Východní Slovensko

▪ region, Slovakia

Czech  Východoslovenský 

      kraj (region), eastern Slovakia. It is bordered by Střední Slovensko kraj to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, and Hungary to the south. The Vysoké Tatry (High Tatras) and Nízke Beskydy Mountains extend across the northern part of Východní Slovensko kraj, and the Nízke Tatry (Low Tatras) give way to the Slovenské Rudo (“Slovak Ore”) Mountains in the west. A major plain formed by the Bodrog River and its tributaries lies in the southeast; Východní Slovensko kraj's other major river, the Hornád, forms a valley between the Slovenské Rudo and Slanské mountains.

      Agriculture predominates in the southern plain, where wheat, corn (maize), barley, sugar beets, tobacco, and vegetables are the main crops. Grapes, apples, plums, and pears are also grown, and sheep and pigs are the main livestock. In the north, potatoes, oats, barley, corn, flax, and animal fodder are important.

      The Slovenské Rudo Mountains (Slovak Ore Mountains) contain most of the region's mineral wealth. Large deposits of copper and iron ore are mined at Rudňany and Rožňava. Magnesite, antimony, siderite (clay ironstone), barite (barium sulfate), mercury, and asbestos occur at other sites, and building stone is quarried at several locations. There are natural gas fields in the southeast near Michalovice and Stretava. Two major dams, Ružin on the Hornád River and Dobšiná on the Slaná River, provide hydroelectric power for nearby industrial centres.

       Košice, Východní Slovensko kraj's capital, is the main industrial centre; it has steel works, engineering works, ceramics, textile, clothing, and food-processing plants. Svit, Poprad, Prešov, Strážske, and Humenné are other important industrial towns, with chemical, building-material, textile, and food-processing plants. Strážske also has an oil refinery. Lumbering and wood processing are important at several towns in the mountains.

      Striking natural scenery and mineral water spas are major attractions for tourists. The Pieniny National Park is centred on the Dunajec Gorge; other canyons, caves, and waterfalls are found in the Slovenský Raj (“Slovak Paradise”). The Juhoslovenský Karst is a limestone region with ice caves and canyons; its best-known cave, the Dobšina Ice Cave, northwest of Rožňava, is the largest in Slovakia and has ice pillars and frozen waterfalls. Mineral water spas are located at Bardejov, Vyšné Ružbachy, and Štos.

      The city of Košice is Východní Slovensko kraj's main educational and cultural centre. The Pavel Josef Šafárik University, technical and veterinarian's colleges, the State Scientific Library, and the Museum of Eastern Slovakia are located in the city. The kraj has Ukrainian and Hungarian ethnic minorities in the east and southwest, respectively. Area 6,252 square miles (16,193 square km). Pop. (1991 prelim.) 1,505,495.

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