The State Theatre Košice occupies a grand Historicist building directly across Hlavná ulica from St. Michael Chapel and St. Elisabeth Cathedral, completing the architectural grouping at the centre of the promenade. The building is visually imposing — a Neo-Baroque façade with a prominent portico, flanked by statues, and topped by a dome — and its position facing the Gothic cathedral across a broad pedestrian space creates one of the more memorable urban set-pieces in Slovakia.
The theatre runs a full programme of opera, ballet, and drama, with performances in both Slovak and occasionally other languages. Ticket prices are considerably lower than Western European opera houses, and the quality of productions — particularly opera — is good. Checking the programme before visiting Košice is worth the effort; attending a performance here is one of the better ways to spend an evening in the city.