With a population of 240,000, it´s a bit under five hours by road/rail from Bratislava, its pedestrian-only old town is centred along its own Hlavné Námestie, a long plaza with a musical fountain (music on the hour, plus a light show at night); the handsome, late-19th-century, neo-Baroque State Theatre; the late-18th-century Shire Hall palace, now home to the East Slovak Gallery showcasing historic Slovak painting and religious sculptures as well as rotating exhibitions of contemporary art; the also late-18th-century Stará Radnica (Old City Hall), now home to the city's visitor centre and a performance space; and in the middle of the square, the Dóm Svätej Alžbety (St. Elisabeth's Cathedral), started around 1380. Slovakia's largest church, its remarkable not just for its soaring Gothic architecture but also its mediaeval art and its Gothic double-spiral staircase - very rare, and also Europe's oldest.
This is one of several mediaeval remants in Košice's mostly pedestrian old quarter, with other standouts including Mikluš Prison (now a history museum including the original stone cells); the Urbanova Veža, originally the cathedral bell tower; and the Dolná Brána (Lower Gate), the excavated remains of the city's original walls and entrance gate. For all its history, however, the city today sports a lively atmosphere, its narrow, winding streets full of cafés, restaurants, bars, and galleries (part of the vibrant local cultural scene showcased when Košice was one of 2013´s two European Capitals of Culture).
Read more in our post Slovakia Is an Under-the-radar European Gem.
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