Eastern and Central Europe (Eyewitness Travel Guides)

322 CENTRAL EASTERN EUROPE

For hotels and restaurants in this region see pp328–9 and pp330–31

at the centre of a narrow

water channel that runs

the length of the square.

P Urban Tower

Hlavná. Tel (055) 832 4576.

# noon–4pm Tue–Sun.

The 14th-century Urban

Tower (Urbanova veža) is

dedicated to St Urban, the

patron saint of viniculture, as

wine production has always

been a source of Košice’s

wealth. St Urban’s bell was

cast in 1557 and installed

inside the tower; the tower

itself was remodelled in

Renaissance style in 1628.

R St Elizabeth’s Cathedral

Hlavná 28. Tel (055) 622 1555.

# 9am–5pm, daily. 5

The largest church in

Slovakia, St Elizabeth’s

Cathedral (Dóm šv Alžbety)

dominates the main square.

Begun in 1378, the church is

an achieve ment of the pop-

ular European Gothic style.

The main, west ern façade

was meant to have two towers,

but by 1477 only one had

been built. In 1508 work was

com pleted on the beau tifully

vaulted presbytery. Not until

1775 was the second tower

of the cathedral built, topped

with an impres sive Rococo

copper cupola.

The present form of the

church is the result of the

intricate reconstruction that

began in the late 19th

cen tury, when it was

restored to its former

appear ance, close to

the original design.

Inside, the spectac-

ular main altarpiece

has 48 panels.

The relief work

over the north

and west doors is

also impres sive.

R St Michael’s

Chapel

Hlavná 26. # 9am–5pm, daily. 5

The chapel of St Michael

(šv Michal) was built in the

14th century, on the site of

a ceme tery south of St

Elizabeth’s Cathedral. The

lower section of the building

served as an ossuary, while

the upper section was used to

celebrate masses for the souls

of the dead. During the 16th

P State Theatre

Hlavná 58. Tel (055) 622 1231.

# performances only. http://www.sdke.sk

The imposing building of the

State Theatre (Štátné divadlo)

was built between 1897 and

1899, to a design by Hungarian

architect Adolf Lang. Its lofty

dome is topped with the

torch-bearing figure of

Dawn. The interior,

with its beautiful

auditorium and

lyre-shape floor

plan, features a

magnif icent ceiling

with paintings of

scenes from

Shakespeare’s works.

The foyer and the

rest of the theatre

are richly decorated

with stuccoes.

P Singing Fountain

Hlavné námestie.

In the square between

the theatre and St Elizabeth’s

Cathedral is the Singing

Fountain (Spievajúca fontána),

which spouts water to music.

At night, the pearly jets are

lit up by coloured lights that

change with the rhythm of

the music. The fountain is

P Hlavná
This lovely avenue, full of
shops and cafés, makes for
an enjoyable stroll. The most
strik ing of its buildings are
the Gothic Levoča House
(Levočský dom) and the Old
Town Hall, its façade deco-
rated with sculptures of ancient
heroes by Anton Kraus (1705–
1752). Built between 1722 and
1723, the Plague Column is
Košice’s most beautiful piece
of Baroque sculpture.

Slovakia’s second largest city, Košice has

roots reaching back to the 12th century.

At the crossroads of major trade routes,

it was granted the same town privileges

as the then capital of Hungary, Buda, in

1347. In 1369, King Louis the Great gave
      the town its coat of arms, making it the
      first town in Europe to receive this by
      royal decree. Due to its proximity to the
      Hungarian border, Košice has always
      had a large Hungarian population. The most interesting
      sights in the city are clustered within its large and
      superbly restored historic centre.

Košice 9

The Singing Fountain in front of the
ornate State Theatre

Detail from St

Elizabeth’s Cathedral

Košice’s coat

of arms

The Plague Column and beautiful houses in Hlavná