Today the celebrations of the Day of the City of Košice culminate. Do you know what makes this day special for us?

It is linked to an important historical event associated with the coat of arms. The coat of arms of the city of Košice dates back to 1369. It was granted to the city by King Louis I the Great at the royal castle in Diósgyőr (today part of Miskolc). The coat of arms is not the oldest in Europe, its uniqueness lies in the fact that the king issued a coat of arms charter to it, which is the first such document granted to a legal entity in Europe, and therefore in the world at all. Until then, signs were awarded only to natural persons and its award to Košice testifies to the importance of this city within the Kingdom of Hungary and cultural maturity within medieval Europe.  The first armorial charter dates from May 7, 1369.

We began to commemorate this important date 30 years ago, thanks to the then Mayor Rudolf Schuster. Due to the great interest of the public, the events organized on the occasion of the Košice City Day were extended to several days.

This afternoon's celebrations will culminate with the Ceremony, which is associated with the presentation of awards of the Košice City Award, the Award and the Plaques of the Mayor of Košice. In the evening at 20.00 there will be a Gala program at the Urban Tower, in which the orchestra and soloists of the National Theatre Košice will perform.

U. S. Steel Košice has been the main partner of the event for many years.

The title picture of Ján Kisucký shows the Statue of an Angel with the coat of arms of the city of Košice, located in the park at the Lower Gate. The author of the artwork is the academic sculptor Arpád Račko.  The statue was ceremonially unveiled in 2002 on the occasion of the 500th anniversary of the granting of the armorial charter to the city of Košice.