Slovakia

🇸🇰 Slovakia

Bratislava

Bratislava (Slovak pronunciation: [ˈbɾatɪslava] — population 476,000 city, 658,000 metropolitan area: the capital and the largest city of Slovakia) is one of the most underrated capital cities in Europe: a compact, walkable Central European city on the Danube at the intersection of three countries (Slovakia, Austria and Hungary) — the only national capital in the world that borders two other countries. The city was the capital of the Kingdom of Hungary (the Habsburg-ruled Hungarian kingdom) from 1536 to 1783 (as "Pozsony" in Hungarian — the Hungarian name for Bratislava, still used by the Hungarian minority in Slovakia) and was the coronation city of 11 Hungarian kings and queens (the St. Martin's Cathedral was the coronation church for all 11 Hungarian monarchs who were crowned at Pozsony/Bratislava from 1563 to 1830, including Maria Theresa (the most important Habsburg ruler of the 18th century, crowned at Bratislava in 1741)). The city is dominated by the Bratislava Castle (Bratislavský hrad — the most important castle in Slovakia: the white-washed, four-towered "upside-down table" castle that has presided over the Danube crossings and the Vienna Gate since the 9th century) and the Gothic St. Martin's Cathedral (the coronation church of the Hungarian kingdom: the gilded Hungarian crown on the tower is the most important symbol of Bratislava's historical role as the capital of the Habsburg Hungarian kingdom).

🇸🇰 Slovakia

Kosice

Košice (Slovak: Košice; Hungarian: Kassa; German: Kaschau) is the second-largest city in Slovakia — 240,000 people in eastern Slovakia, 20km from the Hungarian border and 80km from the Ukrainian border. Košice was the first city outside Rome to receive the Herold's Declaration of the University of Rights (the Magna Carta Libertatum of 1307 — the first written guarantee of civic rights in Central European history). The city's historic centre is among the most complete medieval urban ensembles in Central Europe: the St. Elisabeth Cathedral (Katedrála svätej Alžbety — the largest Gothic cathedral in Slovakia and the easternmost Gothic cathedral in Central Europe, built 1378–1508; the finest Gothic building between Vienna and Kraków) dominates Hlavná ulica (Main Street — a 1.2km pedestrian boulevard of intact baroque and Renaissance burghers' houses). The East Slovak Museum holds the Košice Gold Treasure (Košický zlatý poklad — 3,000+ gold coins from 15th–17th century, discovered by accident during WWII construction, the largest historical gold coin treasure in Central European history). Košice was the European Capital of Culture in 2013. The Košice Peace Marathon (Medzinárodný maratón mieru — held annually since 1924) is the oldest marathon in Europe. Best months: April–October.