Building partnershipHungary-SlovakiaCross-border Co-operationProgramme 2007-2013

Invitationto the City of

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Map of the city centre

The Lower Gate

The Palace of Count Forgács

The Shire Hall

Cathedral of St. Elizabeth

Urban’s Tower

St. Michael’s Chapel

The Singing Fountain and Carillon

The State Theatre

The Historical Town-hall

Mikluš’s Prison

The Executioner’s Bastion and Rodošto House

Jakab’s Palace

The University Church of the Holy Trinity

The Seminary Church

The Immaculata – Virgin Mary‘s Column

The Slovak Technical Museum

East Slovakian Museum

East Slovakian Museum

You may have visited some of the capital cities of Europe – but have you seen the gems of urban architecture of Central Europe? Here in Slovakia you will enjoy a warm welcome in this most attractive city destination, which offers visitors an unforgettable experience. Come and discover one of the most distinctive places in Slovakia and Central Europe – a place where the east joins the west and the past overlaps with the future. Come and try this interesting mixture of history and culture. You will find a stylish and cosmopolitan city with a most relaxed atmosphere.

The City of Košice – European Capital of Culture 2013 – extends you a very cordial invitation.

Invitation to the City of

Košice

If you are deciding where to go for inspiration during a long weekend with your family, partner or friends, Košice – this city of contrasts and exciting discoveries – offers you some unique cultural experiences, themed walks around the centre, interesting and instructive museum visits, sporting occasions without equal in Europe, and alternative as well as traditional events. Discover the surroundings and the wider region in the footsteps of Andy Warhol, visit UNESCO heritage sites or follow the Gothic Way, you can even peek into the under-ground kingdom of limestone caves.

We invite you to visit Košice – come and experience the extraordinary atmosphere of the second city of Slovakia.

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This picturesque area on the banks of the River Hornád was already settled back in the Stone Age, 35 to 40 thousand years ago. During the period of the first written mention of the town in the year 1230, when Košice was referred to as “Villa Cassa“, it enjoyed rapid growth and enrichment. There is historical evidence that in 1290 Košice gained royal priv-ileges as a town and the right to build its own fortified walls. Through loyalty to the crown and good trading capabilities, the town won the favour of several monarchs. It soon became the second most important centre in the old Hungarian Realm, right after the capital Budín.

In 1369 King Louis the Great, visiting the castle of Diósgyőr (part of present-day Miskolc in Hungary), granted Košice the right to use a coat-of-arms, making it the first city ever in Europe to have its own shield, based on an armorial warrant.

In the 15th century the town was at the height of its fame and status. The following centuries brought with them trials and tribulations, but in spite of them Košice maintained its position as a cultural centre, and in the 19th century it began growing again economically and residentially. The city experienced its greatest boom in the second half of the 20th cen-tury, when due to its steelworks it became the fastest-developing city in Czechoslovakia.

This rich history, wealth of attractions and advantageous location, not far from the borders with Hungary (20km), Ukraine (80km) and Poland (90km), predestine the city as an interesting destination for visitors

A handful of history

The city’s rich and glorious past has left the present-day centre full of precious gems in the form of unique architectural features. The historical centre is the largest urban heritage reserve of its kind in Slovakia.

Walk through this historical centre full of stories and legends. Discover the mansions of rich and noble families, craftsmen’s houses, churches and chapels, squares and alleys, on either side and along the whole length of the fully-renovated, traditional lens-shaped main street.

The historical centre

The Palace of Count Forgács was built in Empire style in the 19th century. From 1851 it was the seat of the Košice district chief administrator, but after 1878 it became a casino. Since 1946 these premises have been used by the State Research Library, which keeps its oldest printed papers (incunabula) here, dating back to the 16th century.

The Shire Hall, built in 1779 in Baroque and neo-Classi-cal style, served as the centre of the old shire of Abov and Turňa until 1928. Its coat of arms can be seen in the middle of the façade. On 5th April 1945 the grand session chamber heard the announcement of the first post-war programme of the Czechoslovak Republic – the Košice Government Programme. Today this is the home of the East Slovakian Gallery.

You can start your sightseeing tour of the city in an un-traditional way – underground. In the unique archeological complex called the Lower Gate you can see part of the town’s fortifications which originated in the later 13th cen-tury.

The city centre contains many historical buildings, each of which is worth looking at, each with its own history and each linked to some kind of legend.

Here we present the most interesting of them.

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St. Elizabeth’s Cathedral together with Urban’s Tower and St. Michael’s Chapel has been declared a national cultural monument. There are guided tours of the Cathedral every day except Sunday, when masses are held. The Cathedral has a most precious interior. The high altar to St. Elizabeth with 48 panel paintings on its wings deserves special attention, as do the suspended figure of the Immaculata and the late-Gothic winged altar of the Visitation of the Virgin Mary. A crypt was built below the northern aisle of the Cathedral in 1906 to house the remains of Ferenc Rákóczi II and his compan-ions, brought back from exile in Turkey. Worth noticing too is the rare Gothic twin-spiral staircase leading up to the gallery above the southern porch. There is a similar staircase in the southern façade of St. Vitus‘ Cathedral in Prague. Around the roof parapet there are interesting animal-shaped gargoyles. One of them on the south-western corner has the form of a woman, supposedly the wife of the Cathedral’s master-builder Stephen, punished in this way for her immoderate wine-drink-ing. A remarkable experience awaits you as well in the view over the city from the 60-metre high northern tower gallery.

St. Elizabeth’s

Cathedral

The dominant building of the historical centre is the Cathedral of St. Elizabeth – the easternmost of Europe’s tradi-tional Gothic cathedrals, and the larg-est church in Slovakia. Its architectural style is High Gothic, and its patron-saint is Elizabeth of Hungary and Thuringia. The building of the Cathedral started around the year 1380 and continued in several phases until 1508.

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Urban’s Tower was built in the 14th century to serve as the Cathedral’s bell-tower. It is named after the bell called Urban, consecrated to St. Ur-ban, the patron-saint of vine-growers. The original bell Urban, smashed in the fire of 1966 but reconstituted from the pieces, is on display outside the tower. Since 1996 the peals from the tower come from a faithful replica of the old bell. Today Urban’s Tower houses a unique Waxworks Muse-um, presenting famous personalities connected with the history of Košice and Slovakia.

St. Michael’s Chapel is consecrated to the guide of souls going into the next world, the Archangel Michael. It stands on the site of the former town cemetery. It is unique par-ticularly for its Gothic architecture. The un-derground crypt was built first in the 13th century, and the chapel above ground later, between 1360 and 1380. The Chapel walls have 18 tombstones set into them, coming from the Cathedral or the former cemetery. There is a figure of the Archangel Michael above the entrance, weighing the souls of the dead. Either side of him stand figures of the apostles Peter and Paul. Since the re-construction, completed in 2006, the Chapel has been open again to the public.

St. Michael’s Urban’s Tower Chapel

The space between the Cathedral and St. Michael’s Chapel has been used to create Košice’s Pathway of Fame. The paving-stones set here remind us of famous people who have honoured the city by visiting it, for example Pope John Paul II, several heads of state and personalities from the world of culture.

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The Singing Fountain and Carillon are modern attractions in the city. The fountain reacts in synchrony with the music it plays itself, the chimes of the carillon and the live music coming from the nearby theatre, make it pleasant to sit in the park or walk in the streets forming the Golden Cross of the city centre.

Visitors cannot resist the sight of the State Theatre, built in 1897–99 in neo-Baroque style to the plan of architect Adolf Lang.

The cupola is adorned with a figure of Aurora, friend of the Muses. The audito-rium is lyre-shaped, with rich sculptural and ornamental decoration. Its dome-like ceiling is painted with scenes from Shakespeare’s plays.

Fountain TheatreCarillonand

The Singing The State

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The neo-Classical building of the Histori-cal Town-hall was built in 1779–80. Its grandeur bears witness to the importance of Košice in that period. The tympanum above the façade bears the city’s coat of arms. Since 1997 these premises have served the city’s representational needs. The building also houses a visitors‘ centre which provides services to foreign tourists and local visitors alike.

Jakab’s Palace always draws visitors‘ attention. It was built in 1899 in neo-Gothic style by master-builder Arpád Jakab as his private residence. For a while the President of the Czechoslovak Republic Edvard Beneš had his office here.

Not far from the Main Street is Mikluš’s Prison, created by joining together two patricians‘ houses with foundations dating back to the 13th century. The town established its prison here later in the 17th century, and closed it down in 1909. Since 1942 there has been a museum exhibition here focusing on medieval criminal law and judiciary, and the history of the city in terms of crafts and trade. Reconstruction of the adjacent Executioner’s Chambers and revitalization of the grounds of the Executioner’s Bastion in 2008–9 have contributed to the creation of an integrated thematic heritage tour and the enhancement of this whole part of the city.

In the courtyard of the Executioner's Bastion stands a statue of Ferenc Rákóczi II, the leader of the last anti-Habsburg uprising in Hungary, and a replica of the oriental house from the town of Rodosto, where he lived in exile.

The Historical

Prison

Town-hall

Mikluš’s

Jakab’s Palace

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The University Church of the Holy Trinity is a superb building in which Renaissance style overlaps with the Baroque. It was built by the Jesuits in 1681, and it belonged to them until 1773. Since 1811 it has been the property of the Premonstratensian Order in Jasov. Its re-markable mural paintings are the work of Erazmus Schrött (1788) and Richard Orosz (1930). In 1657 the Jesuit University was founded in the building next to the church.

The Seminary Church was built in the early 15th century by the Franciscan Order and consecrated to St. Nicholas. The original Gothic church later acquired a Baroque façade.

The University Church of

Church

the Holy Trinity

The Seminary

TheImmaculata

The most beautiful piece of Baroque sculptural heritage in the city is the Immaculata group, built in thanks-giving to the Virgin Mary for warding off the plague epidemic of 1720-1723.

The relaxation area in the park by the Immaculata is a popular place not only for Košice residents but for visitors to the city as well.

– Virgin Mary‘s Column

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The building of the Upper Hungarian Capitanate today houses the Slovak Technical Museum, which collects items of technical heritage and arranges them in thematic exhibitions. The Museum also has branches with separate exhibitions, such as the Aviation Museum at Košice Airport or the Clock Museum in the stately home at Budimír.

Technical MuseumThe Slovak

The East Slovakian Museum, built in 1896–99 in neo-Renaissance style, is located in Peace Marathon Square. This square is named after Košice’s annually-held international sporting event. Winners‘ names are recorded for posterity on the plinth of the Mara-thoner Statue, created by the sculptor Arpád Račko. Since1903 the Museum has presented wide-ranging exhibi-tions on the history of the East Slova-kian region, archeology, numismatics, and goldsmiths‘ and jewellers‘ arts. One of the Museum’s most precious exhibits is surely the Košice Gold Treasure, consisting of 2920 gold coins and a gold chain. Part of the art-historical exhibition and the Mu-seum’s natural science exhibition are housed in the 1908 Secession-style military headquarters building gen-erally known as “the Division”, just across the square.Museum

The East Slovakian

Košice

Music Festival

City Days

Košice Spring

In addition to the museums and galleries, there are several theatres in the centre of Košice, as well as the concert-hall of the Košice State Philharmonic Orchestra.

One of the most significant historical events for the city is considered to be the granting of the right to use its own coat of arms. This right was granted to Košice by King Louis the Great on 7th May 1369. This day is now celebrated every year as Košice City Day. The celebrations are usually or-ganized throughout the first week of May, and have become one of the most impor-tant cultural and social events in the year, attracting not only the residents of Košice, but Slovak and foreign tourists as well. May is also an attractive time for classi-cal music lovers, with the international Košice Spring Music Festival.

The cultural identity of the city now in-cludes the regular traditions on the most beautiful holidays in the year for example the Košice Christmas celebrations with the inseparable attraction of the “Mayor’s Punch”. Experience the Christmas at-mosphere of Košice and New Year’s Eve on the Main Street with a great entertain-ment programme and impressive fire-works show.

Culture in Košice

Košice is a natural cultural centre in this part of Central Europe. This status has recently been confirmed by the city’s gaining of the prestigious title of European Capital of Culture for the year 2013. The aim of this project is to combine the interests of visitors and residents in one common purpose: to expand the city’s cultural boundaries and potential. Košice is getting ready to welcome more than half a million visitors in 2013, preparing more than 300 projects and 1000 events for them!

Capital of CultureThe European

The festival season in Slovakia opens with a new mul-ti-genre street-art event called the "Use The City" Festival.

During the summer the whole city centre comes alive with cultural and entertainment events which are all parts of the Košice Summer of Culture project and the untraditional city festival called Summer in the Park.

www.kosice2013.sk

While getting to know Košice you can do something for your own health as well. Try running the minimarathon (4.2 km), or simply enjoy the energy-packed atmosphere of Europe’s oldest marathon race, the Košice Peace Marathon.

On the eve of this running event, Košice lights up for its very own White Night / Nuit Blanche. Following the marked route round the city centre, you will come across various unu-sual and outstanding interactive artistic installations and per-formances.

We guarantee that you will not feel like sleeping.

www.kosicemarathon.com

Košice and Bratislava jointly host the World Ice-hockey Championships in 2011. Don’t miss this world-class ice-hockey experience in the modern Steel Arena. Košice will be living not only for ice-hockey but also for street culture, part of which will be the presentation of gastronomical expe-riences throughout the city’s hotels and restaurants.

www.steelarena.sk

marathon

Košice

The oldest

Hockey in

The Zoological Gardens near the village suburb of Kave-čany are by area the largest in Central Europe. Here visi-tors can take a closer look at more than 150 species of ani- mals, mainly hoofed animals and birds, including some exo- tic breeds. The Zoo’s greatest pride is its herd of “hutsul” highland horses, and the brown bear quintuplets born and raised here are entered in the Guinness Book of Records.

The University Botanical Gardens are also the largest in area in Slovakia. More than 4000 kinds of plants are grown here, of which more than 1000 consist of cac-tuses and succulents. This is the biggest collection in all of the Slovak and Czech Republics. Regular exhi-bitions of live tropical butterflies are also held here.

Spend the day or your whole holiday just as you please by choosing from the variety of things that Košice has to offer throughout the year. One of our tips for a short trip for younger and older visi-tors alike is the Children’s Railway, with Slova-kia’s oldest running steam-engine called Katka. This will take you from Čermeľ up to the Alpinka recreation area with its children’s playground, restaurant and nine-hole golf course.

If you fancy a family picnic or a romantic meal, or maybe just a walk in the woods, set out for Bankov, which has been a favourite excursion point for the people of Košice for several centuries. Today, apart from beautiful countryside there is also a minigolf course and an exclusive hotel.

You can see an unforgettable panorama of the city from the Viewing Tower standing on Hra-dová Hill, not far from the remains of medieval Košice Castle.

Your adrenalin will certainly be stimulated by the Bob Run at Kavečany. It measures 800 metres, and dare-devils can ride down it at speeds up to 60 km/h. It has nine hairpin bends, and takes in several tunnels and swoops in the slope.

Using the city’s public transport you can easily reach the starting-points in the dense network of marked woodland trails – but if you decide to stay in the city, you can enjoy the taste of Košice in the pleasant surroundings of many restau-rants, for example during one of the regular gastronomic events. One of these is the gour-met festival “Košice Gurmán Fest“, the festival of exceptional tastes. You can try delicacies and experience a culinary show prepared by some of

Slovakia’s best chefs and som-meliers. And after a good meal it’s time to enjoy some Košice Gold, an original cocktail with a secret recipe, only to be found in very select establishments.

Košice ZOO

The Botanical

leisure time

Gardens

Inspiration for your

Set out on the trail of Andy Warhol or along the Go-thic Way, see the mummified Countess Sophia, visit several UNESCO heritage sites, go Tokay wi-ne-tasting in the famous cellars, or explore under-ground in limestone caves.

The city of Košice is the metropolis of a region that is captivating with its remarkable natural features and memorable historical sites. You will find several things here which are unique in the world.

From Košice it is easy to reach several medieval castles and various caves, and to follow hiking trails that lead visitors through the Slovak Paradise and the Slovak Karst national parks.

Because of its specific and unusual characteristics, the Herľany Geyser may rightly be considered as a rarity in the world. It was created from a man-made bore-hole at the village of Herľany in 1870, when the original springs no longer produced enough mineral water to satisfy the growing demand at the local spa. Today this geyser shoots 15 metres into the air, and

The dominant building in the village of Jasov (23 km) is the 18th-century Premonstratensian

monastery, where you will find a Baroque church with wonderful altar paintings and mural decoration. Spreading out around the monastery is a French-style garden with rare plants and exotic trees. Jasov Cave is typical for its quill-shaped stalactites and massive pagodas in various shapes and colours. Of the total length of passages discovered to date (2185 metres), a 620-metre circuit is open to the public.

The ruins of 14th-century Turňa Castle (36 km) rear up above the village of Turňa nad Bodvou. Zádiel Valley (40 km) cuts into the eastern part of the largest and most beau-tiful limestone areas in Central Europe, the Slovak Karst. This 300-metre deep, 4 km long ravine was formed by the stream called Blatnica (“Muddy”). The valley is famous for its 186 m deep pothole called Devil’s Hole, the 105 m high rock pinnacle named Sugar Cone, and several caves.

Krásna Hôrka Castle (60 km) is a popular place full of historical heritage, and the stately home at Betliar is inter- esting for the wealth of exhibits inside the house, and the extensive, beautifully-kept grounds with many rare species of trees

Less than an hour’s drive south-east of Košice, on the slo-pes of the Zemplín Hills, you will find the Tokay vineyard area. In size this is one of Slovakia’s smallest wine areas, but the quality of the wines produced here ranks it among the most famous. Tokay wine achieved its greatest fame and admiration at the court of the French king Louis XIV (1638–1715), where they named it “Vinum regum – rex vi-norum“ (Wine of kings – king of wines).

The geyser at Herľany

The monastery in Jasov The Jasov Cave

Zádiel Valley

of KošiceThe surroundings

Turňa Castle Krásna Hôrka Castle

The stately home at Betliar

The Tokay vineyard area

Tokay wine cellar

erupts regularly every 32 to 36 hours. It is the only cold-water geyser in Europe outside of Iceland.

Alpinka

Jahodná

Bankov

Kavečany

Budimír

Zelený dvor

HrašovíkHrašovík

Ťahanovce

Hradová

Anička

Girbes

sídlisko KVP

KošickáNová Ves

Krásnanad Hor.

Družstevná pri Hornáde

Mlynky

Maša

Bukovec

BaškaMyslava

Lorinčík

Malá Ida Poľov

Šaca

Pereš

Šebastovce

Barca

žel. stan.

stan.SAD

Come and visit one of Slovakia’s most beautiful cities. Discover its stories, enjoy unforgettable ex-periences, and let yourself be inspired by its at-mosphere and its people. Come and get to know this as yet undiscovered corner of Europe. You will find stylish cafés on the longest street promenade in Slovakia. You can take part in traditional and unusual events. Breathe in the atmosphere of the oldest marathon race in Europe, don’t close your eyes during the “White Night” festival of light, and try the secret recipe of Košice’s golden drink.

Come and relax, and experience something unusual!

Contact:Návštevnícke centrum Košice(Košice Visitor Centre) Hlavná 59, 040 01 KošiceTel.: +421 55 625 8888Fax: +421 55 625 4502E-mail: info@visitkosice.euWeb: www.visitkosice.eu

KošiceThe Botanical Gardens

Košice Zoo

Bob Run at Kavečany

Viewing Tower

Children’s Railway, with Slovakia’s oldest running steam-engine

Alpinka recreation area

Trixen Water-ski Tow

The Aviation Museum

Clock Museum at Budimír

www.kosice.sk www.kosice2013.sk

The Botanical Gardens – the LARGest in Slovakia, with more than 4000 cultivated plant species

The Aviation Museum – the NEWest museum in Košice (2002), part of the Slovak Technical Museum, also the ONLY one in Slovakia

Košice Zoo, the LARGest in area in Central Europe

The Children’s Railway in Čermeľ Valley – the OLDest and the ONLY one in Slovakia

The OLDest armorial warrant in Europe (1369)

The OLDest marathon in Europe, and the second- oldest in the world (1924)

The LARGest urban heritage reserve in Slovakia

St. Elizabeth’s Cathedral, the EASTERN-most Gothic cathedral in Europe

www.husk-cbc.eu The contents of this publicationdo not represent any officialEuropean Union standpoint.

Košice’s “MOST-est”