Kosice Things to Do

...dom sv Alzbety. This is a magnificent, late-Gothic style Cathedral.
It is the biggest and most important gothic monuments ever built in Slovakia and the only one of this kind in Eastern Europe.
The construction of the present cathedral was started by the end of the 14th century, completed in 1508.

In a crypt on the left side of the nave is the tomb of Ferenc Rakoczi, an early 18th century rebel leader.
On the cathedral's south side is the 14th century Chapel of St. Michael.
Wander around this church for 15 minutes or so & see the designs adorning the church.

Having just been in Kosice, I do reccomend a visit to the Tourist Information Center downtown Kosice on Hlavna Street. It is a decent place where you could buy some nice souvenirs and speak a little English (pretty tricky business otherwise in Kosice)

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Our advice? Just wander around the city center

Kosice's city center is a very nice place and it was wonderful to take a short walk in it. However it is not that big and you will manage to cover it in a relatively short ammount of time. We initially though as Kosice as a very good base point from which to develop several day trips around Eastern Slovakia.

The Franciscan Church (Frantiskansky Kostol) was originally finished in Gothic Style in the early 15th century.

After a fire in the 16th century the church was used as an ammunition warehouse and for military church services.

Like the Dominican Church, the Franciscan Church was also reconstructed in Baroque style in the 18th century. Nowadays it serves as a seminary church.

Directions:
The Franciscan Church is located in the northern half of the main street Halvna ulica.

The Jakob's Palace (Jakabov Palace) was built at the end of the 19th century for the rich entrepreneur Peter Jacob.

In 1945 when Kosice was the capital of Czechoslovakia for a short period, the palace was inhabited by the Czechoslovak president Eduard Benes.

Nowadays the oriental style building is used for representative purposes.

Directions:
The Jacob's Palace can be found in between the old town and the Municipal Park. When coming from the train station you will come across the palace on your way to the old town.

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The St. Urban Tower (Urbanova veza) is a medieval bell tower which was erected in the 14th century.

Unfortunately the tower was severly damaged by fire in 1966, but reconstructed and reopened in 1971.

The St. Urban Bell weighs 7 tonnes. Nowadays the tower is home to a wax museum which exhibits famous people of the Slovak history.

Directions:
Like the St. Michael Chapel also the St. Urban Tower belongs to the cathedral complex at the Central Square (Hlavne namestie) in the old town (Stare Mesto).

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The Greek-Catholic Church of Virgin Mary's Birth (Greckokatolicky kostol narodenia Panny Marie) was built in Neo-Romanesque style in the late 19th century.

During the communist times the church belonged to the Orthodox Church, but after 1990 it was given back to the Greek Catholics.

Directions:
The Church of Virgin Mary's Birth can be found in Moyzesova Street, just west of Kosice's historic city centre.