WorldTravelGate.net® - Culture of Kosice,Slovakia

Kosice - Culture

Kosice, the second largest city in Slovakia, is situated in the valley of the Hornad River and Kosicka kotlina (the Kosice Hollow), at the foot of the Cierna Hora Mountains in the north and the Slovak Ore Mountains and the Volovske Vrchy Hills in the west. From the east, the Kosice Hollow is bordered by the Slanske Vrchy Hills. To the southwest near the Hungarian border, the renowned Slovensky Kras Hills are situated. Historical core of Košice represents the biggest reservoir of historical monuments in Slovakia. In terms of art & history, the most valuable buildings are situated around the original Middle Age Square.

Kosice has the warm, rather dry climate typical of hollows; the average January temperature ranges from -2 0C to -4 0C; average July temperature ranges from 18.5 0C to 20 0C; the average annual precipitation is 600-700 mm. The northwestern areas at the foothills of the Slovak Ore Mountains have a temperate mountain climate.

The‚ advantageous position of the city on the crossroads of the old long-distance trade routes was the decisive factor for the development of this place of habitation on the fertile soil of the river-terrace near the juncture of the Hornad and Torysa Rivers. The area has been settled continuously since the Paleolithic Era; an Aurignacian campsite, the earliest one known to have existed in Central Europe, was excavated at Barca near Kosice

The present cathedral stands on a site formerly occupied by a parish church, which was destroyed by fire about 1370. The patrons of the church included St. Elizabeth. The construction of St. Elizabeth's Cathedral began in approximately 1378 and was carried out in several stages:

The representative building of the State Theatre is situated in the city centre. It was built in a new- baroque style during the years 1879-1899, according to the projects of A.Lang and A.Steinhardt, where a former theatre building, built in 1788 - 1790, was situated. Originally before that a town-hall building was situated

The lower park of the chapel was ossarium where bone residua found when digging new graves were deposited. The upper part served for offices for the dead. In 1508, an aisle was built on the northern part being demolished during the reconstruction of the chapel in the years 1902 - 1904. On that occasion, old gravestone was bricked into its outer walls to be saved from destruction. The outer decoration is Gothic; the turret is fit in the roof structure. The patron of the dead, the Archangel Saint Michael vanquishing the Satan - the dragon is shown on the altar. There are Archangels Rafael and Gabriel on his sides. In the interior, there is a nice stone tabernacle, the ornamental sculpture "Ecce Homo" and rests of wall paintings from Middle Ages. The oldest coat-of-arms of Košice is situated above the door leading to the vestry.

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