St. Urban Tower, the Renaissance bell tower beside St Elisabeth Cathedral in Košice

Church & monasteryEastern Slovakia & Spiš

St. Urban Tower: Košice's bell tower beside the cathedral

St. Urban Tower (Urbanova veža) is the free-standing bell tower of St Elisabeth Cathedral in the historic centre of Košice, eastern Slovakia. Dedicated to Saint Urban, patron of vine-growers, it has a Mannerist body, a Baroque onion dome and an arcade of old gravestones at its foot. It is an easy, rewarding stop for anyone looking for things to see in Košice beyond the main square.

The great Urban bell of Košice was cast in 1557 after a city fire melted its predecessors, then shattered in another fire in 1966. Today it stands in pieces made whole in front of its tower.

WhereHistoric centre of Košice, next to St Elisabeth Cathedral, eastern Slovakia

TypeFree-standing bell tower (campanile) of the cathedral, a national cultural monument

Best forHistory lovers, photographers and anyone exploring Košice on foot

Getting thereIn the old town of Košice, a few steps from the cathedral and the main street; easy to reach on foot

The history of St. Urban Tower

St. Urban Tower stands beside St Elisabeth Cathedral in the heart of Košice and was built as its free-standing bell tower. The sources do not agree on its age. Older accounts speak of a Gothic tower from the 14th century, but Slovak Wikipedia places its construction in the second half of the 16th century, and a heritage survey made before the 2020 renovation reportedly ruled out a medieval origin. What is certain is that a great fire swept through Košice in 1556, burning the cathedral and the tower and melting the bells. In 1557 the bell-founder Franciscus Illenfeld of Olomouc cast a huge new bell, named Urban after the patron saint of vine-growers, and it was hung in the tower.

In 1628 the master builder Martin Lindtner of Prešov rebuilt the tower in the Mannerist style. A three-part marble plaque with the city's coat of arms above the entrance still recalls that rebuilding and names the judge and sworn councillors of the time. In 1775 the pyramidal roof was crowned with a Baroque onion dome carrying the metal cross that is still there. At the beginning of the 19th century the tower received a small Empire-style cap, and little shops were squeezed in around its base.

Those shops were removed in 1911–1912 and replaced by a more representative arcade. It shelters gravestones taken from the cathedral and from a nearby medieval cemetery that had been closed down, which are walled into the masonry of the ground floor; several sources count 36 of them. The arcade was completed during the war years of 1943–1944. In 1970 the tower, the cathedral and St Michael Chapel were declared a national cultural monument together.

In 1966 fire struck again. It destroyed the roof and the Urban bell, and the tower was rebuilt between 1967 and 1971 into the form seen today. In 1977 the East Slovak Museum installed an exhibition of artistic metal founding here. After restitution in 1994 the tower returned to its original owner, the church, which let the space: first as a bar, and from 2004 as a wax museum of figures from the history of Košice, which later closed. The old bell, pieced together from its fragments, has been displayed in front of the tower since 1989, while a working copy cast in 1996 by workers of the East Slovak Ironworks, a gift to the city, hangs in the tower itself. A renovation planned for 2020–2021 by the non-profit organisation Perly Gotickej cesty, funded from EU money and the regional budget, gave the tower a new white façade.

Curiosities about St. Urban Tower

The inscription on the original bell quotes the Book of Isaiah (40:6–8) in Latin: all flesh is grass and its glory like the flower of the field, but the word of God endures for ever. Some letters are worn, so the text cannot be read in full.
The bell cast in 1557 did not survive the fire of 1966; it was put back together from fragments and has stood in front of the tower since 1989, while a copy rings from inside.
Gravestones from the cathedral and from an old medieval cemetery are built into the ground-floor walls of the tower and protected by the arcade of 1911–1912.
At the start of the 19th century small shops stood against the foot of the tower, until the arcade replaced them.
From 2004 the tower housed a wax museum of people from the history of Košice, a very different use for a cathedral bell tower.
A heritage survey carried out before the 2020 renovation reportedly disproved the long-repeated belief that the tower is of medieval origin.

Tours near St. Urban Tower

Experiences in the area that you can book online with Viator:

Full-Day Tokaj Wine & Cellar Tour from Kosice

★ 5 (8 reviews) · 5 h

See details ›

Discover Kosice Walking Tour with Cathedral Stop

★ 5 (1 reviews) · 2 h

See details ›

Tour of Košice: Heart of European Culture and history! 3€ + tips

★ 1 (1 reviews) · 2.5 h

See details ›

The Eastern Slovakia Jewish Heritage tour

8 h

See details ›

Visiting St. Urban Tower

The tower stands next to St Elisabeth Cathedral; St Michael Chapel is close by, and the three monuments were declared a national cultural monument together.
Look for the marble plaque with the city's coat of arms above the entrance, the arcade with its old gravestones and the original Urban bell displayed in front of the tower.
The tower has been used as an exhibition space and a wax museum in the past, but the sources describe it as empty at times, so check locally whether the interior is open before you plan a visit.
Other places on this site nearby include St Michael Chapel, the Archbishop's Palace, the Church of the Virgin Mary's Birth and the Plague Chapel of St Rosalie.
Košice is a good city for walking, and the tower is easy to combine with the cathedral and the old town in a single stroll.

Opening hours, access and conditions can change. Check before you go.

Map: where St. Urban Tower is

Questions

What is St. Urban Tower in Košice?

St. Urban Tower is the free-standing bell tower of St Elisabeth Cathedral in Košice. It is named after Saint Urban, the patron of vine-growers, to whom its great bell was dedicated.

How old is St. Urban Tower?

The sources disagree: older texts mention a 14th-century Gothic tower, while Slovak Wikipedia dates it to the second half of the 16th century. A survey before the 2020 renovation reportedly disproved a medieval origin.

What happened to the Urban bell?

The bell cast in 1557 was destroyed by a fire in 1966. It was pieced together from the fragments and has been displayed in front of the tower since 1989, while a working copy from 1996 hangs inside.

Why are there gravestones in the walls?

Old gravestones from the cathedral and from a nearby abolished medieval cemetery are built into the ground-floor masonry. The arcade of 1911–1912 was added partly to protect them.

Can you go inside St. Urban Tower?

The tower has housed a bar, a foundry exhibition and a wax museum in the past, but the sources describe it as empty at times. Check locally whether it is open before you go.

What else is near St. Urban Tower in Košice?

St Elisabeth Cathedral and St Michael Chapel are right next to it, and the Archbishop's Palace and the Church of the Virgin Mary's Birth are close by.