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.
Katedrála svätej Alžbety (St. Elisabeth Cathedral — Hlavná 1; the most important Gothic building in Slovakia and one of the finest Gothic cathedrals in Central Europe; dedicated to Elisabeth of Hungary (Alžbeta Uhorská — 1207–1231; a Hungarian princess who became a Franciscan nun in Marburg, Germany, after her husband's death and devoted herself to caring for the poor; she was canonised 1235 — the cathedral was begun as a project of the House of Luxembourg (the Holy Roman Emperors of the 14th century), who chose the Gothic style to demonstrate connection to the great French cathedrals)); construction: 1378–1508 (130 years — a common timeframe for major Gothic cathedrals); the 5-naved structure has: the North Tower (accessible by a narrow staircase: 170 steps to the top; the best view of the Košice old town); the tomb of Francis II Rákóczi (the Prince of Transylvania who led the Rákóczi War of Independence against the Habsburgs 1703–1711; his remains were returned to Košice from Turkey (where he died in exile) in 1906)); and the original Gothic stone altarpiece (the main altar, 1474–1477, one of the finest surviving Gothic altarpieces in Central Europe). Adults €3.
🎫 Book tickets via GetYourGuideHlavná ulica (Main Street — the 1.2km pedestrian boulevard that forms the spine of the Košice old town; one of the most architecturally coherent main streets in Central Europe): the street is lined with a continuous sequence of baroque and Renaissance burghers' houses (the 'mestianske domy' — the merchant homes of the wealthy Košice bourgeoisie, built in the 17th–18th centuries after the medieval houses of the original German (Sachsen) settlers were replaced); the street has: the Urban Tower (Urbanova veža — a free-standing Gothic bell tower (1506) beside the cathedral, the detached campanile that is the second most recognisable element of the Košice skyline); the State Theatre (Štátne divadlo — a 1899 neo-Baroque opera house with a 670-seat auditorium, one of the finest opera house buildings in Slovakia; the programme includes opera, operetta, and drama in Slovak, with surtitles in German and English for international productions)); and the Immaculate Column (Morový stĺp — the 1723 Plague Column erected in gratitude for the end of the 1709–1715 plague epidemic that killed one-third of Košice's population).
🎫 Book tickets via GetYourGuideVýchodoslovenské múzeum (East Slovak Museum — Námestie Maratónu mieru; the regional history museum with the most significant single exhibit in Slovakia: the Košice Gold Treasure (Košický zlatý poklad — discovered October 1935 by workers digging a sewer on Hlavná ulica; the treasure had been hidden under the floor of a medieval house, apparently for safekeeping and never retrieved; 3,000+ gold coins from 8 different minting centres across Central Europe (Hungarian, Transylvanian, Habsburg, and Italian ducats and florins) from the 15th–17th century, and a gold chain and a gold goblet; total weight: 11.3kg; current value (gold price + historical significance): many millions of euros; the largest historical gold coin treasure ever discovered in Central Europe)). The archaeological collection (the Prehistoric and Celtic material from the Košice region) and the permanent historical exhibition (the history of the city from its Hungarian and German medieval origins through the Habsburg, Czecho-Slovak, Hungarian (1939–1945), and Slovak communist periods to the present). Adults €3.
🎫 Book tickets via GetYourGuideKošice Musical Fountain (Spievajúca fontána — the musical fountain in the centre of Hlavná ulica; built 1996 as part of the reconstruction of the main street; the fountain performs musical shows (water jets choreographed to classical music and Slovak folk music) from April–October, approximately every 2 hours from 09:00–21:00; the show lasts 20–30 minutes); the fountain is the social centre of Hlavná ulica — the outdoor café tables of the surrounding coffee houses fill during the fountain show. The Košice Executioner's Bastion (Katova bašta — a 15th-century bastion of the old city walls, converted into a wine bar (Vinotéka v Katovej bašte — the most atmospheric drinking venue in Košice, in the original circular bastion room with brick vaulted ceiling and candlelight)). Medieval city wall walk (the restored section of the 14th-century Košice fortification runs along the eastern side of the old town).
🎫 Book tickets via GetYourGuideSlovak cuisine (slovenská kuchyňa): Bryndzové halušky (the national dish of Slovakia: small irregular dumplings (halušky — made from grated raw potato mixed with flour; the grated potato is squeezed to remove excess liquid, then mixed with flour to form a thick batter that is pressed through a 'halušky maker' (a metal plate with holes) directly into boiling water; the dumplings are soft and slightly sticky) served with bryndza (a soft, sharp sheep's milk cheese from the Liptov region of Slovakia — the most important Slovak dairy product; bryndza has PDO (Protected Designation of Origin) status in the EU) and fried bacon bits and sour cream; Kapustnica (a sauerkraut soup with smoked sausage, mushrooms, and cream — the Slovak Christmas soup, also served year-round). Slovak wine (the Tokaj wine region of eastern Slovakia (the Slovak portion of the Tokaj appellation (the other portion is in Hungary)) produces the same honeyed dessert wines as the more famous Hungarian Tokaj; the Slovak Tokaj producers (Château Vizsoly, Villa Vino Rača) are generally less expensive than the Hungarian equivalents).
🎫 Book tickets via GetYourGuideSpišský hrad (Spiš Castle — UNESCO World Heritage Site 1993; 60km northwest of Košice by car or by bus (2 hrs) via Spišské Podhradie; the largest castle complex in Central Europe (by area: 4 hectares of ruins on a 634m dolomite hill above the Hornád River valley)); the castle was founded in the 12th century (the first written reference is 1209) and served as the administrative and military centre of Spiš County (the most important county of northern Hungary (the historical Zipser Sachsen — the German-speaking communities of Slovakia, settled from the 13th century onwards who built the Spiš County's towns and villages)). The castle ruins (the castle was abandoned after 1780 when a fire destroyed the roof structures; the ruins have been stabilised and partially restored since 1970): the Upper Castle (the innermost fortification with the two round towers and the Romanesque palace), the Middle Castle (the 13th–14th century fortification ring with the Gothic chapel), and the Lower Castle (the outer fortification walls). The panoramic view from the castle: the Spiš plain, the High Tatras (visible on clear days), and the Spiš Castle UNESCO ensemble (the castle, the Spiš Chapter (a cathedral chapter village — the only inhabited cathedral chapter in Slovakia), and Spišské Podhradie (the medieval market town)). Adults €10.
🎫 Book tickets via GetYourGuideKošice Underground (Košické Podzemie — the underground archaeological tour beneath Hlavná ulica; accessible from the crypt below the St. Elisabeth Cathedral (entrance via the Cathedral south door)); during the 1990s reconstruction of the main street, archaeologists discovered a complete network of medieval cellars, market halls, and craft workshops beneath the pavement (the cellars date to the 13th–16th centuries and served as storage vaults for the merchant houses above)); the guided tour (60 min, in Slovak and English; small groups of 10–15 people; departing from the Cathedral every 2 hours from 10:00–16:00) takes visitors through: the original medieval street level (1.5m below the current pavement), the Gothic vaulted cellars (the largest extending under 3 houses), and the archaeological deposit layers (the finds include: medieval pottery, leather shoes, coins, and the remains of a large-scale grain storage facility from the 15th century). Adults €6.
🎫 Book tickets via GetYourGuideKošice has developed a vibrant craft beer and cocktail scene since 2010 (reflecting both Slovak craft brewing and the influence of the large student population from the University of Veterinary Medicine and Pharmacy and the Technical University of Košice (70,000 students in a city of 240,000)): the key venues: Hemingway Bar (Kováčska 10 — a multi-storey bar and cocktail lounge named after the writer; a Košice institution since 2005; the cocktail programme covers both classic (Old Fashioned, Negroni, Daiquiri) and Slovak-inspired cocktails (using Tatratea (a Slovak herbal liqueur from the Tatranský čaj company, produced in Poprad at 17°–72° ABV in 9 flavour versions), Slovakia's finest gin (Senica), and the Spiš mead (medovina))); Hostinec pod Baštou (the bar in the bastion — a medieval city wall tower converted into a pub, one of the most atmospheric drinking venues in Slovakia). Open until 02:00.
🎫 Book tickets via GetYourGuideHlavná ulica at night (the pedestrian boulevard takes on a different atmosphere after 22:00 when the daytime tourist crowds thin and the Košice nightlife demographic (students, locals) takes over): the St. Elisabeth Cathedral lit by floodlights (the Gothic stone facade in warm amber light makes the cathedral appear more ancient and otherworldly at night than during the day); the Urban Tower (the separate bell tower beside the cathedral, with its Gothic pinnacles illuminated); and the Miklušova väznica (Miklush Prison — the 15th-century prison in the old city walls; now a museum of medieval torture and punishment (one of the most visited 'dark tourism' sites in Slovakia; adults €4; open until 21:00)). The old city walls (the remaining bastions and wall sections of the 14th-century Košice fortification are illuminated at night, giving the eastern edge of the old town a dramatic medieval atmosphere).
🎫 Book tickets via GetYourGuideSlovenský raj (Slovak Paradise National Park — 40km northwest of Košice; accessible by bus (1.5 hrs from Košice bus station) to Čingov or Podlesok (the main trailheads)); the park (26,000 hectares of forested plateau cut by deep gorges (rokliny — literally 'ravines')) is the most dramatic hiking landscape in Slovakia: the gorge trails (the defining experience of Slovak Paradise) require ascending or descending vertical rock faces via fixed iron ladders (železné rebríky), chains, and wooden boardwalks bolted to the rock face above the stream (the gorges are so narrow and steep that hiking is one-directional — the trail goes only up the gorge, and walkers exit at the top and return on the plateau paths)); the key gorges: Suchá Belá (the most popular gorge: 4km, 400m ascent, 15 iron ladders and wooden footbridges over the stream); the Prielom Hornádu (the Hornád River Gorge — the lower gorge can be walked along wooden boardwalks without iron ladders, for a less strenuous version). Adults €1.50/day entrance.
🎫 Book tickets via GetYourGuideFranciscan Church and Monastery (Františkánsky kostol — Františkánske námestie; the Gothic church (1320) where the most complex moment in Košice's history took place: on June 5, 1676, the martyrdom of the Three Martyrs of Košice (Marks Križ, Menyhért Pongrácz, and Stefan Pongrácz — three Jesuit priests executed by the Hungarian Protestant forces of Prince Gabriel Bethlen; they were canonised 1995 by Pope John Paul II during his visit to Košice (the largest public event ever held in Slovakia, with 1.2 million people attending the open-air Mass on the Košice airport grounds)). The Rákóczi Tomb in St. Elisabeth Cathedral (Francis II Rákóczi — the Prince of Transylvania and leader of the Hungarian independence war (1703–1711); his tomb in the St. Elisabeth Cathedral is a symbol of Slovak-Hungarian historical complexity: Rákóczi is a hero of Hungarian national history (the 'freedom fighter') and a symbol of anti-Habsburg resistance in Slovak history, since the Habsburgs also ruled Slovakia). Free.
🎫 Book tickets via GetYourGuideCassovia Gallery (Galéria Cassovia — Hlavná 27; the contemporary art gallery of the Košice old city, focusing on Slovak and Central European contemporary visual art; 'Cassovia' is the Latin name of Košice (the city was known as Cassovia throughout the medieval and early modern Latin-language administrative records)); the gallery has a permanent collection of 20th-century Slovak art and a rotating exhibition programme of contemporary Slovak, Czech, and Central European artists. The gallery building (a reconstructed 17th-century merchant house with a Renaissance arcade on the ground floor — the arcade (arkáda) is the defining architectural element of the Košice old town buildings, creating a covered walkway at street level that allows pedestrians to move along Hlavná ulica without exposure to rain). Adults €3. The adjacent restaurant (Zbojnícka koliba — a Slovak highland restaurant in the courtyard of a Košice old town building, serving game dishes (venison stew, wild boar goulash) and Slovak highland culture).
🎫 Book tickets via GetYourGuideSlovak goulash (Slovenský guláš — different from Hungarian goulash in several important ways: more paprika but less water (the Slovak version is thicker, almost a stew rather than a soup), the addition of caraway seeds (kmín — a defining flavour in Slovak cooking), and the serving with halusky (the potato dumplings) rather than white bread; the Košice version (Košický guláš) uses local Spiš cattle beef from the Highland cattle breeds of the Tatras foothills). Slovak Tokaj wine (the vineyards of the Slovak Tokaj region (the easternmost Slovak wine region, centred on the villages of Malá Tŕňa and Čerhov, 40km south of Košice on the border with Hungary): the same geological conditions (volcanic tuff soils, the Bodrog and Tisa rivers creating autumn fog that promotes the Botrytis cinerea noble rot) as the famous Hungarian Tokaj; the Slovak Tokaj Výber (the equivalent of Hungarian Aszú) is produced in limited quantities from late-harvest noble-rot affected grapes; a 3-puttonyos Slovak Tokaj (approximately €25 for 0.5l) paired with the sheep's milk bryndza cheese is the definitive Košice evening meal.
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