The City of Košice

In terms of size and importance, the Slovak city of Košice is second only to the capital Bratislava. It is located to the east of Slovakia, not far from the border to Hungary (20 km), the Ukraine (80 km), and Poland (90 km).

The advantages of such a location, not far from the borders to three states and on important national and international transportation routes, are the conditions for good economic ties. They are even more strengthened by the junction railway and the international airport.

The city is located in the Košická Kotlina basin, formed by the wide valley of the river Hornád and surrounded by the remote slopes of the Slovak Ore Mountains to the west and the Slanské Hills to the east. The city centre lies 208 m above sea level. In Košice there is a moderately warm climate, with average temperatures of 19 °C in July and -3 °C in January.

The city, composed by five administrative units, is the administration centre for the region Košice. As an independent legal body, the city is divided in 22 districts, each with its own local administration. General special responsibilities, as well as administrative and organisational responsibilities, lie with the municipal authorities in Košice, which have to cooperate with the urban districts. The city of Košice is governed by a major and the city council. Every city district has their own elected council and council president.

Košice has a very strong economic background and offers workplaces for the city’s population, as well as for the inhabitants of the surrounding region. The biggest local employer is the steel company U.S. Steel Košice. The majority of the registered active population have a job within the industrial sector. The fields of education and transportation are equally strongly represented.

The average age is 35.31 years old, which has earned the city of Košice its reputation of the city of the young. The education system is present everywhere in the city with more than 45 primary schools, 10 grammar secondary schools, 4 trade academies and 15 specialised schools in the fields of industrial technology, agriculture, public health and art. Furthermore, the city also hosts the Technical University with eight faculties, the Pavol Jozef Šafárik University with four faculties, the Economy University and the University for Veterinary Medicine.

In the city of Košice there are 14 banks with a total of 43 branches.