Introduction to Kosice, Slovakia Košice

Slovak towns rarely amount to much more than their one long main square, and even KOšICE, the country's second-largest city, is no exception. Rather like Bratislava, Košice was, until relatively recently, a modest little town on the edge of the Hungarian plain. Then, in the 1950s, the Communists established a giant steelworks on the outskirts of the city. Fifty years on, Košice has a population of around 250,000, a number of worthwhile museums, arguably Slovakia's finest cathedral, and a lively cosmopolitanism that can be quite reassuring after a journey in the back-of-beyond. Just 21km north of the Hungarian border, Košice also acts as a magnet for the Hungarian community – to whom the city is known as Kassa – and the underemployed Romanies of the surrounding region, lending it a diversity and vibrancy absent from small-town Slovakia.

Almost everything of interest is situated on Košice's long pedestrianized main square, which is called Hlavná ulica at its northern and southern extremities, Hlavné námestie to the north of the cathedral, and námestie Slobody to the south of the cathedral. Lined with handsome Baroque and Neoclassical palaces, it's dominated by the city's unorthodox Gothic Cathedral of St Elizabeth, its charcoal-coloured stone recently sandblasted back to its original honeyed hue. Begun in 1378, it's an unusual building from the outside, with striped roof tiles and two contorted towers. Inside, imposing Gothic furnishings add an impressive touch to an otherwise plain nave, the main gilded altar depicting scenes from the life of the cathedral's patron saint. On the busy north side of the cathedral is the fourteenth-century Urbanova veža, the town tower, standing on its own set of mini-arcades. The public park and fountains beyond are a favourite spot for hanging out and make an appropriately graceful approach to the city's grand Austro-Hungarian theatre. The peculiar Vojtech Löffler Museum at Alžbetina 20 (Tues–Sat 10am–6pm, Sun 1–5pm), west off the main square, features the work and private collections of Košice's most prominent Communist-sanctioned sculptor. Another unusual attraction is the Mikluš Prison (Tues–Sat 9am–5pm, Sun 9am–1pm), east off the square down Univerzitna, whose original dimly lit dungeons and claustrophobic cells graphically transport you into its history as the city prison and torture chamber. At the northern tip of the main square, námestie Maratónu mieru is flanked to the east and west by the bulky nineteenth-century East Slovak Museum (Tues–Sat 9am–5pm, Sun 10am–1pm). The western building is worth visiting for its basement collection of fifteenth- to seventeenth-century gold coins – 2920 in all – minted at Kremnica, but stashed away by city burghers and discovered by accident in 1935. Hidden round the back of the museum is a wooden Greek-Catholic church, brought here from the Ukrainian borderlands.

The train and bus stations are opposite each other, ten minutes' walk east of the old town. There's a small but helpful tourist office (Mon–Fri 9am–5/6pm, Sat 9am–1/2pm; tel 055/16 186) in the Dargov department store on the corner of Hlavná and Štúrova, which can help with finding rooms. Otherwise, try Atlantic, Rázusova 1 (tel 055/622 65 01; £10–20/$16–32 [€15–29]), a small, central pension that's often fully booked, so it's worth calling well in advance. Ubytovania, Jesenského 20 (tel 055/633 59 12; 200Sk), offers hostel accommodation to the east of the main square, and cheap dorm beds are also available at several student hostels, including one at Podhradová 11 (tel 055/633 34 37; 100Sk; July & Aug only). The nearest campsite (closed Oct to mid-April) is 5km south of the city centre and also rents out bungalows; take tram #4 or bus #52 from the Slovan hotel to the flyover, then get off and walk 500m west along Alejová, the road to Rožňava. The best places to eat are located in the streets to the east of the main square: Ajvega, Orlia 10, is a popular vegetarian place with a summer terrace, and serves soya versions of standard Slovak dishes, washed down with fresh juices. The seafood and fish restaurant Caravella, just up the street at Orlia 4, does an admirable job considering its distance from the ocean, while Sedliacky dvor, at Biela 3, is a hymn to Slovak folk culture and cuisine. Kleopatra Pizza Bar, at Hlavná 24, occupies a fine setting, with outdoor tables overlooking the gardens to the south of the cathedral. Košice's nightlife revolves around the main square, where there are plenty of options for drinking: the Music Pub Diesel at Hlavná 92, Keltská Krčma at no. 80 and Bernard's Club at Alžbetina 4 all have frequent live music and a good atmosphere. You can also catch live jazz most nights at the city's smoky Jazz Club, Kováčska 39. Mainstream culture predominates in Košice, though the city also boasts a Hungarian theatre, Thália, on Mojmírova, and Slovakia's one and only Romany theatre, Romathan, Štefánikova 4, which puts on a range of events from concerts to plays. The tourist office stocks the free listings booklet Kultúrny informačník. You can access the Internet at Net Club, Hlavná 9.

Information by Rough Guides

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