Košice (German: Kaschau, Hungarian: Kassa, Ukrainian: Кошиці) is a city on the river Hornád in eastern Slovakia. Situated 206 m (676 ft) above sea level, Košice covers 242 sq km (93.7 sq mi) and has a population of 234,000 people (2011 estimate) within a metropolitan area of over half a million people. It is the second most populous city in Slovakia after Bratislava.

State Theater, KošiceState Theater, Košice
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Statne_divadlo_Kosice.jpg
Author: OM8ARK
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The area around has been settled since prehistoric times. Its first mention was in 1230, when it was an Hungarian town. Košice was attacked by the Mongols in 1241, after which German settlers were invited over to help repopulate the area.

Under Hungarian rule, Košice became a free royal town, giving it the same privileges of the Hungarian capital, Buda. Its prosperity in the 14th century is reflected in its plans to build the biggest cathedral in the Kingdom of Hungary. Construction of the Cathedral of St Elizabeth, built to replace its more modest predecessor, was carried out under Emperor Sigismund of Lusemburg.

Košice Town HallKošice Town Hall
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Radnica.jpg
Author: RI91


Today Košice has a beautifully preserved old town with many historic buildings including the Cathedral of St Elizabeth, the largest church building in Slovakia. The city will be celebrated as the 2013 European City of Culture, holding the position with Marseille, France.

Visiting Košice

You can fly to Košice International Airport (KSC), the second biggest international airport in Slovakia. There are direct flights from Bratislava, Burgas, Corfu, Hurghada, Prague, Rijeka, Split, and Zadar, among others. There are trains from Bratislava. They take between 5 hours to 7 hours to reach Košice, depending on the service. There are also train services from Prague, Budapest and Kiev.

Church of St Elizabeth, KošiceChurch of St Elizabeth, Košice
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:D%C3%B3m_sv%C3%A4tej_Al%C5%BEbety_changed.jpg
Author: DerHexe

Places of Interest in Košice

  1. Cathedral of St Elizabeth
    The largest church in Slovakia, this massive building looms over the central market square of Košice. Construction of this Gothic masterpiece began in 1378 and was only completed in 1508.

  2. East Slovak Museum (Východoslovenské múzeum)
    This is one of the oldest museums in Slovakia. It was established in 1872 as the Upper Hungary Museum. Today its collection numbers over half a million pieces.

  3. Executioner's Bastion
    Bastion in Košice named after its proximity to the home of the town's hangman.

  4. Former Synagogue
    Built in 1926, the synagogue today commemorates Košice's Jewish population which were sent off to concentration camps by the Nazis in 1944.

  5. Hlavná
    This is the lovely street through the old town of Košice. It is lined with shops and cafés;.

  6. Jesuit Church
    This is one of the loveliest Baroque-style structures in Košice. It was built in 1681. The outside is quite plain while the inside is lavishly ornate.

  7. Košice State Theater (Štátné divadlo)
    Theater built in 1897. It has a dome with the figure of Dawn holding a torch at the top.

  8. Singing Fountain (Spievajúca fontána)
    Fountain located between the cathedral and the theater. It is lit at night with colored lights that change color according to music.

  9. St Michael's Chapel
    Chapel to the south of the Cathedral of St Elizabeth. It dates to the 14th century. The chapel walls encase old tombstones from the surrounding cemetery.

  10. Urban Tower (Urbanova veža)
    Tower built in the 14th century and dedicated to St Urban. It became a bell tower when the St Urban bell was installed there in 1557.

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Hello and thanks for reading this page. My name is Timothy and my hobby is in describing places so that I can share the information with the general public. My website has become the go to site for a lot of people including students, teachers, journalists, etc. whenever they seek information on places, particularly those in Malaysia and Singapore. I have been doing this since 5 January 2003, for over twenty years already. You can read about me at Discover Timothy. By now I have compiled information on thousands of places, mostly in Peninsular Malaysia and Singapore, and I continue to add more almost every day. My goal is to describe every street in every town in Malaysia and Singapore.

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