the main square of Kosice, with a tiny little stream running through
In Kosice we are back to Slovakian city life, albeit concentrated on its old, attractive centre.
We have decided to go on strike, for the morning. It is Monday, so all the museums are closed, anyhow, and our apartment has a nice balcony and small garden. Bathing in the sun. The monuments of Kosice can wait.
And indeed, there is not a lot that requires specific attention in Kosice. An afternoon stroll takes us to the main square, a rather lengthy affair of almost a kilometre. Colourful, well maintained houses line the square, quite a few given over to restaurants and bars, with the terraces – thanks to the weather – filled with consumers. There are a couple of churches on one side, and in the middle of the square is a fabulous theatre building, a park with fountains, and the 14th Century Dom church dedicated to Saint Elizabeth, as well as its mini variant, the chapel of Saint Michael. Great to wander around, admire the architecture, the Baroque and Neo-Classical facades, and settle on one of those terraces, to see the town and its people pass by.
the park in the centre, and its fountain
from the park, view of the 19th Century theatre
the park at the other end of the square, looking back at the Dom
one of the small towers of the Dom
and a great sculpture, probably of somebody funding the construction at the time
inside the Dom, the beautiful central altar
and frescoes on the walls, not sure how old these are
yet, the scenes are familiar, of all times
In fact, the appreciation of Kosice is more in it being a rather cosmopolitan city again, after having been in the northeast of the country for the past few days, with its rural focus, small wooden churches, raging autumn colours of the rolling hills, and only the occasional disturbance, by things like soviet-era Svidnik or the out-of-place Andy Warhol museum. We are in Europe, after all.
Next: into Hungary
the square is lined with pastel-coloured houses
quite nice, actually, and well maintained
some have their stucco and gold paint restored
and everywhere terraces dominate the outside of the houses
this is the Slavia Hotel, a Kosice institution
and some of the windows, brilliant!
