Today Košice opens at the London 2012 Olympic Games as the gateway to Eastern Slovakia and as the European Capital of Culture 2013

Today (30^th July 2012) Košice will also introduce itself to visitors to the greatest sporting event in the world, the London 2012 Olympic Games. Mainly thanks to the European Capital of Culture 2013 project, the people of Košice would like to attract the interest of the world public as much as possible, interest not just in the city but in the whole of Eastern Slovakia.

“We are introducing Košice to foreign journalists and tour operators as the gateway to Eastern Slovakia, from where everything is close.  From Košice, visitors can be in the High Tatras or the Tokay region within an hour or two. They may visit six UNESCO locations – natural wonders and cultural objects included in the world heritage list.

In our official Slovak House, in a very attractive place not far from Piccadilly Circus, we will present 14 top events from the Košice – European Capital of Culture 2013 project. For example, White Night, an exceptionally success festival of lights which takes place in Košice, the only city within the V4 countries to host this event. By connecting this festival with the popular International Peace Marathon in the first weekend in October, we will offer foreign tourists a really unique weekend stay. At the summer Olympics, we would like to introduce similar exceptional opportunities to visit our city and the region.

We have brought a piece of Košice and Eastern Slovakia to London and we are making every effort to make sure that after seeing our presentation, visitors say to themselves that they have to see Košice and Eastern Slovakia with their own eyes,” said Peter Germuška, Manager for Tourism Development in the non-profit making organisation, Košice 2013.

“A presentation for foreign tour operators and the media in the Slovak Olympic House, under the auspices of the Slovak Tourist Board, is another activity taking place to put our city and region on the tourist map of Europe,” added Iveta Niňajová, Executive Director of the city tourist organisation, KOŠICE – Tourism.

Today, at the London 2012 Olympic Games, the Slovak House belongs to Košice and this evening and tomorrow evening, Košice will also be introduced in the Sports Café London with an exhibition of quality musical ensembles – tonight it will be Silvayovci and tomorrow it will be AMC Trio. Silvayovci will offer the audience an untraditional treat. Amongst other pieces, they will play the songs of Michael Jackson on the cymbalo and fujara.

The whole presentation of Košice is untraditional and attractive, and is based on the connection between culture and sport. Such a connection is very successful in Great Britain and it becomes even more significant during the Olympic Games. Visitors to the Košice exhibition in the Sports Café London will, for example, be able to watch presentations about Košice whilst on the treadmill and get the feeling that they are right in the Eastern Slovakia metropolis. At the same time, they will have the opportunity to race against time. If they burn 100 calories within two minutes on the treadmill, their prize will be their own photograph with Košice dominating the background.

The 2012 Olympic Games in London have started and the people of Košice are certainly crossing their fingers for our sportspersons to bring home as many medals as possible, and they are also crossing their fingers for representatives from Košice to bring the most possible tourists from around the world to our city and to Eastern Slovakia.