Košice

Košice (German: Kaschau; Hungarian: Kassa; pop. 196,200), city in Slovakia, on the Hornad River. Since the end of World War II it has been the chief industrial city of the region of Slovakia, with large steelworks as well as chemical, food-processing, and textile plants. The old center city was established by Hungary in 1241; its St. Elizabeth cathedral was built in the 14th century. The region became part of the newly established Czechoslovakia in 1918. It was controlled by Hungary and Germany during World War II, but returned to Czechoslovak control in 1945. Since 1993 it is controlled by the Slovak Republic.

See also: Czechoslovakia.