Virtual tours of SLOVAK REPUBLIC

Kosice is the metropolis of Eastern Slovakia and the second largest city of Slovakia after capital Bratislava. Lying in the valley of the River Hornad in the basin that shares its name, Kosice is a regional administrative centre and Eastern Slovakia's hub of industry, commerce, science and culture. Kosice curently has a population of approximately 250,000 inhabitants. As the Regional Administrative Center for Kosice County, Kosice provides government services to an area encompassing 6 753 sq. kilometers and serves over 766 000 people.

Old City

The most signifcant historical, architectural, and art-historical structures of the town are concentrated in the historic centre, which is an Urban Heritage Area. The reconstructed main street, with a spindle-shaped square in its center, is lined by burgher houses and palaces, offers visitors a pleasant stroll and is also the venue for major events in the life of the city.

History of Kosice

Kosice is a city with an eventful and illustrious past, its earliest recorded mention dating from 1230 (in a contract for sale of land), when it is referred to as "Villa Cassa". Kosice history was influenced by many cultures and religious faiths. Among others, Slovak, Hungarian, Ukranian, Polish and Romani peoples have left their mark, not least in the form of Roman Catholic, Greek and Russian Orthodox and Jewish houses of worship.

In 1249 the king Bela IV gave to the town the first privileges and in 1342 Kosice had the charter of a Free Royal Town. The king Ludwig of Anjou promoted Kosice to the second place in the hierarchy of the town directions of Hungary, only second after Buda.

The coat of arms of Kosice is the oldest in Europe, a fact attested to by a letter dated 7th May 1369. Since 1994 this date has been celebrated as "Kosice Day". This warrant is an item of national cultural heritage as the oldest known granting by letters-patent of a coat of arms to a legal entity (a town) in Europe.

The first half of the 14th century was a large period of prosperity for the town. The St. Elizabeth's Cathedral was reconstructed, and it was again rebuilt between 1378 and 1508, after the fire in 1357. The town bacame the center of the handcraft but also one of the metropoli of the European commerce. In 1480, its population was around 10,000 and in those times it was one of the largest cities in Central Europe. In April 13, 1556 a huge fire destroyed almost the whole town, it damaged the churches, monasteries, the town hall, and the town walls. Thanks to the help of Presov, Levoca and Bardejov the town of Kosice was restored.

In 1657, due to the City's economical, administrative and political importance, the first university was established. Later, the university was changed into a royal university and then to the Law Academy which operated until 1921. During the 16th and 17th centuries the town of Kosice was marked from the rebellions against the Habsburgs and from the wars against the Turks, and the town knew a period of strongly economical decline and the commerce was paralized.

From the 18th century many palaces and bourgeois houses were reconstructed in Baroque style and, later, in Classical and Art Nouveau style. A large number of cloisters, houses, churches were built, as well as the theater on Main Street and the synagogue. The town expanded outside of its city walls.