St. Urban Tower, Gothic bell tower in Old Town, Košice, Slovakia

St. Urban Tower is a prismatic bell tower with a pyramidal roof crowned by an iron double cross standing in Košice's main square. Its structure blends Gothic architectural elements with a functional campanile design, and its thick walls serve as a display surface for historical stone carvings.

St. Urban Tower was built in the second half of the 16th century as the bell tower of the Gothic Cathedral of St. Elizabeth; a heritage survey before its 2020 renovation ruled out a medieval origin. In 1628 the Prešov builder Martin Lindtner rebuilt it in a Mannerist style, and a marble tablet above the entrance records the mayor and councillors of that time. A fire in 1966 destroyed the roof and the 5-tonne bell Urban, cast in 1557 by František Illenfeld of Olomouc; the tower was restored in 1967–1971.

The outer walls display medieval gravestones from various periods, including a rare stone carving from Roman times. This collection turns the tower into an open museum for visitors wanting to discover old funeral craftsmanship and burial traditions.

The tower sits on the main square and is easily reached from different directions. Visitors can admire the structure from the outside and examine the embedded stones at their own pace.

A modern bell now hangs in the campanile while the restored original sits at ground level. This approach lets visitors see how craftsmanship and restoration methods work together to preserve both versions of the tower's most important feature.