Košice

It is the second largest city in Slovakia, after the capital city Bratislava . Lying in the valley of the River Hornad, Košice is a regional administrative centre and also a hub of industry, science, culture and commerce.

Košice is a city with an eventful historical past, its earliest recorded mentioning dates from 1230, when it was referred to as the “Villa Cassa”. The coat of arms is the oldest in Europe, a fact attested to by a letter dating from 1369. The city’s historical  sights – from various eras – are concentrated in the historic centre, which is an Urban Heritage Area by the way. The reconstructed main street, lined by burgher houses and palaces, offers visitors a pleasant stroll and is also the venue for major events in the life of the city.

According to an Italian daily newspaper,  the Corriere Della Sera, the city of Košice will be among the top ten world cities in the near future,  same category as Vladivostok, Pittsburgh or the Chinese Tianjin. The article  highlighted the huge potential of development in the city, with regard to tourism, investments and its strategic location.

The city was given the attribute “glocal”, and the Italian newspaper draws special attention to the city’s unique identity that could be the basis for itsfuture development. Marseille on the French Riviera was also included in this  list, as the Team of the European Capital of Culture for 2013 has been considering greater cooperation in this area as well.

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Family holiday in Düsseldorf

Düsseldorf museums can be interesting places to see for the whole family. Many theatres also have special stage programs for kids, like the puppet and doll shows, not to mention the children’s theatre, or the Spektakulum. The museums in this city have set as an aim to ensure that children learn in a playful and entertaining way, through a wide variety of specials and guided tours, so that they can say “Culture is cool”.

The river Rhine is accessible from almost everywhere in the city and attracts many skaters, cyclists and strollers to its banks. On the Rhine promenade, opposite the Oberkassel side of the Rhine, adults and children are flying their kites; inline skaters have free passage along the banks between Oberkassel and Heerdt. The Köln-Düsseldorfer and Weiße Flotte lines offer various round-trips in and around Düsseldorf for children and adults who have the heart of a sailor. Take a trip to Zons or Kaiserswerth, or simply enjoy the view of Düsseldorf from the Rhine!

Especially during the summer months, Unterbacher See is a popular destination for families: the lake covers 87 hectares, thus invites young and old alike for surfing, sailing, swimming or paddling. If you don’t want to get your feet wet, you can also walk or cycle along the paths on the banks. There are camping sites for staying overnight in Düsseldorf’s biggest recreational area, and if you get prior permission from the authorities, you can even have a barbecue.

There are six indoor swimming pools, four open-air pools and an adventure pool, for swimming, splashing, sliding – even if the weather gets wrong. All the indoor pools offer a family day ticket, with swimming courses for adults, children and young people. Some pools also have exercise programmes like baby swimming, aqua jogging, snorkelling or hydro power. Do your children like to play outside? In Düsseldorf, there are many playgrounds and recreational facilities where they can vent their energies – and parents can also get a bit of rest here. If you’d you like to show your children that cows are not purple as shown on the TV, bring them to one of the zoos, where they can observe, feed and pet the animals. And of course, there’s always the alternative of picnicking at some places nearby, but if you need to find a restaurant in the city, visit http://gastronomie.duesseldorf-tourismus.de/ (they have an English language site too).

For finding your accommodation in Düsseldorf, I’d recommend www.liligo.co.uk, you will find all the necessary info here, cheap flights, car rental possibilities and other useful things.

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