Slovakia - Eastern Europe - page 641

Dominikánske nám. 3. & 055/625-6510. Lunch and dinner items 150 Sk-300 Sk ($5-$10/£2.75-£5.50). AE, DC,
MC, V. Tues-Sun 11am-10pm.
Inexpensive
Villa Francaise BISTRO A contemporary French bistro, and one of a number
of new, trendy, and very good restaurants that are turning heads in eastern Slovakia.
You'll find all of the French classics, from steak au poivre and homemade crepes (both
savory and sweet) to scalloped potatoes “dauphinoise.” After all of those cottage
restaurants with wrought-iron swords and wagon wheels on the walls, the simple,
funky, retro-'60s decor is a welcome change. The cafe bar serves a full range of excel-
lent espresso drinks, teas, and some cocktails. The outdoor terrace, off a pleasant
pedestrian street, is a nice spot to people-watch. Popular with students.
Mlynska 20. & 055/729-0516. Lunch and dinner items 90 Sk-180 Sk ($3-$6/£1.65-£3.30). No credit cards. Daily
10am-10pm.
EXPLORING
Almost all of the major tourist attractions are along or just off of the main square,
Hlavná ulica. A sensible plan is simply to start at one end of the square and slowly
walk to the other, admiring the baroque, Renaissance, and neoclassical facades that
line the long street on both sides. The southern end of the square possesses the most
important clutch of buildings, centered on the Cathedral of St. Elizabeth (Dóm
svátej Al z bety), the biggest cathedral in Slovakia and the easternmost Gothic church
of its kind in Europe. Next to the cathedral on the north side is the Renaissance-style
Urban's Tower (Urbanová ve z a), which now houses a small wax museum. On the
other side is the Chapel of St. Michael (Kaplnka svátého Michala), with its valu-
able relief work on the portals. The chapel is older than the cathedral and dates from
around the middle of the 13th century. Just here as well you'll see the entryway to a
relatively recent archaeological find called the Lower Gate (Dolná Braná). It's cer-
tainly worth poking in to take a look at the fascinating medieval fortification systems
that were built here some 700 to 800 years ago.
To the north of the cathedral, walking along Hlavná, you'll see a small park, com-
plete with the locals' pride and joy: a “singing fountain.” Just beyond the fountain is
another local treasure connected to music, the handsome State Theater ( S tátné
Divadlo). The theater dates from the late 1800s and was built in the neoclassical, his-
torical style that was so popular in Austro-Hungarian provincial capitals at the time.
Farther along the square you'll see little gems here and there, hidden behind the day-
to-day life of a bustling city. Be sure to take a look at the Art Nouveau facade at
Hlavná 63, home to the Café Slavia and hotel of the same name.
Cathedral of St. Elizabeth (Dóm svátej Alzbety) The country's largest
cathedral is a master work, both inside and outside. Admire the relief on the north side
of the cathedral, and the immense carved wooden altarpiece, one of the biggest of its
kind (but still short of the altar in Levo c a). The nicest aspect of this cathedral is that
it still plays a vital role in the lives of people living here.
Hlavná ulica. Daily 9am-6pm.
Lower Gate (Dolná Braná ) Ko s ice residents remember with horror the mid-
1990s, when pretty much the entire Hlavná ulica was torn apart during the city's gen-
eral large-scale renovation. One of the more unusual finds at that time was this