Jewish Tour

Kosice was inhabited by the largest Jewish community of Slovakia before the time of Holocaust so many interesting monuments related with Jewish culture and history can be found here in Kosice. In 1930 it was home to over 11,500 Jews, who made up 16.4% of the total population of the city, even though Jews were not allowed to settle in the city until after 1840, when the legal ban on Jewish residence was lifted. Yet it took just under a month in 1944 for almost the entire Jewish community to be transported to Auschwitz-Birkenau. All this rich communal life was destroyed between May 16 and June 5, 1944, when almost all Jewish citizens of Kosice were deported They left their monuments as a legacy, though, enhancing the city and telling their own sombre stories. Their beauty and atmosphere make this tour a truly unique experience. We offer you a comprehensive tour around the most important Jewish sights and the fascinating journey to the past. Our professional guide will acquaint you with the history of Jews of Kosice.

During our tour you will have a chance to immerse in the world which will not come back any more. Admiring a great building of the current State Philharmony you will get to know the history of the former neological synagogue which was built in 1926-1927. You could notice a huge elliptical dome which resembles the Roman Pantheon. When you reach the Tajovskeho street, you will see the school building with an impressive facade. The school was one of the educational centres for the Kosice Jewish congregation. Then, you will be familiarized with the history of the former so-called Jewish casino which was set up in 1893. You will also visit Synagogue on Puskinova street. The building of the Synagogue combines many architectural styles: the neoclassical facade with local motifs, the modernist interior and the Renaissance attic storey. In the synagogue's wall there is located a bronze Holocaust memorial plate commemorating Jews who were transported to a concentration camp in 1944. You will also see the place where the wartime Jewish Ghetto was established and after that you will drive to Jewish cemeteries which are located out of the city centre.Today, the Jewish community has only about 280 members. Still, it is the second largest Jewish community in Slovakia, and it strives to preserve an active life.