec [slahnetz] municipality and enjoy the beautiful views from the top of the hill with interesting ruins of a small medieval castle . For those interested in less distant history, take the bus from the bus station to Dargov, a site of a great WWII battle with royal tanks and a war museum. An entertaining trip for children with lovely surroundings calling for a hike and with Herlany Geyser in a medium walking distance.