photo: Ján Svrček
PREŠOV claims to be the "cultural capital of east Slovakia", and this title is defensible. The city's central square is an urban renewal area, containing an attractively designed pedestrian zone bordered by brightly painted buildings from different periods. In the centre is the Gothic Cathedral of St. Nicholas and the church of St. John the Baptist, which houses the first Slovak to be beatified by the Pope - Bishop Pavol Gojdič.
The city also boasts two theatres, the Jonáš Záborský Theatre, which has one of the largest stages in Eastern Europe, and the Aleksander Dukhnovyc Ukrainian National Theatre, which hosts performances in Ruthene, Ukrainian, and Slovak.
At about 92,000 people, Prešov is the third biggest city in Slovakia. However, it still has less than half the population of Košice, Slovakia's number two town, which shows pleasantly. Just two blocks from the cake-like central square stands what remains of the old city wall, dating from the late 1300s, it is flanked in places by private orchards, and gardens. One gate in the old wall is still intact. Another remnant forms part of the Jewish Museum, whose centrepiece is a vividly decorated synagogue.
Another 'must-see' spot is the Church of the Holy Cross perched on Calvary hill. Only 15 minutes west of the centre, it offers a view of the town, the rolling hills that cosy around it, and the two castles, Veľký Šariš and Kapušany that watch over it.
