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Travelogue Bratislava, Slovakia – Sightseeing in the Old Town

Contents

• Short Overview
• Old Town
• Bratislava Castle

Photo Album

• Bratislava

External Links

• City of Bratislava [www.bratislava.sk]
• Slovakia Travel [www.slovakia.travel]
• Bratislava Tourist Service [www.bratislava-info.sk]
• Bratislava Hotel & Travel Guide [www.bratislava.info]

Bratislava Weather

In autumn, 2003 and in spring, 2004 my job led me to Bratislava, what gave me an opportunity to explore Bratislava’s amazing old town with my camera.

Bratislava – Short Overview

Bratislava — The capital of Slovakia spans an area of 367 sq km (142 sq mi). With 450,000 inhabitants, Bratislava is a rather small metropolis. Not least its location at the Danube is what makes the city so attractive.

Bratislava is located in the outer southwest of Slovakia, only a few kilometres away from the Austrian and the Hungarian border. The easiest way to get there is via Vienna International Airport – which is just an hour’s drive away from Bratislava’s city centre. Indeed, Bratislava has an own airport. However, from many international airports it is not approached. As several times per day busses start from Vienna Airport to Bratislava – e. g. the Austria Eurolines or the ÖBB-Personenverkehr (ÖBB Public Transport) – the transfer is quite convenient.

Bratislava’s Old Town

[23 Sept 2003] — My hotel, the Carlton, a wonderful old building, built in 1837, is centrally located in the marvellous old town. From here, many of the interesting historic sights are within spitting distance. To the right of the Carlton the historical building of the Slovak National Theatre (Slovenské Národné Divadlo), where opera and ballet is performed, catches the eye. It’s getting dark and the spotlights tacked to the building cast a warm light on its outer walls. The National Theatre was built in 1886 in the style of the Neo-Renaissance. Two years later the Ganymede Fountain (Ganymedova fontána) was put up in front of it. It depicts God Zeus in the shape of an eagle carrying the young man Ganymede to the top of Mount Olympus.

With a few steps to the right I reach the Reduta. Its current shape was designed in the years 1913 – 1919. The noble building houses the Slovak Philharmonic Orchestra (Slovenská filharmónia). A few metres farther I attain the Danube banks. A light drizzle has started and the twilight paints a colour-splendid rainbow in the sky extending from Danube to the philharmonic concert hall.

Left of the National Theatre a small street, Rybárska brána, leads me straight to the Old Town. In its narrow alleys I come across some strange figures. Like the Beautiful Náci (Pekný Náci Ignác), who politely takes off his hat as I pass him. Less courteous is the Rubberneck (Čumil). He has been hiding in a sewer at one edge of the street and is peering at the by-passers quite unnoticed. However it turned out that his hideout hadn’t been a good choice, as inattentive drivers beheaded him already twice. To protect him from further damage a towering street sign revealing his shelter was set up. Another strange guy is the Paparazzi. He’s been hiding behind the corner of a house in Laurinská Street to take his snaps as unobserved as possible.

Tip: The homonymous Restaurant Paparazzi, which is situated in the house, serves finest Italian cooking. It is regarded as one of the best Italian restaurants in town (and is my personal favourite, too).

The Main Square (Hlavné námestie) forms the centre of the old town. It is surrounded by several cafés and restaurants. Especially popular among tourists are Café Mayer (Kaffee Mayer), that serves excellent Slovak and Viennese cake and pastry, and the Café-Restaurant Roland. The latter offers a café on the ground floor and an elegant restaurant on the basement. The main attraction of the Main Square is the Maximilian (Roland) Fountain (Maximiliánova [Rolandova] Fontana), which was set up by order of King Maximilian II.

On the eastern edge of the Main Square the Old Town Hall (Stará radnica) with its Baroque towers is located. The complex consists of several buildings built in different epochs. The core building goes back to the 14th century, thus the Old Town Hall – nomen est omen – is the oldest town hall in Slovakia. Until the second half of the 19th century the building was used in its original function, as head office of the municipal administration. Today the Bratislava City Museum (Múzeum dejín mesta) and the municipal archive of Bratislava are situated in its interior.

I pass the tower on its left side and reach Archbishop Palace (Arcibiskupský Palace), also named Primacial Palace (Primaciálny Palace), built form 1776 to 1781 by order of Cardinal Josef Batthyanyi. After the fire of the »Castle the Hungarian kings inhibited the palace. In 1903, the municipality purchased the palace. Today it houses the mayor’s office and an exhibition of the City Gallery of Bratislava (Galéria mesta Bratislavy). The tympanum of the palace is decorated with a mosaic made of approx. 320,000 tiny tesseras.

My walk leads me to the nearby Franciscan Church and Monastery (Františkánsky kostol a kláštor) with its Gothic monastery tower. Past St. Clara’s Order Church (Klariský kostol) I finally reach St. Michael’s Gate (Michalská brána). Today the church serves as a concert and exhibition hall. St. Michael’s Gate with its 50-metre (164-ft) tower is the only gate that has been preserved of the medieval fortifications of the city.

My stroll ends at Grassalkovich Palace (Grassalkovičov palác), also named Presidential Palace (Prezidentský palác), as it is residence of the Slovak president. Particularly impressive is the Zem Fountain (Fontána Zem) in front of the palace, in the middle of which a head-high ball is enthroned.

Meanwhile, the fine drizzle has completely soaked my clothes. I feel shivery. Hoping to get a hot chocolate to go I make a detour to Café Mayer on my way back to the hotel. “Hot chocolate to go?” replies the waitress uncomprehendingly and throws a puzzled look at me. What a pity – a hot beaker of cocoa would have been exactly the right thing to warm up a bit …

The Castle – Landmark of the City

[28 Oct 2003] — Unfortunately, I had no opportunity to see the Castle (Bratislavský hrad) during my last visit. This was due to its limited opening times. But today, I should be lucky.

I approach the castle from the Danube and go up a narrow path. It leads me to best preserved gate of the castle, the Sigismund Gate, which goes back to the first half of the 15th century. But when I reach the gate I’m quite surprised to find the lattice locked. Damn it! Obviously the opening times stated in my small travel guide aren’t up to date. But an instant after I’ve decided disappointedly to return to the hotel, I notice a narrow path on the left side of the gate that leads to the castle, as well and that I’ve almost missed.

The castle is the landmark of Bratislava. Even in the 1st century AD the first brick buildings were built on the top of the castle hill by the Romans. In the course of time the castle complex faced several extensions and reconstructions. The current shape was created in the years 1635 – 1649, when as an addition to the existing coronation tower three additional corner towers were annexed.

Twice (in the 16th and 19th century) the castle fell victim to flames. A great renovation took place in the 50s and 60s. Today the castle serves for purposes of the representation of the state and is exhibition place for exhibits of the Slovak National Museum (Slovenské národné múzeum).

It’s true that I don’t feel like seeing the museum and the inside of the castle, but the way up to the castle hill was worth it. From up here you have a scenic view of the New Bridge (Nový Most) and on the Danube.