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District House

The palace type building was erected in 1779 in the Baroque-Classical style by Viennese J.Langer for the needs of the Abov shire council. In the years 1888-1889 the front of the building was reconstructed after designs by G.Marko, new courtyard wings were built and the back tract of the building was renovated. In the years 1973-1975 the whole building was reconstructed and converted into a museum.

This is a two-storey buiding. On the 7-axial facade is a slightly protruded risalite completed with low tympanum, where the embossed coat of arms of the former Abov-Turnya region is placed. On the ground floor of risalite there is a portal with fluted pillars and pilasters decorated with festoons. Above the portal there is a balcony with iron balustrade. The facade upstairs is decorated with fluted pilasters and festoon caps. The staircase with a stone balustrade on the left leads from the passage with a flat vaulted ceiling upstairs where there is the assembly room of the former district. The cloister vault is decorated with plaster ornaments and paintings. These are town signs of the former district in the illusory arcade. The balcony in the back part of the building is placed on pillars and pilasters with composite capitals.
The building continued to serve as shire hall until 1928. For several weeks starting in April 1945 it was used by the Government of the Czechoslovak Republic, temporarily resident in Košice. On 5th April 1945 in the ceremonial session chamber, the first post-war political programme was announced, known as the Kosice Government Programme. The building was later declared a national cultural monument. At present the building is adapted to house the East Gallery.




/place: Main Street 27/
MAP of the historical City centre

/© Photo: (1) Alexander Jiroušek, (2) Adolf Materna, (3) Marián Krlička/