State Philharmonic Orchestra, Košice (source: Jana Liptáková)
This article was published in the Košice Region Travel Guide. Discover the region on the border between Western and Eastern European culture with our regionial guide.
The Slovak State Philharmonic Košice, a world-class symphony orchestra, currently performs in what was once Košice’s Neolog Synagogue. It’s now called the Dom Umenia (House of Art).
Lost in Košice? Impossible with this travel guide. (source: Spectacular Slovakia)
This building adjoins the site where the first synagogue in Košice stood until the 1860s. Completed in 1927, the Neolog Synagogue building (with a capacity of 1,100), designed by architect Lajos Kozma from Budapest, had a huge elliptical dome with a 21 by 24 metre diameter.
The dome, patterned after the Roman Pantheon, makes up part of the central Košice skyline with its red herringbone decoration between the dome’s external ribs. The synagogue ceased to serve its original purpose after World War II.
It was then used as a warehouse for corn and later, in the 1950s, it was rebuilt into the House of Art. An important part of the interior is a pipe organ.
The top of the dome once was home to a six-pointed star now part of the Holocaust memorial. It has been replaced by a gold-painted lute.
Opening hours:
The sight is open usually only for performances: September through June (Mon-Sun)
Ticket prices:
Admission for adults: varies depending on performance
Reduced price (seniors, students, pupils): from €5
For more pricing options see the website of the State Philharmonic Orchestra.
State Philharmonic Orchestra (Dom Umenia)
Address: Moyzesova 66, Košice; Phone: +421 55 2453 123; Website: www.sfk.sk
