Košice

Košice is Slovakia's second city and the capital of its east, and about as unlike Bratislava in character as the country allows. Its centre is a long spindle-shaped square called **Hlavná**, one of the largest preserved historic centres in Slovakia. At its middle stands **St Elisabeth's Cathedral**, the biggest church in the country and the easternmost Gothic cathedral in Europe. For centuries this was a **Hungarian city** called Kassa, and its borders today sit close to both Hungary and Ukraine, so its cultural mix is broader than the west of the country. Around it stretches the **Slovak Karst**: UNESCO-listed caves, the narrow **Zádielska** gorge, and limestone valleys — all within an hour by car. Note: it was **European Capital of Culture** in 2013, and that year rebuilt its centre completely.