The Old Town Tiling

When walking through the lovely old town of Kosice, try to look under your feet. You might see lines of broken up fragments of tiles instead of the usual ordered rectangles. It might seem like just a random detail, or a quick job by hasty construction workers, but in fact these lines demarcate te historic city walls, old demolished parts of the St. Elisabeth Cathedral and much else. 

In 1995, the city was expecting a visit from the then pope John Paul II. To prepare the city for the arrival of such an important figure, the mayor decided to completely change the look of the old town. Paved roads gave way to tiles and  a small waterway was introduced. This small stream is an homage to an actual stream that used to run through the street, the Čermeľ stream. 

In addition one can look around the cathedral to find where once stood extensions of the cathedral, go further to look at the approximate border of the cemetary that stood along the church. If one were to go to the st. Michaels Church, demolished parts are seen there as well. Going further away, one can observe lines demarcating the historic city walls, and sometimes even an entire structure that one can sit on or a fountain that shows where a brigde over the moat used to be. 

The tiles themselves have a lot to show too, like the journey to Santiago de la Compostela, (orange clam) or the names of important people that visited the city, and names of people generous enough to sponsor the transformation.