When the idea of visiting Bratislava for my birthday was mentioned, I wasn’t entirely sure at first. How wrong I was, what a wonderful place.
Bratislava is the Slovakian capital city, with a population of approximately 430,000. Although it’s one of the smallest European capitals, it is still the largest city in Slovakia.
Lying only 18 kilometres from the Hungarian border and 60 kilometres from the Austrian capital of Vienna, Bratislava straddles the banks of the River Danube, and is the only national capital that borders between two countries.
Bratislava Castle is the most visible buildings within the city. The castle sits on a plateau approximately 85 metres above the River Danube. The hill top site has been inhabited since the period between the Stone and Bronze ages. The first castle building constructed of stone was in the 10thcentury, when the area was part of the ‘Kingdom of Hungary’. There have been a number rebuild since then. The most recent been in the 1950’s, after the building was destroyed by fire and lay in ruins from 1811.
The majority of the city’s historical buildings are concentrated in the Old Town. Bratislava City Museum is located within the Town Hall building which is the oldest city hall in the country.
Sadly, there is only gate remaining from the original medieval fortifications which is St. Michael’s Gate. This structure from the 14th century is now home to a weapons museum and affords great views of the old town.
The roof of the original gothic tower which was built in the mid 14th century, was modified between 1753 and 1758 to give it its current, baroque style. At 51 meters tall the tower has seven floors, with excellent views from the upper terrace across the old town. As you pass through the gate you will notice the “zero kilometre” plate, which lists the distance to 29 world capitals from Bratislava.
You can not visit Bratislava with out saying hello to Čumil, the iconic images that tourists flock to see known as the ‘Man at Work Statue’ in the old town. His name,Čumil, is the Slovak word meaning “watcher”.
Situated at the junction of Laurinská and Panská Streets, it only takes a quick look to understand why he goes by the name “the watcher”. With his grinning face peeking from underneath a manhole cover in the old town, he is popular with visitors and locals alike.
There are over 140 fountains, drinking fountains and water wells in the city, with over half being in the old town.
Known as Slovakia’s White House, Grassalkovich Palace (also known as Presidential Palace) is the official seat of the president of Slovakia. Situated at Hodžovo Square between the Old Town and Bratislava’s main train station, it is a few minute walk from St. Micheal’s Gate. There is a large garden which is one of the most popular parks in Bratislava is definitely worth of visiting.
If you like interesting or unusual buildings, Slovenský rozhlas (Slovak Radio) was a state owned national radio broadcaster. Having it headquarters in a building shaped like an inverted pyramid
There are two airports that are in a position to sensibly service Bratislava. The closed being Bratislava’s M. R. Štefánik Airport (BTS), but Vienna International Airport is located only 49 kilometres away across the Austrian border.
The public transport system around the city is known as Mestská hromadná doprava (MHD, Municipal Mass Transit) and utilises buses, trams and trolleybuses to provide clean, economic and efficient transport around the city. There is another service Bratislavská integrovaná doprava (Bratislava Integrated Transport) that links train and bus routes from the city to destinations outside the immediate.
The rail network within the city has direct connections to Austria, Hungary, Poland, Germany, the Czech Republic and the rest of Slovakia.
Direct road access to Brno (Czech Republic), Budapest (Hungary), Trnava (Western Slovakia) and Vienna (Austria) is provided by the motorway network.
One of two international river ports in Slovakia is Port of Bratislava, which provides access to the Black Sea via the River Danube and out to the North Sea via the Rhine-Main-Danube Canal. An number of tourist operators sail out of Bratislava’s Passage port, with routes to Devin and Vienna to name but two.
Leaving the river ports of Bratislava will give various views of the five bridges standing over the river Danube. These are Most Lafranconi (Lafranconi Bridge), Most SNP (Bridge of the Slovak National Uprising), Starý most (The Old Bridge), Most Apollo (Apollo Bridge) and Prístavný Most (The Harbour Bridge).
