Editor’s note: I have been to Slovakia, spending about a week in Bratislava as part of a large trip based mainly in Germany. However, I will admit that the rest of the country is a blank for me. It is really nice to learn more via our wonderful traveling rabbi, Sam Spector. For more of Sam’s writing, click here to visit his index page.
I recently wrote about Prague being my favorite city in Europe, and I encounter many who agree with that assessment. Prague is the capital of Czechia and was the capital of Czechoslovakia until the nation split into two separate countries, the Czech Republic (now called Czechia) and Slovakia. While people flock to Prague and its attractions, not as many people go to Slovakia or know much about it. However, Slovakia is one of Europe’s best kept secrets. In 2010, I took a bus from Krakow to Budapest, and we went through Slovakia, and I was stunned by its beauty. If you want gorgeous snowcapped mountains with ski resorts, green forests for hiking, and rivers full of fly fishers, add Slovakia to your list. This past May, I took that journey again, but since I was running the trip this time, I decided we were going to stop along away.
As our tour bus crossed into Slovakia, I heard “oohs” and “ahs” from people on our bus. The beautiful Tatra Mountains are a western subset of the Carpathian Mountains and go from Southern Poland through Eastern Slovakia. The highest points are in Slovakia, which were still snow-covered in mid-May, and the tallest peak, Gerlachovsky stit, has an elevation of 8711 feet. In these areas there are many small resort villages and fields of yellow flowers. I was hoping to stop by the town of Presov, a town of 83,000 people that is supposed to be the most charming in the area and has an old synagogue, but we had to keep to a tight schedule and were unfortunately unable to stop and see its beautiful medieval Old Town with its Baroque, Gothic, and Rococo architecture. As you continue to drive, you will pass the ruins of ancient castles and forts perched on high peaks overlooking valleys below. This area of Slovakia that so few Americans travel to looks like the vision of Europe that so many Americans dream of or imagine. While we did not stop in Presov, we were fortunate enough to spend half a day in the city of Kosice.
Kosice (pronounced ko-shee-tzeh) is the main city in Eastern Slovakia and the second largest city in Slovakia after the capital Bratislava, with Kosice’s population being 230,000. Though more people have been to Bratislava, largely as it is right next to popular Vienna, making them the two closest capital cities in the world, Slovaks have told me that Kosice is more charming and at the heart of Slovak culture much more so than cosmopolitan Bratislava. While most Americans have not heard of Kosice, it was designated as Europe’s 2013 Capital of Culture city along with Marseille, France. The place to go in Kosice is Hlavna ulica (Main Street), which is the largest historical area in Slovakia. Start off at Námestie Maratónu Mieru (Peace Marathon Square) at the north end of Hlavna ulica and spend a couple hours working your way up the carless pedestrian street. The wide street typically has squares and parks in the middle of it, so I recommend walking down the street on one side and walking back up the other side. Visitors are struck by the medieval colorful buildings, many containing intricate designs. There are also numerous quaint shops and restaurants along the street.
Going from north to south, the first attraction that you will encounter is a spiral pillar with a statue of St. Mary atop it. This 46 foot, 18th century Baroque art piece entitled The Immaculata commemorates when St. Mary ended a plague. The column is surrounded by a fence with sculptures of other saints on it. Continuing, the next noteworthy stop is the 18th century Baroque Old Town Hall, a spectacular yellow building, and also the 19th century State Theater. Along the street, another ornamented yellow art nouveau building is known as the Beggar’s House. On this house is a depiction of a beggar bowing to the city. According to legend, this impressive building was paid for by a beggar saving up what he received and then becoming wealthy. The most unique landmark on the street is the Singing Fountain. With 180 water jets and a repertoire of 400 musical compositions, water shoots into the air all day long and is illuminated at night to various songs. Locals and tourists sit and enjoy the show or even dance along at this fountain that was built as a symbol of unity between Hungary and Slovakia.
While Kosice’s peak was reached in the 18th century, there are several sites on the street that predate that time. The 14th century St. Urban’s Tower was a pyramidal shaped building that contained a 7 ton bell that was dedicated to St. Urban. Unfortunately, in 1966, a fire destroyed much of the tower, including the bells, but a replica was created and still stands at the Hlavna ulica. A 14th century church called St. Michael’s Chapel remains on the street, originally used as a funeral chapel because there was a cemetery located nearby. The chapel contains the oldest coat of arms of Kosice in the city. Finally, there is an underground archaeological museum on the Hlavna ulica that takes visitors under the modern street, showing the remnants of the 12th century gates.
Alongside the Singing Fountain, Kosice and the Hlavna ulica’s most famous monument is the Cathedral of St. Elizabeth. Located next to St. Michael’s Chapel, this Gothic cathedral is one of Europe’s easternmost Gothic cathedrals and is the largest cathedral in Slovakia. It was built between 1378 and 1508 and is 200 feet long and 118 feet wide. Inside are stained glass windows that depict the heraldry of Kosice and the surrounding nations during the 15th century. On the exterior, you will see spires and a red-tiled roof. There is a prominent 194 foot tower to the cathedral, and while the cathedral is free to enter, if you wish to go up the 160 steps of the tower for a view of the Old Town, you can buy a cheap ticket.
Kosice also has a historic Jewish presence. Prior to World War II, the city had approximately 12,000 Jews, representing 1/6 of the city’s population. There is a monument on the Hlavna ulica for the Jews killed in the Holocaust, which was nearly all. Of Kosice’s 12,000 Jews and the surrounding communities’ 2,000 more, only 400 survived the concentration camps. On the ground, you might notice little plaques called “tripping stones”, which are common in Central European nations, that mark homes inhabited by Jews until the Holocaust. There are a couple synagogues that remain in Kosice; right off the Hlavna ulica is a beautiful white synagogue built in 1899 in an alleyway on Zvonarska Street. From pictures I have seen, the interior was once beautiful but is badly in need of restoration and is no longer active. The main synagogue of the city that is still active is the New Orthodox Synagogue on Pushkinova Street. This large single-domed pink building stands prominently on the street and was designed in 1927 in a Neo-Classical style by a prominent Budapest architect. The Torah ark is made of red marble and is a beautiful centerpiece of the sanctuary that once sat 800 people. On the outside of the synagogue is a memorial for Kosice’s Jews who were sent to death camps and inside the complex is a lovely courtyard with a statue of L’udovit Feld, a Jewish artist from Kosice who had dwarfism. Feld was sent to Auschwitz but remarkably survived as the notorious Nazi doctor Josef Mengele was intrigued that he had dwarfism, and then upon finding out he was an artist assigned him to draw Mengele’s gruesome experiments. Following the war, Feld returned to Kosice and lived out his days as an artist and art teacher, but there is a small museum of his artwork dedicated to his memory at the synagogue. Today, only 250 Jews remain in Kosice, still making it Slovakia’s second largest Jewish community, and only a few dozen are active at the synagogue. Sadly, that means the future of the synagogue is in doubt once these generally older folks pass away. One of the local Jews will happily give you a tour for a nominal donation to support the synagogue, a worthwhile endeavor of a beautiful space.
Slovakia is a place that is overlooked but offers so much. I hope that I can go back for a few days to visit Presov and spend more time in Kosice, as I did not get to visit its many palaces (more than anywhere else in Slovakia) or museums, as well as enjoy the beautiful outdoors there. While Prague might be my favorite city in Europe, to get away from the crowds and to have an authentic, cultural, affordable, and tranquil trip, add Kosice and Eastern Slovakia to your list.
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