History, legends, amazing stories and something of interest on every corner – that is Košice, a city with which it will be love at first sight. It is situated on the river Hornád, near the border with Hungary. The city prides on being known as "The City of Peace" thanks to non-violent ethnic and national tolerance throughout its history.
The city grew relatively rich during the Middle Ages due to its strategic position as a trading center. Today, it has a well preserved historical center, wich is the largest among Slovak towns. There are many heritage protected buildings in Gothic, Renaissance, Baroque and Art Nouveau styles. Most historical monuments are located in or around the Main Street (Hlavná ulica).
Here you can visit imposing gothic St Elisabeth cathedral, Slovakia’s biggest church, as well as the easternmost Gothic cathedral in Europe. It stands on a site formerly occupied by a parish church, which was destroyed by fire around year 1370. In addition to St. Elisabeth, there is the 14th century St. Michael Chapel, the St. Urban Tower, and the Neo-baroque State Theater in the center of town.
Other monuments and buildings of cultural and historical interest are: the old Town Hall, the Old University, the Captain's Palace, Liberation Square, as well as a number of galleries and museums.
Close to the main square lies the Museum of Eastern Slovakia, which has quite a few interesting collections. The most interesting object is the Gold Treasure from Kosice, which was discovered by chance in 1935 and consists of almost 3000 gold coins.
Photo source: wikipedia.org
April 16, 2013
I. C.
