This article was published in the Košice Region Travel Guide. With this detailed, pocket-sized guide, it is impossible to get lost in this Slovak city.
Hlavná ulica is the centre of many of Košice’s leading tourist attractions. Anchored by the Eastern Slovak Museum to the north and the St Elizabeth’s Cathedral and the Lower Gate on the south, this one-kilometre long, lens-shaped, pedestrian mall (the longest in Slovakia) follows the central route through mediaeval Košice.
At one time the king lived in the middle of this street and the town’s administrative buildings and rich burgher houses lined either side. A stream ran down the middle (and still does) and many of Košice’s boutiques, finer eateries, cafés, artisan shops and tourist sites line each side of the city’s natural focal point.
Visitors will discover three parks along Main Street, all with fountains. One focuses on the Immaculata statue erected in 1720-23 to commemorate the town’s victory over the great plague. A second park, between the state theatre and the cathedral, houses the fabulous singing fountain of Košice, a popular people-watching area near the tourism bureau.
Košice’s compact town square encapsulates the spirit of this eastern Slovak city and holds a rightful place among the great squares of European cities – busy enough to invigorate yet spacious enough to never seem overwhelming.
