Košice is the largest city in eastern
Slovakia
Slovakia, officially the Slovak Republic, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the west, and the Czech Republic to the northwest. Slovakia's m ...
. It is situated on the river
Hornád at the eastern reaches of the
Slovak Ore Mountains
The Slovak Ore Mountains ( , , ) are an extensive mountain range within the Carpathian Mountains, located mostly in Slovakia's Spiš and Gemer region, with a small part in northern Hungary. It is the largest mountain range in Slovakia. Geomorph ...
, near the border with
Hungary
Hungary is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning much of the Pannonian Basin, Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia and ...
. With a population of approximately 230,000, Košice is the second-largest city in Slovakia, after the capital
Bratislava
Bratislava (German: ''Pressburg'', Hungarian: ''Pozsony'') is the Capital city, capital and largest city of the Slovakia, Slovak Republic and the fourth largest of all List of cities and towns on the river Danube, cities on the river Danube. ...
.
Being the economic and cultural centre of eastern Slovakia, Košice is the seat of the
Košice Region
The Košice Region (, ; ; ) is one of the eight Slovak administrative regions. The region was first established in 1923 and its present borders were established in 1996. It consists of 11 districts ( okresy) and 440 municipalities, 17 of which ...
and
Košice Self-governing Region, it belongs to the
Košice-Prešov agglomeration, and is home to the
Slovak Constitutional Court, three universities, various dioceses, and many museums, galleries, and theatres. In 2013, Košice was the
European Capital of Culture
A European Capital of Culture is a city designated by the European Union (EU) for a period of one calendar year during which it organises a series of cultural events with a strong pan-European dimension. Being a European Capital of Culture can ...
, together with
Marseille
Marseille (; ; see #Name, below) is a city in southern France, the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Departments of France, department of Bouches-du-Rhône and of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Regions of France, region. Situated in the ...
, France. Košice is an important industrial centre of Slovakia, and the
U.S. Steel Košice steel mill
A steel mill or steelworks is an industrial plant for the manufacture of steel. It may be an integrated steel works carrying out all steps of steelmaking from smelting iron ore to rolled product, but may also be a plant where steel semi-fini ...
is the largest employer in the city. The town has extensive railway connections and an
international airport
An international airport is an airport with customs and border control facilities enabling passengers to travel between countries. International airports are usually larger than domestic airports, and feature longer runways and have faciliti ...
.
The city has a preserved historical centre which is the largest among
Slovak towns. There are
heritage
Heritage may refer to:
History and society
* A heritage asset A heritage asset is an item which has value because of its contribution to a nation's society, knowledge and/or culture. Such items are usually physical assets, but some countries also ...
protected buildings in
Gothic,
Renaissance
The Renaissance ( , ) is a Periodization, period of history and a European cultural movement covering the 15th and 16th centuries. It marked the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and was characterized by an effort to revive and sur ...
,
Baroque
The Baroque ( , , ) is a Western Style (visual arts), style of Baroque architecture, architecture, Baroque music, music, Baroque dance, dance, Baroque painting, painting, Baroque sculpture, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished from ...
, and
Art Nouveau
Art Nouveau ( ; ; ), Jugendstil and Sezessionstil in German, is an international style of art, architecture, and applied art, especially the decorative arts. It was often inspired by natural forms such as the sinuous curves of plants and ...
styles with Slovakia's largest church: the
Cathedral of St. Elizabeth. The long main street, rimmed with aristocratic palaces, Catholic churches, and townsfolk's houses, is a thriving
pedestrian zone
Pedestrian zones (also known as auto-free zones and car-free zones, as pedestrian precincts in British English, and as pedestrian malls in the United States and Australia) are areas of a city or town restricted to use by people on foot or ...
with boutiques, cafés, and restaurants. The city is known as the first settlement in
Europe
Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...
to be granted
its own coat of arms.
Etymology
The first written mention of the city was in 1230 as "Villa Cassa".
The name probably comes from the
Slavic personal name
A personal name, full name or prosoponym (from Ancient Greek ''prósōpon'' – person, and ''onoma'' –name) is the set of names by which an individual person or animal is known. When taken together as a word-group, they all relate to that on ...
''Koš'', ''Koša'' → ''Košici'' (Koš'people) → ''Košice'' (13821383) with the patronymic Slavic suffix "-ice" through a natural development in Slovak (similar place names are also known from other
Slavic countries
The Slavs or Slavic people are groups of people who speak Slavic languages. Slavs are geographically distributed throughout the northern parts of Eurasia; they predominantly inhabit Central Europe, Eastern Europe, Southeastern Europe, and No ...
).
In
Hungarian ''Koša'' → ''Kasa'', ''Kassa'' with a vowel mutation typical for the borrowing of old Slavic names in the region (
Vojkovce → Vajkócz,
Sokoľ → Szakalya, Szakál,
Hodkovce
Hodkovce () is a village and municipality in Košice-okolie District in the Kosice Region of eastern Slovakia.
History
The village was first mentioned in 1318.
Geography
The village lies at an altitude of and covers an area of .
It has a popu ...
→ Hatkóc, etc.).
The Latinized form ''Cassovia'' became common in the 15th century.
Another theory is a derivation from Old Slovak ''kosa'', "clearing", related to modern Slovak ''kosiť'', "to reap". According to other sources the city name may derive from an old Hungarian first
name
A name is a term used for identification by an external observer. They can identify a class or category of things, or a single thing, either uniquely, or within a given context. The entity identified by a name is called its referent. A person ...
which begins with "Ko".
Historically, the city has been known as , , , , , , , , , and
more. Below is a chronology of the various names:
History

The first evidence of habitation can be traced back to the end of the
Paleolithic era
The Paleolithic or Palaeolithic ( years ago) ( ), also called the Old Stone Age (), is a period in human prehistory that is distinguished by the original development of stone tools, and which represents almost the entire period of human prehist ...
. The first written reference to the
Hungarian town of Košice (as the royal village of ''Villa Cassa'') comes from 1230. After the
Mongol invasion
The Mongol invasions and conquests took place during the 13th and 14th centuries, creating history's largest contiguous empire, the Mongol Empire (1206–1368), which by 1260 covered large parts of Eurasia. Historians regard the Mongol devastati ...
in 1241, King
Béla IV of Hungary
Béla IV (1206 – 3 May 1270) was King of Hungary and King of Croatia, Croatia between 1235 and 1270, and Duke of Styria from 1254 to 1258. As the oldest son of Andrew II of Hungary, King Andrew II, he was crowned upon the initiative of a group ...
invited
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany, the country of the Germans and German things
**Germania (Roman era)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...
colonists (see
Zipser Germans
The Zipser Germans, Zipser Saxons, or, simply, just Zipsers (, , , ) are a German-speaking (more specifically Zipser German-speaking as native dialect) sub-ethnic group in Central- Eastern Europe and national minority in both Slovakia and Roma ...
,
Germans of Hungary
German Hungarians (, ) are the ethnic German minority of Hungary, sometimes also called Danube Swabians (German: ''Donauschwaben'', Hungarian: ''dunai svábok''), many of whom call themselves "Shwoveh" in their own Swabian dialect. Danube Swab ...
) to fill the gaps in population. The city was in the historic
Abaúj County
Abaúj (, , or ) is a historic administrative county (Comitatus (Kingdom of Hungary), comitatus) of the Kingdom of Hungary. In parts of the 19th century, and in the beginning of the 20th century, it was united with Torna County to form Abaúj-To ...
of the
Kingdom of Hungary
The Kingdom of Hungary was a monarchy in Central Europe that existed for nearly a millennium, from 1000 to 1946 and was a key part of the Habsburg monarchy from 1526-1918. The Principality of Hungary emerged as a Christian kingdom upon the Coro ...
.
There were two independent settlements, Lower Kassa and Upper Kassa, which were amalgamated in the 13th century around the long lens-shaped ''ring'', of today's Main Street (''Hlavná ulica''). The first known
town privileges
Town privileges or borough rights were important features of European towns during most of the second millennium. The city law customary in Central Europe probably dates back to Italian models, which in turn were oriented towards the traditio ...
come from 1290.
The town proliferated because of its strategic location on an
international trade
International trade is the exchange of capital, goods, and services across international borders or territories because there is a need or want of goods or services. (See: World economy.)
In most countries, such trade represents a significan ...
route from agriculturally rich
central Hungary
Central Hungary ( ) is one of the eight statistical regions in Hungary (Nomenclature of Territorial Units for Statistics, NUTS 1 and NUTS 2). It includes and since 2018 no longer includes , the capital of the region.
Administration
Central ...
to central
Poland
Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...
, itself part of a longer route connecting the
Balkans
The Balkans ( , ), corresponding partially with the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throug ...
and the
Adriatic
The Adriatic Sea () is a body of water separating the Italian Peninsula from the Balkans, Balkan Peninsula. The Adriatic is the northernmost arm of the Mediterranean Sea, extending from the Strait of Otranto (where it connects to the Ionian Se ...
and
Aegean seas to the
Baltic Sea
The Baltic Sea is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that is enclosed by the countries of Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Sweden, and the North European Plain, North and Central European Plain regions. It is the ...
. The privileges given by the king were helpful in developing crafts, business, increasing importance (seat of the royal chamber for
Upper Hungary
Upper Hungary (, "Upland"), is the area that was historically the northern part of the Kingdom of Hungary, now mostly present-day Slovakia. The region has also been called ''Felső-Magyarország'' ( literally: "Upper Hungary"; ).
During the ...
), and for building its strong fortifications.
In 1307, the first
guild
A guild ( ) is an association of artisans and merchants who oversee the practice of their craft/trade in a particular territory. The earliest types of guild formed as organizations of tradespeople belonging to a professional association. They so ...
regulations were registered here; they were the oldest in the Kingdom of Hungary.
As a Hungarian
free royal town
A royal free city, or free royal city (Latin: ''libera regia civitas''), was the official term for the most important cities in the Kingdom of Hungary from the late 12th centuryBácskai Vera – Nagy Lajos: Piackörzetek, piacközpontok és város ...
, Košice reinforced the king's troops at the crucial moment of the bloody
Battle of Rozgony
The Battle of Rozgony or Battle of Rozhanovce was fought between King Charles Robert of Hungary and the family of Palatine Amade Aba on 15 June 1312, on the Rozgony (today Rozhanovce) field. ''Chronicon Pictum'' described it as the "most cruel ...
in 1312 against the strong aristocratic ''Palatine Amadé''
Aba (family)
Aba is a noble kindred (''genus'') of the Kingdom of Hungary which according to the ''Gesta Hungarorum'' ("The Deeds of the Hungarians" part 32) derives from Pata (Latin: Pota) who was a nephew to Ed and Edemen and the ancestor of Samuel Aba. So ...
.
In 1347, it became the second-placed city in the hierarchy of the Hungarian free royal towns, with the same rights as the capital
Buda
Buda (, ) is the part of Budapest, the capital city of Hungary, that lies on the western bank of the Danube. Historically, “Buda” referred only to the royal walled city on Castle Hill (), which was constructed by Béla IV between 1247 and ...
. In 1369, it was granted its
own coat of arms by
Louis I of Hungary
Louis I, also Louis the Great (; ; ) or Louis the Hungarian (; 5 March 132610 September 1382), was King of Hungary and Croatia from 1342 and King of Poland from 1370. He was the first child of Charles I of Hungary and his wife, Elizabeth of ...
.
The Diet convened by Louis I in Košice decided that women could inherit the Hungarian throne.

The significance and wealth of the city at the end of the 14th century were mirrored by the decision to build an entirely new church on the grounds of the previously destroyed smaller St. Elisabeth Church. The construction of the
St. Elisabeth Cathedral, the biggest cathedral in the Kingdom of Hungary, was supported by Emperor
Sigismund Sigismund (variants: Sigmund, Siegmund) is a German proper name, meaning "protection through victory", from Old High German ''sigu'' "victory" + ''munt'' "hand, protection". Tacitus latinises it ''Segimundus''. There appears to be an older form of ...
, and by the
apostolic see
An apostolic see is an episcopal see whose foundation is attributed to one or more of the apostles of Jesus or to one of their close associates. In Catholicism, the phrase "The Apostolic See" when capitalized refers specifically to the See of ...
itself. From the beginning of the 15th century, the city played a leading role in the
Pentapolitana Pentapolitana (or rarely Pentapolis) was a league of towns in the Middle Ages of the five most important Hungarian royal free cities (Latin: ''libera regiae civitas'', Hungarian: ''szabad királyi város'', German: ''Königliche Freistadt''; Slov ...
– the
league of the five most important cities in
Upper Hungary
Upper Hungary (, "Upland"), is the area that was historically the northern part of the Kingdom of Hungary, now mostly present-day Slovakia. The region has also been called ''Felső-Magyarország'' ( literally: "Upper Hungary"; ).
During the ...
(
Bardejov
Bardejov (; , , , , ) is a town in North-Eastern Slovakia. It is situated in the Šariš region on a floodplain terrace of the Topľa River, in the hills of the Beskids, Beskyd Mountains. It exhibits numerous cultural monuments in its completely i ...
,
Levoča
Levoča (; ; )
is the principal town of Levoča District in the Prešov Region of eastern Slovakia, with a population of 14,256. The town has a historic center with a well-preserved town wall, a Gothic architecture, Gothic church with the talle ...
, Košice,
Prešov
Prešov () is a city in eastern Slovakia. It is the seat of administrative Prešov Region () and Šariš. With a population of approximately 85,000 for the city, and in total more than 100,000 with the urban area, it is the second-largest city i ...
, and
Sabinov
Sabinov (, , ) is a small town located in the Prešov Region (north-eastern Slovakia), approximately 20 km from Prešov and 55 km from Košice. The population of Sabinov is 12,700.
Etymology
The name apparently comes from some shortened ...
). During the reign of King
Matthias Corvinus
Matthias Corvinus (; ; ; ; ; ) was King of Hungary and King of Croatia, Croatia from 1458 to 1490, as Matthias I. He is often given the epithet "the Just". After conducting several military campaigns, he was elected King of Bohemia in 1469 and ...
the town reached its medieval population peak. With an estimated 10,000 inhabitants, it was among the largest medieval cities in Europe.
The history of Košice was heavily influenced by the dynastic disputes over the Hungarian throne which, together with the decline of the continental trade, brought the city into stagnation.
Vladislaus III of Varna failed to capture the city in 1441.
John Jiskra's mercenaries from
Bohemia
Bohemia ( ; ; ) is the westernmost and largest historical region of the Czech Republic. In a narrow, geographic sense, it roughly encompasses the territories of present-day Czechia that fall within the Elbe River's drainage basin, but historic ...
defeated Tamás Székely's Hungarian army in 1449.
John I Albert
John I Albert (; 27 December 1459 – 17 June 1501) was King of Poland
Poland was ruled at various times either by dukes and princes (10th to 14th centuries) or by kings (11th to 18th centuries). During the latter period, a tradition of Roy ...
, Prince of Poland, failed to capture the city during a six-month-long siege in 1491. In 1526, the city paid homage to
the Holy Roman Emperor Ferdinand I.
John Zápolya
John Zápolya or Szapolyai (; ; ; ; 1487 – 22 July 1540), was King of Hungary (as John I) from 1526 to 1540. His rule was disputed by Archduke Ferdinand I, Holy Roman Emperor, Ferdinand I, who also claimed the title King of Hungary. He wa ...
captured the town in 1536, but Ferdinand I reconquered it in 1551. In 1554, the settlement became the seat of the
Captaincy of Upper Hungary.
17th century
In 1604,
Catholics
The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...
seized the
Lutheran church
Lutheranism is a major branch of Protestantism that emerged under the work of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German friar and reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practices of the Catholic Church launched the Reformation in 15 ...
in Košice. The
Calvinist
Reformed Christianity, also called Calvinism, is a major branch of Protestantism that began during the 16th-century Protestant Reformation. In the modern day, it is largely represented by the Continental Reformed Protestantism, Continenta ...
Stephen Bocskay then occupied Košice during his Protestant insurrection against the
Habsburg dynasty
The House of Habsburg (; ), also known as the House of Austria, was one of the most powerful dynasties in the history of Europe and Western civilization. They were best known for their inbreeding and for ruling vast realms throughout Europe d ...
, with the backing of the
Ottomans
Ottoman may refer to:
* Osman I, historically known in English as "Ottoman I", founder of the Ottoman Empire
* Osman II, historically known in English as "Ottoman II"
* Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empir ...
. The future
George I Rákóczi joined him as a military commander there.
Giorgio Basta
Giorgio Basta, Count of Huszt, Gjergj Basta or Gheorghe Basta (1550 – 1607) was an Kingdom of Naples, Italian general, diplomat, and writer of Arbëreshë people, Arbëreshë Albanian origin, employed by the Holy Roman Emperor Rudolf II to com ...
, commander of the Habsburg forces, failed in his attempt to recapture the city. At the 1606
Treaty of Vienna, in return for giving back territory that included Košice, the rebels won from the Habsburgs a concession of religious toleration for the Magyar nobility and brokered an Austrian-Turkish
peace treaty
A peace treaty is an treaty, agreement between two or more hostile parties, usually country, countries or governments, which formally ends a declaration of war, state of war between the parties. It is different from an armistice, which is an ag ...
. Stephen Bocskay died in Košice on 29 December 1606, and was interred there.
For some decades during the 17th century, Košice was a part of the
Principality of Transylvania, and consequently a part of the
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an empire, imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Centr ...
, and was referred to as ''Kaşa'' in
Turkish.
On 5 September 1619, the prince of Transylvania,
Gabriel Bethlen
Gabriel Bethlen (; 1580 – 15 November 1629) was Prince of Transylvania from 1613 to 1629 and Duke of Opole from 1622 to 1625. He was also King-elect of Hungary from 1620 to 1621, but he never took control of the whole kingdom. Bethlen, sup ...
captured Košice with the assistance of the future George I Rákóczi in another anti-Habsburg insurrection. By the
Peace of Nikolsburg in 1621, the Habsburgs restored the religious toleration agreement of 1606 and recognized Transylvanian rule over the seven
Partium counties:
Ugocsa County
Ugocsa was an administrative county (comitatus (Kingdom of Hungary), comitatus) of the Kingdom of Hungary. Its territory is now in north-western Romania () and western Ukraine (). The capital of the county was Nagyszőllős (now Vynohradiv, Ukr ...
,
Bereg County
Bereg (; ) was an administrative county ( comitatus) of the Kingdom of Hungary. Its territory is now mostly in western Ukraine and a smaller part in northeastern Hungary. The capital of the county was Beregszász ("Berehove" in Ukrainian, ''Bere ...
,
Zemplén County
Zemplén (, , , ) was an administrative county (Comitatus (Kingdom of Hungary), comitatus) of the Kingdom of Hungary. The northern part of its territory is now situated in eastern Slovakia (Zemplín (region), Zemplín region), while a smaller so ...
,
Borsod County
Borsod was an administrative county (Comitatus (Kingdom of Hungary), comitatus) of the Kingdom of Hungary. The capital of the county was Miskolc. After World War II, the county was merged with the Hungarian parts of Abaúj-Torna County and Zempl� ...
,
Szabolcs County,
Szatmár County
Szatmár County ( ) was an administrative county (Comitatus (Kingdom of Hungary), comitatus) of the Kingdom of Hungary, situated south of the river Tisza. Most of its territory is now divided between Romania and Hungary, while a very small area ...
, and
Abaúj County
Abaúj (, , or ) is a historic administrative county (Comitatus (Kingdom of Hungary), comitatus) of the Kingdom of Hungary. In parts of the 19th century, and in the beginning of the 20th century, it was united with Torna County to form Abaúj-To ...
(including Košice).
Bethlen married
Catherine von Hohenzollern, of
Johann Sigismund Kurfürst von Brandenburg, in Košice in 1626.
After Bethlen's death in 1629, Košice and the rest of the Partium was returned to the Habsburgs.
On 18 January 1644, the Diet in Košice elected George I Rákóczi the prince of Hungary. He took the whole of Upper Hungary and joined the
Swedish army besieging
Brno
Brno ( , ; ) is a Statutory city (Czech Republic), city in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic. Located at the confluence of the Svitava (river), Svitava and Svratka (river), Svratka rivers, Brno has about 403,000 inhabitants, making ...
for a projected march against
Vienna
Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...
. However, his nominal overlord, the
Ottoman Sultan
The sultans of the Ottoman Empire (), who were all members of the Ottoman dynasty (House of Osman), ruled over the Boundaries between the continents, transcontinental empire from its perceived inception in 1299 to Dissolution of the Ottoman Em ...
, ordered him to end the campaign, though he did so with gains. In the 1645
Treaty of Linz, Košice returned to Transylvania again as the Habsburgs recognized George's rule over the seven counties of the Partium.
He died in 1648, and Košice was returned to the Habsburgs once more.
Subsequently, Košice became a centre of the
Counter-Reformation
The Counter-Reformation (), also sometimes called the Catholic Revival, was the period of Catholic resurgence that was initiated in response to, and as an alternative to or from similar insights as, the Protestant Reformations at the time. It w ...
. In 1657, a printing house and university were founded by the
Jesuits
The Society of Jesus (; abbreviation: S.J. or SJ), also known as the Jesuit Order or the Jesuits ( ; ), is a religious order (Catholic), religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rom ...
, funded by
Emperor Leopold I. The 1664
Peace of Vasvár at the end of the
Austro-Turkish War awarded Szabolcs and Szatmár counties to the Habsburgs, which put once more positioned Košice further inside the borders of
Royal Hungary. In the 1670s, the Habsburgs built a modern pentagonal fortress (
citadel
A citadel is the most fortified area of a town or city. It may be a castle, fortress, or fortified center. The term is a diminutive of ''city'', meaning "little city", because it is a smaller part of the city of which it is the defensive core.
...
) south of the city. Also in the 1670s, the city was besieged by
Kuruc
Kuruc (, plural ''kurucok''), also spelled kurutz, refers to a group of armed anti- Habsburg insurgents in the Kingdom of Hungary between 1671 and 1711.
Over time, the term kuruc has come to designate Hungarians who advocate strict national inde ...
armies several times, and it again rebelled against the Habsburgs. The rebel leaders were massacred by the Emperor's soldiers on 26 November 1677.
Another rebel leader,
Imre Thököly captured the city in 1682, making ''Kaşa'' once again a vassal territory of the
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an empire, imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Centr ...
under the
Principality of Upper Hungary until 1686. The
Austrian field marshal
Aeneas de Caprara took Košice back from the Ottomans in late 1685. In 1704–1711,
Prince of Transylvania
The Prince of Transylvania (, , , Fallenbüchl 1988, p. 77.) was the head of state of the Principality of Transylvania from the late-16th century until the mid-18th century. John Sigismund Zápolya was the first to adopt the title in 1 ...
Francis II Rákóczi made Košice the main base in his
War for Independence. By 1713, the fortress had been demolished.
When not under Ottoman suzerainty, Košice was the seat of the Habsburg "Captaincy of Upper Hungary" and the seat of the Chamber of
Szepes County
Szepes (; , , ) was an administrative county of the Kingdom of Hungary, called Scepusium before the late 19th century. Its territory today lies in northeastern Slovakia, with a very small area in southeastern Poland. For the current region, see S ...
(Spiš, Zips), which was a subsidiary of the supreme financial agency in
Vienna
Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...
responsible for Upper Hungary. Due to Ottoman occupation of
Eger
Eger ( , ; ; also known by other #Names and etymology, alternative names) is the county seat of Heves County, and the second largest city in Northern Hungary (after Miskolc). A city with county rights, Eger is best known for Castle of Eger, its ...
, Košice was the residence of
Eger
Eger ( , ; ; also known by other #Names and etymology, alternative names) is the county seat of Heves County, and the second largest city in Northern Hungary (after Miskolc). A city with county rights, Eger is best known for Castle of Eger, its ...
's archbishop from 1596 to 1700.
From 1657, it was the seat of the historic Royal University of Kassa (Universitas Cassoviensis), founded by
Bishop Benedict Kishdy. The university was transformed into a Royal Academy in 1777, then into a Law Academy in the 19th century. It was to cease to exist in the turbulent year 1921. After the end of the anti-Habsburg uprisings in 1711, the victorious Austrian armies drove the
Ottoman Army
The Military of the Ottoman Empire () was the armed forces of the Ottoman Empire. It was founded in 1299 and dissolved in 1922.
Army
The Military of the Ottoman Empire can be divided in five main periods. The foundation era covers the years ...
back to the south, and this major territorial change created new trade routes which circumvented Košice. The city began to decline and from a rich medieval town became a provincial town known for its military base and mainly dependent on agriculture.
In 1723, the
Immaculata statue was erected on the site of a former
gallows
A gallows (or less precisely scaffold) is a frame or elevated beam, typically wooden, from which objects can be suspended or "weighed". Gallows were thus widely used to suspend public weighing scales for large and heavy objects such as sa ...
on Main Street (''Hlavná ulica'') to commemorate the
plague of 1710–1711. The city also became one of the centers of the
Hungarian linguistic revival, including the publication of the first Hungarian-language periodical, called the Magyar Museum, in Hungary in 1788. The city's walls were demolished step by step from the early 19th century to 1856; only the
Executioner's Bastion remained among limited parts of the wall. The city became the seat of its own
bishopric
In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop.
History
In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associate ...
in 1802. The city's surroundings became a theater of war again during the
Revolutions of 1848
The revolutions of 1848, known in some countries as the springtime of the peoples or the springtime of nations, were a series of revolutions throughout Europe over the course of more than one year, from 1848 to 1849. It remains the most widespre ...
, when the Imperial cavalry general
Franz Schlik defeated the Hungarian army on 8 December 1848, and 4 January 1849. The city was captured by the Hungarian army on 15 February 1849, but the
Russian
Russian(s) may refer to:
*Russians (), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries
*A citizen of Russia
*Russian language, the most widely spoken of the Slavic languages
*''The Russians'', a b ...
troops drove them back on 24 June 1849.
In 1828, there were three manufacturers and 460 workshops.
The first factories were established in the 1840s (sugar and nail factories). The first telegram message arrived in 1856, and the railway connected the city to
Miskolc
Miskolc ( , ; ; Czech language, Czech and ; ; ; ) is a city in northeastern Hungary, known for its heavy industry. With a population of 161,265 as of 1 January 2014, Miskolc is the List of cities and towns in Hungary#Largest cities in Hungary, ...
in 1860. In 1873, there were already connections to
Prešov
Prešov () is a city in eastern Slovakia. It is the seat of administrative Prešov Region () and Šariš. With a population of approximately 85,000 for the city, and in total more than 100,000 with the urban area, it is the second-largest city i ...
,
Žilina
Žilina (; ; ; ; Names of European cities in different languages: U-Z#Z, names in other languages) is a city in north-western Slovakia, around from the capital Bratislava, close to both the Czech and Polish borders. It is the List of cities ...
, and
Chop (in today's
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the List of European countries by area, second-largest country in Europe after Russia, which Russia–Ukraine border, borders it to the east and northeast. Ukraine also borders Belarus to the nor ...
). The city gained a public
transit system in 1891 when the track was laid down for a
horse-drawn tramway. The traction was electrified in 1914.
In 1906,
Francis II Rákóczi's house of
Rodostó was reproduced in Košice, and his remains were buried in the
St. Elisabeth Cathedral.
After
World War I
World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
and during the gradual break-up of
Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary, also referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Dual Monarchy or the Habsburg Monarchy, was a multi-national constitutional monarchy in Central Europe#Before World War I, Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. A military ...
, the city at first became a part of the transient
Eastern Slovak Republic, declared on 11 December 1918, in Košice and earlier in Prešov under the
protection
Protection is any measure taken to guard something against damage caused by outside forces. Protection can be provided to physical objects, including organisms, to systems, and to intangible things like civil and political rights. Although ...
of Hungary. On 29 December 1918, the
Czechoslovak Legions entered the city, making it part of the newly established
Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia ( ; Czech language, Czech and , ''Česko-Slovensko'') was a landlocked country in Central Europe, created in 1918, when it declared its independence from Austria-Hungary. In 1938, after the Munich Agreement, the Sudetenland beca ...
. However, in June 1919, Košice was occupied again, as part of the
Slovak Soviet Republic
The Slovak Soviet Republic (, , , literally: 'Slovak Republic of Councils') was a short-lived Communist state in southeast Slovakia in existence from 16 June 1919 to 7 July 1919. Its capital city was Prešov, and it was established and headed b ...
, a
proletarian
The proletariat (; ) is the social class of wage-earners, those members of a society whose possession of significant economic value is their labour power (their capacity to work). A member of such a class is a proletarian or a . Marxist philo ...
puppet state
A puppet state, puppet régime, puppet government or dummy government is a State (polity), state that is ''de jure'' independent but ''de facto'' completely dependent upon an outside Power (international relations), power and subject to its ord ...
of Hungary. The Czechoslovak troops secured the city for Czechoslovakia in July 1919,
which was later upheld under the terms of the
Treaty of Trianon
The Treaty of Trianon (; ; ; ), often referred to in Hungary as the Peace Dictate of Trianon or Dictate of Trianon, was prepared at the Paris Peace Conference (1919–1920), Paris Peace Conference. It was signed on the one side by Hungary ...
in 1920.
Fate of Košice Jews
Jews
Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...
had lived in Košice since the 16th century but were not allowed to settle permanently. There is a document identifying the local coiner in 1524 as a Jew and claiming that his predecessor was a Jew as well. Jews were allowed to enter the city during the town fair, but were forced to leave it by night, and lived mostly in nearby
Rozunfaca. In 1840 the ban was removed, and, a few Jews were living in the town, among them a widow who ran a small
Kosher
(also or , ) is a set of dietary laws dealing with the foods that Jewish people are permitted to eat and how those foods must be prepared according to Jewish law. Food that may be consumed is deemed kosher ( in English, ), from the Ashke ...
restaurant for the Jewish merchants passing through the town.
Košice was ceded to Hungary, by the
First Vienna Award
The First Vienna Award was a treaty signed on 2 November 1938 pursuant to the Vienna Arbitration, which took place at Vienna's Belvedere Palace. The arbitration and award were direct consequences of the previous month's Munich Agreement, whic ...
, from 1938 until early 1945. The town was
bombarded on 26 June 1941, by a still unidentified aircraft,
in what became a pretext for the Hungarian government to declare war on the
Soviet Union
The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...
a day later.
The
German occupation of Hungary led to the deportation and almost certain extermination of Košice's entire Jewish population of 12,000 and an additional 2,000 from surrounding areas via
cattle cars to the
concentration camps
A concentration camp is a prison or other facility used for the internment of political prisoners or politically targeted demographics, such as members of national or ethnic minority groups, on the grounds of national security, or for exploit ...
. A
Concentration Camp
A concentration camp is a prison or other facility used for the internment of political prisoners or politically targeted demographics, such as members of national or ethnic minority groups, on the grounds of national security, or for exploitati ...
was established in Košice under Hungarian
László Csatáry
László Csizsik Csatáry (; 4 March 1915 – 10 August 2013) was a Hungarian citizen and was convicted and sentenced to death trial in absentia, ''in absentia'' in 1948 by a Czechoslovak court as a Nazi war criminals, Nazi war criminal. In 20 ...
(1915-2013). In 1948, Csatary was tried and sentenced to death in absentia in Czechoslovakia, but he fled to Canada. Canadian officials accused him of lying about his wartime activities and in 1997 stripped him of his citizenship. He was discovered living in Budapest in 2011 and detained there. He was arrested on June 18, 2013 aged 98 and died before trial August 12,2013
In 1946, after the war, Košice was the site of an orthodox festival, with a
Mizrachi convention and a
Bnei Akiva
Bnei Akiva (, , "Children of Akiva") is the largest religious Zionist youth movement in the world, with over 125,000 members in 42 countries. It was first established in Mandatory Palestine in 1929, advocating the values of Torah and labor.
Bne ...
Yeshiva (school) for Jews, which, later that year, moved with its students to
Israel
Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...
.
A memorial plaque in honor to the 12,000 deported and exterminated Jews from Košice and the surrounding areas in Slovakia was unveiled at the pre-war Košice Orthodox synagogue in 1992.
Soviet occupation
The
Soviet Union
The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...
captured the town in January 1945, and for a short time, it became a temporary capital of the restored
Czechoslovak Republic
Czechoslovak Republic (Czech and Slovak: ''Československá republika'', ČSR), was the official name of Czechoslovakia between 1918 and 1939 and between 1945 and 1960. See:
*First Czechoslovak Republic (1918–1938)
*Second Czechoslovak Republic ...
until the Soviet's
Red Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army, often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Republic and, from 1922, the Soviet Union. The army was established in January 1918 by a decree of the Council of People ...
reached
Prague
Prague ( ; ) is the capital and List of cities and towns in the Czech Republic, largest city of the Czech Republic and the historical capital of Bohemia. Prague, located on the Vltava River, has a population of about 1.4 million, while its P ...
. Among other acts, the Košice Government Programme was declared on 5 April 1945.
A large population of
ethnic Germans in the area was expelled and sent on foot to Germany or to the Soviet border.
After the
Communist Party of Czechoslovakia
The Communist Party of Czechoslovakia ( Czech and Slovak: ''Komunistická strana Československa'', KSČ) was a communist and Marxist–Leninist political party in Czechoslovakia that existed between 1921 and 1992. It was a member of the Com ...
seized power in
Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia ( ; Czech language, Czech and , ''Česko-Slovensko'') was a landlocked country in Central Europe, created in 1918, when it declared its independence from Austria-Hungary. In 1938, after the Munich Agreement, the Sudetenland beca ...
in February 1948, the city became part of the
Eastern Bloc
The Eastern Bloc, also known as the Communist Bloc (Combloc), the Socialist Bloc, the Workers Bloc, and the Soviet Bloc, was an unofficial coalition of communist states of Central and Eastern Europe, Asia, Africa, and Latin America that were a ...
. Several
cultural institutions that still exist were founded, and large residential areas around the city were built. The construction and expansion of the East Slovak Ironworks caused the population to grow from 60,700 in 1950 to 235,000 in 1991. Before the
Velvet Divorce
The dissolution of Czechoslovakia, which took effect on December 31, 1992, was the self-determined partition of the federal republic of Czechoslovakia into the independent countries of the Czech Republic (also known as Czechia) and Slovakia ...
, it was the fifth-largest city in the federation.
Under Slovakia
Following the Velvet Divorce and creation of the Slovak Republic, Košice became the second-largest city in the country and became a seat of the
Slovak Constitutional Court. Since 1995, it has been the seat of the
Archdiocese of Košice.
After the
2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
On 24 February 2022, , starting the largest and deadliest war in Europe since World War II, in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, conflict between the two countries which began in 2014. The fighting has caused hundreds of thou ...
, Košice, as a regional
metropolitan area
A metropolitan area or metro is a region consisting of a densely populated urban area, urban agglomeration and its surrounding territories which share Industry (economics), industries, commercial areas, Transport infrastructure, transport network ...
, became a major hub for administration, transfer and housing of refugees fleeing from Ukraine.
Geography
Košice lies at an altitude of
above sea level
Height above mean sea level is a measure of a location's vertical distance (height, elevation or altitude) in reference to a vertical datum based on a historic mean sea level. In geodesy, it is formalized as orthometric height. The zero level ...
and covers an area of .
It is located in eastern Slovakia, about from the
Hungarian border, from the
Ukrainian border, and from the
Polish border. It is about east of Slovakia's capital
Bratislava
Bratislava (German: ''Pressburg'', Hungarian: ''Pozsony'') is the Capital city, capital and largest city of the Slovakia, Slovak Republic and the fourth largest of all List of cities and towns on the river Danube, cities on the river Danube. ...
and a chain of villages connects it to neighboring
Prešov
Prešov () is a city in eastern Slovakia. It is the seat of administrative Prešov Region () and Šariš. With a population of approximately 85,000 for the city, and in total more than 100,000 with the urban area, it is the second-largest city i ...
which is about to the north.
Košice is on the
Hornád river in the , at the easternmost reaches of the
Slovak Ore Mountains
The Slovak Ore Mountains ( , , ) are an extensive mountain range within the Carpathian Mountains, located mostly in Slovakia's Spiš and Gemer region, with a small part in northern Hungary. It is the largest mountain range in Slovakia. Geomorph ...
. More precisely, it is a subdivision of the
Black Mountain (''Čierna hora'') mountains in the northwest and
Volovec Mountains (''Volovské vrchy'') mountains in the southwest. The basin is met on the east by the
Slanské Hills (''Slanské vrchy'') mountains.
Climate
Košice has a
humid continental climate
A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers, and cold ...
(
Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include:
* Bernd Köppen (1951–2014), German pianist and composer
* Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan
* Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author ...
: ''Dfb'',
Trewartha: ''Dcbo''), as the city lies in the
north temperate zone. The city has four distinct seasons with long, warm summers with cool nights and long, cold, and snowy winters. Precipitation varies little throughout the year with abundance precipitation that falls during summer and only few during winter. The coldest month is January, with an average temperature of , and the hottest month is July, with an average temperature of .
Demographics
Košice has a population of 225,044, . According to the 2021 census, 84% of inhabitants are of
Slovak nationality, 2% are each
Hungarians
Hungarians, also known as Magyars, are an Ethnicity, ethnic group native to Hungary (), who share a common Culture of Hungary, culture, Hungarian language, language and History of Hungary, history. They also have a notable presence in former pa ...
and additional 2%
Roma. There are also modestly sized
Czech
Czech may refer to:
* Anything from or related to the Czech Republic, a country in Europe
** Czech language
** Czechs, the people of the area
** Czech culture
** Czech cuisine
* One of three mythical brothers, Lech, Czech, and Rus
*Czech (surnam ...
,
Ruthenian,
Ukrainian and
Vietnamese communities. In terms of religion, 51% of inhabitants are
Catholic
The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...
and 28% had no religious affiliation, with smaller
Protestant
Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...
denominations also present. The median age as of 2024 is 44 years.
Historical demographics
According to the researchers the town had a
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany, the country of the Germans and German things
**Germania (Roman era)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...
majority until the mid-16th century,
[Károly Kocsis, Eszter Kocsisné Hodosi, Ethnic Geography of the Hungarian Minorities in the Carpathian Basin, Simon Publications LLC, 1998, p. 46-4]
/ref> and by 1650, 72.5% of the population may have been Hungarians, 13.2% was German, 14.3% was Slovak or of uncertain origin. The Ottoman Empire, Ottoman Turkish traveller Evliya Çelebi
Dervish Mehmed Zillî (25 March 1611 – 1682), known as Evliya Çelebi (), was an Ottoman Empire, Ottoman explorer who travelled through his home country during its cultural zenith as well as neighboring lands. He travelled for over 40 years, rec ...
mentioned that the city was inhabited by "Hungarians, Germans, Upper Hungarians" in 1661 when the city was under the suzerainty of Ottoman Empire and under Turkish control. But by 1850, the Slovaks gained a plurality of 46.5%, with Hungarians reduced to 28.5% and Germans at 15.6%.[HOLEC, Roman. Trianon rituals or considerations of some features of Hungarian historiography. Historický časopis, 2010, 58, 2, pp. 291-312, Bratislava.]
The linguistic makeup of the town's population underwent historical changes that alternated between the growth of the ratio of those who claimed Hungarian and those who claimed Slovak as their language. With a population of 28,884 in 1891, just under half (49.9%) of the inhabitants of Košice declared Hungarian, then the official language, as their main means of communication, 33.6% Slovak, and 13.5% German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany, the country of the Germans and German things
**Germania (Roman era)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...
; 72.2% were Roman Catholics
The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...
, 11.4% Jews
Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...
, 7.3% Lutherans
Lutheranism is a major branch of Protestantism that emerged under the work of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German friar and reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practices of the Catholic Church launched the Reformation in 15 ...
, 6.7% Greek Catholics, and 4.3% Calvinists. The results of that census are questioned by some historians by claims that they were manipulated, to increase the percentage of the Magyars during a period of Magyarization.
By the 1910 census, which is sometimes accused of being manipulated by the ruling Hungarian bureaucracy, 75.4% of the 44,211 inhabitants claimed Hungarian, 14.8% Slovak, 7.2% German and 1.8% Polish language, Polish. The Jews were split among other groups by the 1910 census, as only the most frequently-used language, not ethnicity, was registered. The population around 1910 was multidenominational and multiethnic, and the differences in the level of education mirror the stratification of society. The town's linguistic balance began to shift towards Slovak after World War I
World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
by Slovakization in the newly established Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia ( ; Czech language, Czech and , ''Česko-Slovensko'') was a landlocked country in Central Europe, created in 1918, when it declared its independence from Austria-Hungary. In 1938, after the Munich Agreement, the Sudetenland beca ...
.
According to the 1930 census, the city had a population of 70,111, with 230 Gypsies (today Romani people, Roma), 42,245 Czechoslovaks (today Czechs and Slovaks), 11,504 Hungarians, 3,354 Germans, 44 Polish people, Poles, 14 Romanians, 801 Ruthenians, 27 Serbocroatians (today Serbs and Croatians), and 5,733 Jews
Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...
.
As a consequence of the First Vienna Award, First and Second Vienna Award, Second Vienna Awards, Košice was ceded to Hungary. Starting in 15 May 1944, during the German occupation of Hungary towards the end of World War II, approximately 10,000 Jews were deported by the Nazism, Nazis, with the enthusiastic assistance of the Hungarian Interior Ministry and its gendarmerie (the csendőrség). The last transport to Auschwitz concentration camp, Auschwitz left the city on 2 June, three months before the Arrow Cross Party gained control over Hungary. The ethnic makeup of the town was dramatically changed by the persecution of the town's large Hungarian majority, Hungarians in Slovakia#Population exchanges, population exchanges between Hungary and Slovakia and Slovakization and by mass migration of Slovaks into newly built Communist era of Czechoslovakia, communist-block-microdistricts, also known as Panelák, ''paneláks'', which increased the population of Košice four times by 1989 and made it the fastest growing city in Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia ( ; Czech language, Czech and , ''Česko-Slovensko'') was a landlocked country in Central Europe, created in 1918, when it declared its independence from Austria-Hungary. In 1938, after the Munich Agreement, the Sudetenland beca ...
.
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Culture
Performing arts
There are several theatres in Košice. The State Theatre Košice, Košice State Theater (''Národné divadlo Košice'') was founded in 1945 (then under the name East Slovak National Theater (''Východoslovenské národné divadlo'')). It consists of three ensembles: drama, opera, and ballet. Other theatres include the Marionette Theatre (''Marionetové divadlo'') and the Old Town Theatre (''Staromestské divadlo''). The presence of Hungarian and Roma minorities makes it also host the Hungarian Thália Theatre (''Thália Színház'') and the professional Roma Romathan Theatre (''Divadlo Romathan'').
Košice is the home of the State Philharmonic Košice (''Štátna filharmónia Košice''), established in 1968 as the second professional Orchestra, symphonic orchestra in Slovakia. It organizes festivals such as the Košice Music Spring Festival (''Košická hudobná jar''), the International Organ Music Festival (''Medzinárodný organový festival''), and the Festival of Contemporary art (''Medzinárodný festival súčasného umenia'').
Museums and galleries
Some of the museums and galleries based in the city include the East Slovak Museum (''Východoslovenské múzeum''), originally established in 1872 under the name Upper Hungary Museum (''Felső-magyarországi Múzeum''). The Slovak Technical Museum (''Slovenské technické múzeum'') with a planetarium, established in 1947, is the only museum in the technical category in Slovakia that specializes in the history and traditions of science and technology. The East Slovak Gallery (''Východoslovenská galéria'') was established in 1951 as the first regional gallery with the aim to document artistic life in present-day eastern Slovakia.
European Capital of Culture
In 2008, Košice won the competition among List of cities and towns in Slovakia, Slovak cities to hold the prestigious title European Capital of Culture
A European Capital of Culture is a city designated by the European Union (EU) for a period of one calendar year during which it organises a series of cultural events with a strong pan-European dimension. Being a European Capital of Culture can ...
2013. Project Interface aims at the transformation of Košice from a centre of heavy industry to a Post-industrial society, postindustrial city with creative potential and new cultural infrastructure. Project authors bring Košice a concept of the creative economy – merging of economy and industry with The arts, arts, where transformed Urban area, urban space encourages development of certain fields of Creative industries, creative industry (design, media, architecture, music and film production, IT technologies, creative tourism). The artistic and cultural program stems from a conception of sustained maintainable activities with long-lasting effects on cultural life in Košice and Košice Region, its region. The main project venues are:
* Kasárne Kulturpark (''Barracks'' ''Cultural Park'') – 19th-century military barracks turned into new urban space with a centre of contemporary art, exhibition and concert halls and workshops for the creative industry.
* Kunsthalle Košice – a 1960s disused swimming pool turned into the first Kunsthalle in Slovakia.
* SPOTs – the 1970s and 1980s disused heat exchangers turned into cultural "spots" in Communist era of Czechoslovakia, Communist era block-of-flats (Panelák, paneláks) districts.
* City park, Park Komenského and Moyzesova – revitalisation of urban spaces.
* Castle of Košice, Amphitheater, Mansion of Krásna, Handicrafts Street – reconstruction.
* Tabačka – a 19th-century tobacco factory turned into a centre of independent culture. The Tabačka Kulturfabrik, DIG gallery, Kotolňa (''Boiler room'') and several artistic residents are located in the area of the former tobacco factory.
Media
The first and the oldest international festival of local Television broadcaster, TV broadcasters (founded in 1995) – The Golden Beggar (''Zlatý žobrák''), takes place every year in June in Košice.
The oldest evening newspaper is Košický večer, Košice's Evening (''Košický večer''). The daily paper in Košice is Korzár. Recently, the daily paper Košice:Dnes, Košice:Today (''Košice:Dnes'') came into existence.
Television channel, TV stations based in Košice: TV Naša, TV Region and public TV broadcaster Slovak Television and Radio, STVR Televízne štúdio Košice. TV JOJ was also stationed in Košice between 2nd March and 27th September 2002.
Radio broadcasting, Radio stations based in Košice: Rádio Košice, Dobré rádio, Rádio Kiss, Rádio Šport, and the public broadcaster RTVS Rádio Regina Košice.
Economy
Košice is the economic hub of eastern Slovakia
Slovakia, officially the Slovak Republic, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the west, and the Czech Republic to the northwest. Slovakia's m ...
. It accounts for about 9% of the Slovak gross domestic product. The steel mill, U.S. Steel Košice with 13,500 employees, is the largest employer in the city and the largest private employer in the country. The second-largest employer in the east of the country i
Deutsche Telekom IT Solutions Slovakia
It was established and has been based in Košice since 2006. Deutsche Telekom IT Solutions Slovakia had 4,545 employees in Košice in Q4 of 2020, which makes it the second-largest shared service center in Slovakia and one of the top fifteen largest employers in Slovakia.
As part of the growing Information and communications technology, ICT field, th
Košice IT Valley association
was established in 2007 as a joint initiative of Education in Slovakia, educational institutions, Government of Slovakia, government and leading Information technology, IT companies. In 2012, it was transformed into the cluster. In 2018, the cluster was for the second time certified for "Cluster Management Excellence Label GOLD" as the first in central Europe and is one of three certified clusters in the area of information and communication technologies. Volvo Cars has invested 1.2 billion Euro, euros (1.25 billion United States dollar, USD) in a new plant which is set to start construction in 2023, for opening in 2026. Other major sectors include mechanical engineering, food industry, Service (business), services, and trade. GDP per capita in 2001 was €4,004, which was below Slovakia's average of €4,400. The Unemployment, unemployment rate was 8.32% in November 2015, which was below the country's average 10.77% at that time.
The city has a balanced budget of 224 million euros, .
Sights
The city centre, and most historical monuments, are located in or around Hlavná ulica (''Main Street''), and the town has the largest number of protected historical monuments in Slovakia.
The most dominant historical monument of the city is Slovakia's largest church, the 14th century Gothic Cathedral of St. Elizabeth; it is the easternmost cathedral of western-style Gothic architecture in central Europe, and is the cathedral of the Archdiocese of Košice. In addition to the St. Elizabeth Cathedral, there is the 14th century St. Michael Chapel, the St. Urban Tower, and the Baroque Revival architecture, Neo-baroque State Theatre Košice, Košice State Theater in the center of town.
The Executioner's Bastion and the Mill Bastion are the remains of the city's previous fortification system. The Greek-Catholic Church of Virgin Mary's Birth (Košice), Church of the Virgin Mary's Birth is the cathedral for the Eastern Catholic Churches, Greek Catholic Eparchy of Košice. Other monuments and buildings of cultural and historical interests are; the old Town Hall, the Old University, the Captain's Palace, Liberation Square, as well as a number of galleries (the East Slovak Gallery) and museums (the East Slovak Museum). There is a Urban park, Municipal Park located between the historical city centre and the main railway station. The city also has a Košice Zoo, zoo located northwest of the city, within the borough of Kavečany.
Places of worship
*Dóm svätej Alžbety ('' Cathedral of St. Elizabeth'')
*Dominikánsky kostol (''Dominican Church (Košice), Dominican Church'')
*Františkánsky kostol (''Franciscan Church (Košice), Franciscan Church'')
*Kostol svätého Ducha (''Holy Spirit Church (Košice), Hospital Church of Holy Spirit'')
*Morová kaplnka svätej Rozálie (''Plague Chapel of St. Rosalie'')
*Premonštrátny kostol (''Premonstratensian Church (Košice), Premonstratensian Church''), former Jesuits, Jesuit Church
*Kalvínsky kostol (''Calvinist Church at Hrnčiarska Street, Calvinist Church'')
*Evanjelický kostol (''Evangelical Church of Košice, Evangelical Church'')
*Nová ortodoxná synagóga (''New Orthodox Synagogue (Košice), New Orthodox Synagogue'')
Government
Košice is the seat of the Košice Region
The Košice Region (, ; ; ) is one of the eight Slovak administrative regions. The region was first established in 1923 and its present borders were established in 1996. It consists of 11 districts ( okresy) and 440 municipalities, 17 of which ...
(), and since 2002 it is the seat of the autonomous Košice Self-governing Region (). Additionally, it is the seat of the Slovak Constitutional Court (''Ústavný súd Slovenskej republiky''). The city hosts a regional branch of the National Bank of Slovakia (''Národná banka Slovenska'') and consulates of Belgium, Greece, Hungary
Hungary is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning much of the Pannonian Basin, Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia and ...
, Russia, Spain and Turkey.
The local government is composed of a mayor (''primátor''), a city council (''mestské zastupiteľstvo''), a city board (''mestská rada''), City commission government (Slovakia), city commissions (k''omisie mestského zastupiteľstva''), and a City magistrate, city magistrate's office (''magistrát''). The Direct election, directly elected mayor is the head and chief executive of the city. The term of office is four years. The previous mayor, František Knapík, was nominated in 2006 by a coalition of four political parties Christian Democratic Movement, KDH, Hungarian Alliance (Slovak political party), SMK, and Slovak Democratic and Christian Union – Democratic Party, SDKÚ-DS. In 2010, he finished his term of office. The present mayor is Ing. Jaroslav Polaček. He was inaugurated on 10 December 2018.
In 2021, the municipality recycled 24.64% of its Municipal solid waste, municipal waste.
Administratively, the city of Košice is divided into four districts: Košice I (covering the center and northern parts), Košice II (covering the southwest), Košice III (east), and Košice IV (south), which are further divided into 22 Borough, boroughs (city wards):
Education
Košice is the second College town, university town in Slovakia, after Bratislava
Bratislava (German: ''Pressburg'', Hungarian: ''Pozsony'') is the Capital city, capital and largest city of the Slovakia, Slovak Republic and the fourth largest of all List of cities and towns on the river Danube, cities on the river Danube. ...
. The Technical University of Košice is its largest university, with 16,015 students, including 867 doctoral students. A second major university is the University of Pavol Jozef Šafárik, Pavol Jozef Šafárik University, with 7,403 students, including 527 doctoral students. Other universities and colleges include the University of Veterinary Medicine in Košice (1,381 students), and the private Security Management College in Košice (1,168 students). Additionally, the University of Economics in Bratislava, the Slovak University of Agriculture in Nitra, and the Catholic University in Ružomberok each have a branch based in the city.
There are 38 public elementary schools, six private elementary schools, three religious elementary schools, and one International Baccalaureate (IB) Primary Years Programme (PYP) candidate international school. Overall, they enroll 20,158 pupils. The city's system of secondary education (some Middle school, middle schools and all high schools) consists of 20 Gymnasium (school), gymnasia with 7,692 students, 24 specialized high schools with 8,812 students, and 13 Vocational school, vocational schools with 6,616 students.
Kosice International School (KEIS) is the first international primary school in eastern Slovakia. It will be an International Baccalaureate (IB) Primary Years Programme (PYP) international school. Opening in September 2020.
Notable people
Transport
Public transport in Košice is managed by the Public Transport Company of the City of Košice (''Dopravný podnik mesta Košice''). The municipal mass transit system is the oldest one in present-day Slovakia, with the first Horsecar, horse-car line beginning operation in 1891 (electrified in 1914). Today, the city's public transportation system is composed of Bus, buses (in use since the 1950s), Tram, trams, and Trolleybus, trolleybuses (1993-2014).
The Košice railway station (''Železničná stanica Košice'') is a rail hub of eastern Slovakia. The city is connected by rail to Prague
Prague ( ; ) is the capital and List of cities and towns in the Czech Republic, largest city of the Czech Republic and the historical capital of Bohemia. Prague, located on the Vltava River, has a population of about 1.4 million, while its P ...
, Bratislava
Bratislava (German: ''Pressburg'', Hungarian: ''Pozsony'') is the Capital city, capital and largest city of the Slovakia, Slovak Republic and the fourth largest of all List of cities and towns on the river Danube, cities on the river Danube. ...
, Prešov
Prešov () is a city in eastern Slovakia. It is the seat of administrative Prešov Region () and Šariš. With a population of approximately 85,000 for the city, and in total more than 100,000 with the urban area, it is the second-largest city i ...
, Čierna nad Tisou, Humenné, Miskolc
Miskolc ( , ; ; Czech language, Czech and ; ; ; ) is a city in northeastern Hungary, known for its heavy industry. With a population of 161,265 as of 1 January 2014, Miskolc is the List of cities and towns in Hungary#Largest cities in Hungary, ...
(Hungary), and Zvolen. There is a Uzhhorod–Košice broad-gauge track, broad gauge track from Ukraine, leading to the U. S. Steel Košice, s.r.o., steel mill southwest of the city. The D1 motorway (Slovakia), D1 motorway connects the city to Prešov
Prešov () is a city in eastern Slovakia. It is the seat of administrative Prešov Region () and Šariš. With a population of approximately 85,000 for the city, and in total more than 100,000 with the urban area, it is the second-largest city i ...
, and more motorways and roads are planned around the city.
Košice International Airport (''Medzinárodné letisko Košice'') is located south of the city. Regular Direct flight, direct flights from the airport are available to Luton Airport, London Luton and London Stansted Airport, Stansted (from April 2020), Vienna
Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...
, Warsaw, Düsseldorf, and Prague
Prague ( ; ) is the capital and List of cities and towns in the Czech Republic, largest city of the Czech Republic and the historical capital of Bohemia. Prague, located on the Vltava River, has a population of about 1.4 million, while its P ...
. Regular flights are provided by Czech Airlines, Austrian Airlines, Eurowings, LOT Polish Airlines and Wizz Air, and in Codeshare agreement, code-share by Air France-KLM and Lufthansa. At its peak in the year 2008, it served 590,919 passengers, but the number has since declined.
Sports
The Košice Peace Marathon (''Košický maratón mieru''), founded in 1924, is the oldest annual marathon in Europe and the third oldest in the entire world, after the Boston Marathon and the Yonkers Marathon. It is run in the historic part of the city and is organized every year on the first Sunday of October.
Ice hockey club HC Košice is one of the most successful Slovak hockey clubs. It plays in Slovakia's highest league, the Slovak Extraliga, Extraliga, and has won eight titles in 1995, 1996, 1999, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2014, and 2015; and two titles (1986 and 1988) in the former Czechoslovak First Ice Hockey League, Czechoslovak Extraliga. Since 2006, their home is the Steel Arena (arena), Steel Arena which has a capacity of 8,343 spectators. Košice was once home to Football team, football club MFK Košice until it folded due to bankruptcy. It was the first club from Slovakia reach the group stages of the UEFA Champions League and won the domestic league twice (1998 and 1999). Another football club, FC VSS Košice last played in the 2. Liga (Slovakia), 2. Liga (2nd League) in the 2016-17 season, with a new home stadium known as the Košice Football Arena (''Košická futbalová Arena (KFA)''). It merged with FK Košice-Barca in 2018 to become FC Košice (2018), FC Košice.
Košice, along with Bratislava
Bratislava (German: ''Pressburg'', Hungarian: ''Pozsony'') is the Capital city, capital and largest city of the Slovakia, Slovak Republic and the fourth largest of all List of cities and towns on the river Danube, cities on the river Danube. ...
, hosted the 2011 IIHF World Championship, 2011 and 2019 IIHF World Championship in ice hockey.
Košice became the 2016 European City of Sport by the European Capitals of Sports Association (ACES Europe). The sporting events in 2016 included the International Peace Marathon (''Medzinárodný maratón mieru'' or ''Košický maratón mieru''), several urban runs, a swimming relay contest, the Košice-Tatra Mountains, Tatry-Košice cycling race, the dancesport world championships, the Basketball Euroleague, Volleyball World League, and Water Polo World League.
Twin towns – sister cities
Košice is Sister city, twinned with:
* Abaújszántó, Hungary (2007)
* Budapest, Hungary (1997)
* Bursa, Turkey (2000)
* Cottbus, Germany (1992)
* Da Nang, Vietnam (2015)
* Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam (2016)
* Katowice, Poland (1991)
* Krosno, Poland (1991)
* Miskolc
Miskolc ( , ; ; Czech language, Czech and ; ; ; ) is a city in northeastern Hungary, known for its heavy industry. With a population of 161,265 as of 1 January 2014, Miskolc is the List of cities and towns in Hungary#Largest cities in Hungary, ...
, Hungary (1997)
* Mobile, Alabama, Mobile, United States (2000)
* Niš, Serbia (2000)
* Ostrava, Czech Republic (2001)
* Plovdiv, Bulgaria (2000)
* Raahe, Finland (1987)
* Rzeszów, Poland (1991)
* Uzhhorod, Ukraine (1993)
* Vysoké Tatry (town), Vysoké Tatry, Slovakia (2006)
* Wuhan, China (2012)
* Wuppertal, Germany (1980)
Former twin cities
As a result of the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
On 24 February 2022, , starting the largest and deadliest war in Europe since World War II, in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, conflict between the two countries which began in 2014. The fighting has caused hundreds of thou ...
, the City Council had terminated cooperation with the following cities:
* Vitebsk, Belarus (2015)
* Saint Petersburg, Russia (1995)
See also
*List of municipalities and towns in Slovakia
*Zlaty dukat
Notes
References
Bibliography
*
*
External links
Official sites
*
Official website of the town of Košice
Official Tourism and Travel Guide to Košice
DPMK – Public Transport Office Site
Tourism and living information
*
Tourist guide
Cassovia Digitalis
The Digital City Library
Košice at funiq.eu
Photographs
Comprehensive photo gallery of Košice
Panoramic photo gallery of Košice
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kosice
Košice,
Cities and towns in Slovakia
Fortified settlements
First Vienna Award
Holocaust locations in Czechoslovakia