Bratislava Hotels

Bratislava City Centre Hotels

 

Bratislava - City Sights

1. Bratislava Castle

Bratislava Castle is the city’s most prominent sight. A commanding presence, 100 metres above the old town, its appearance has been likened to an upside down table, with its four corner towers resembling table legs. It has existed in various forms for thousands of years, ever since the hill on which it stands was first settled by the Celts. However it attained true pre-eminence in the 16th century when it became the Royal castle of the Kingdom of Hungary. In order to reflect this elevation in status, Emperor

Ferdinand 1st of Habsburg had it rebuilt into a Renaissance castle by Italian builders and artists from Rome.

It underwent another extensive remodelling in the 18th century under Maria Theresa, Queen of the Kingdom of Hungary, who used it as her residence in Slovakia. It was subsequently used as a seminary then a military barracks, only to be bombarded by Napoleon’s troops then gutted by fire in the early 19th century. It remained in extreme disrepair until 1957, when reconstruction began under the Communists. More recently, in February 2005, it was the venue for the Slovakia Summit between Vladimir Putin and George W. Bush.

The entrance is almost worth the price of admission, with its extremely elegant, wide, white marble staircase, gilt-edged ceiling, and huge, gold-framed mirrors. Taking up a couple of floors is the largest branch of the Slovak National Museum, which covers folk crafts, furniture, modern art and history. On the ground floor is the Treasury of Slovakia, a small but important collection of archaeological finds. Easily the highlight of the museum (and perhaps Bratislava) is the exquisite mammoth-tusk Venus of Moravany, which is a 25,000 year-old fertility statue of a naked woman. Don’t blink as you enter the ticket office or you’ll miss it. A large section was devoted to art – approximately 3500 paintings, statues, and prints by domestic and foreign artists grouped according to theme. Other rooms, large enough to double for warehouses, were filled with coloured Slovakian glassware, carved wooden furniture, clocks, weapons, helmets and armor. There was an impressive display of silver with bowls, plates and utensils from the 17th to 19th century. Also impressive was a Renaissance jewel chest, circa 1600, and a replica of the crown of the Hungarian kings. Near the crown was a steep flight of stairs leading to the Crown Tower, a small, enclosed tower offering 360-degree views of the city.

From the castle’s ramparts you can see Austria (3 km southwest) and, on a clear day, Hungary (16km south), although with the New Bridge and the mind-numbingly vast housing estates of Petržalka, the view is not so much beautiful as awesome. The old and new towns stretch to the east.

2. St Martin’s Cathedral

Across from Bratislava Castle lies St Martin’s Cathedral, Bratislava’s largest church and foremost Gothic building. It was begun in the 13th century and built in the Romanesque style, but consecration did not take place until 1452, with reconstruction and remodelling continuing for several centuries in order to accommodate Bratislava''s growing population. This reconstruction included a baroque chapel (1729-1732) and a complete transformation to neo-Gothic architecture (19th century). Though a rather modest building at first glance, it hosted the coronations of 17 Hungarian Royals between the 16th and 19th centuries. To commemorate this fact a copy of the crown of Hungary weighing 300 kg was added to the top of the Baroque tower in 1847.

Inside, the three equal-size naves give an impression of space and light. The most eye catching feature is a 1734 statue by Georg Raphael Donner, Austria’s best-known baroque sculptor, of St Martin cutting off the corner of his cloak for a beggar. The cathedral is constantly undergoing renovations due to vibration from traffic on the New Bridge.

3. Michael’s Gate

At the northern end of the main street, facing nearby Hurbanovo námestie, lies Michael’s Gate, the only preserved watchtower of the city’s medieval fortifications. It was built in several stages. The bottom section of the gate retains its original Gothic design from the 14th century. In the 16th century it was heightened, and the copper, onion-domed, 51-metre tower was topped with a statue of St. Michael in the 18th century. The tower affords a good view over the Old Town, and the interior houses the Museum of Weapons and City Fortifications, which displays antique swords, armour and guns.

4. Primate’s Palace

Dominating austere, quiet Primaciálne námestie is the 18th century Primate's Palace, considered to be the most beautiful neoclassical building in Bratislava.

Its most famous feature is its Versailles-like Hall of Mirrors. It was here that Napoleon and the Emperor Franz 1 signed the Treaty of Pressburg in1805, following the Battle of Austerlitz between France and Austria. The Palace was also the venue for the opening session of the Hungarian Parliament and for King Ferdinand signing a document here on the abolition of serfdom in Hungary 1848 .

The Palace was originally built by the Archbishop Jozef Bathyány – a fact evident in the 150 kg, cast-iron cardinal’s hat that tops the tympanum – and bought by the city government in 1903. During subsequent reconstruction work, a series of six unknown tapestries depicting the ancient legend of Hero and Leander was found folded behind wallpaper in the State Rooms. The tapestries turned out to come from Mortlake, England, and date from the 1630s. The sunny courtyard of the Primate's Palace is also beautiful, with its statue of St. George slaying the dragon.

5. Old Town Hall

Next door to the Primate’s Palace is Bratislava’s Town Hall, a complex of 14th and 15th century burghers’ houses that has been used as the city’s administrative centre for many centuries. Features of particular interest include a Renaissance courtyard and green-roofed neo-Gothic annexe – not to mention the cannonball lodged in one of the walls, which is said to have been fired by Napoleon's army.

Today the Town Hall is mostly taken up by the City Museum (Mestské múzeum), the oldest museum in Bratislava, founded in 1868. As well as extensive collections focusing on coins, decorative arts, archaeology, ethnography and sculpture, it has a lovingly (and gorily) recreated dungeon in the basement.

During the summer brass bands play on a balcony atop the Town Hall’s tower. Other concerts are given in front of the building in the summer and before Christmas, New Year and Easter. At night the façade forms the backdrop for a son et lumière show.

6. Church of the Clarissine Order

Situated on Kapitulská street, which runs north from the cathedral, this 14th-century church was founded by the Cistercians, a Catholic order of monks more commonly known as the Poor Clares. It is simple but inspiring, with a wonderfully peaceful early Gothic interior. As a mendicant order, the Poor Clares were forbidden to build a steeple atop the church, so in the 15th century they manipulated the rules and built it against a side wall at the back of the church instead. The church is now a concert hall, though it also shows an ongoing display of medieval art.

7. Devin Castle

A 14th century edifice, about 9 kilometres west of Bratislava, Devin Castle is one of Slovakia’s most important historical monuments. It is perched high on the banks of the Danube, where it meets the Morava River.

Although the castle itself is mostly in ruins, there's a small museum chronicling its various transitions over many centuries. It was originally a Roman fort, but then was greatly expanded in the 9th century as part of the Slavs’ Moravian Empire. It continued its role as a key boundary stronghold, as well as a political and administrative centre, in the Hungarian Empire. It passed from one family to another in the ensuing centuries, only to fall into irretrievable disrepair in the 18th century before being blown up by Napoleon’s army in 1809. Later in the 19th century it was designated a ‘national cultural monument.’

This complex history means that inside the castle complex you’ll find Roman foundations, plus a 15th century guardhouse, 16th century gate and reconstructed foundations of a 9th century church. As well as lush surrounding gardens there are also beautiful views down to the Danube from the fortifications. On weekdays and summer weekends, bus No 29 departs Bratislava about every half-hour from the stand beneath the New Bridge. The castle’s car park is the last stop on its route.

8. Nový Most

The spectacular Nový Most or ‘New Bridge’ is perhaps the only example of Communist-era architecture that has been accepted by Bratislava’s citizens as an acceptable feature of their city’s modern skyline. Originally lent the somewhat ponderous, Central Committee-approved title

of ‘Bridge of the National Uprising,’ it was begun in 1967 and opened to traffic in 1971. It is an asymmetrical diagonal bridge, suspended by steel ropes from a single pylon. The total length of the bridge is 430.8 metres, the width is 21 metres and the weight 7537 tonnes.

Its most distinctive feature is a flying saucer-like observation deck and restaurant called “Ufo,” which stands on the pylon 85 metres above the bridge. Bearing a strong resemblance to the Space Needle in Seattle, it commands amazing views over both sides of the river. The restaurant is also good, though a little pricey by local standards. It can be reached using an elevator in the left pillar, while in the right pillar there is an emergency staircase with 430 stairs.