Capital bordering two states
Bratislava (“Honor to the Brother”), the largest city and capital of the Slovak Republic, is located in the extreme southwest of the small country. Due to its remarkable location on the border triangle with Hungary and Austria, it is the only capital in the world that borders directly on two countries. It is the meeting point of the borders of Slovakia, Hungary and Austria, so that from Bratislava it is only a few kilometers to Vienna, and also Budapest can be achieved in just a few hours. The Danube flows through the city over a width of up to 300 meters. It is spanned by four bridges, one of which is the SNP Danube Bridge, the most famous and most modern bridge in the city. Around 435,000 people live in Bratislava, this economic, political and cultural center of Slovakia.
Short for BA by Abbreviationfinder, Bratislava (in German Pressburg) is an old border and bridge city whose history has been shaped by various ethnic influences. The first written references to today’s city can be found in the so-called Salzburg annals from the year 907. A place called “Brezalauspurc” was mentioned in a document. However, scientific studies have shown that the area around today’s Slovak capital was already settled in the Neolithic (around 5700 BC). In the 5th century, the Celts came to the area and settled there.
Around 115 BC they founded where the present city center can be found. Around a fortified settlement. Bratislava only had city rights in 1291 through the Hungarian King Andreas III. get awarded. In the further course of history, Bratislava was one of the most important economic and administrative centers not only of Great Moravia, but also of the Kingdom of Hungary and Czechoslovakia. Bratislava has been one of the capitals of the European Union since 2004.
Pressburg, the Bratislavský hrad, has been the symbol of the capital for centuries. This central castle extends in the southern part of the Little Carpathians on a rock on the Danube and is intended to represent one of the motifs of the future Slovak euro coins. Pressburg, the four-tower castle on the castle hill, can also be found in the city arms. Otherwise, the cityscape of the Slovak capital – and above all the old city center – is determined by late baroque buildings from the Theresian era, diametrically opposed to the monotonous prefabricated apartment blocks of the urban district of Petrzalka.
Note
Information that applies to the entire country, e.g. currency, entry requirements, health issues, etc., is not shown here again. You can find it under Slovakia.
| Name in the local language | Bratislava |
| Name in German | Pressburg |
| Other names | Pozsony (Hungarian) |
| Country | Slovakia |
| Location | Bratislava is located in the extreme southwest of Slovakia on the border triangle with Austria ( Vienna 60 km) and Hungary . The border with the Czech Republic is also only 62 km away. |
| Region | Bratislava |
| Landmark | Bratislava Castle (Bratislavský hrad) |
| Function of the city | Capital of Slovakia |
| Surface | 367.60 km² |
| Population | Approx. 435,000 |
| Ethnicities | Especially Slovaks, Magyars, Czechs and Germans |
| Languages | Slovak and Czech |
| Religions | Va Roman Catholic and Protestant Christianity There is also a small Jewish minority in the city. About 30% of city residents describe themselves as atheists. |
| National currency | Euro (1 € = 100 cents) |
| Adjacent waters | Danube (Dunaj) Little Danube (Malý Dunaj) March (Morava) |
| Mountains and elevations | Theben Carpathians The highest point is the Thebener Kogel (Devínska Kobyla) with 514 meters. |
| Official website of the city | www.bratislava.sk |
| Tourist centers | Main station Tel: 00421 – (0) 2 – 495 906Nedbalova Tel: 00421 – (0) 2 – 334 059 Fax: 00421 – (0) 2 – 332 708Planská 18 Tel: 00421 – (0) 2 – 333 715 Tel: 00421 – (0) 2 – 334 370 Primatial Palais |
| Telephone code with country code | 00421 – (0) 2 – subscriber number |
| Time | CET or CEST (Central European Summer Time) applies in summer |
| Line voltage, line frequency | 230 volts and 50 hertz |
| License plate of Slovakia | SK |
City peculiarities
Strange Statues
During the communist era, Bratislava – as in so many other socialist and communist cities – was dominated by relatively joyless buildings.
These were repainted after the political change. Furthermore, in an attempt to create a livelier and friendlier city center, strange statues have been erected, which have become increasingly popular with tourists.
Therefore, new statues were set up, so that the entire image of the city center was soon characterized by cheerful, curious and strange figures
. These include Cumil, who either rests , peers under the skirts of women or settles the sewer, Schone Naci, the poor, mentally confused gentleman, or the paparazzo in front of the restaurant of the same name.
Celebrations and events
On the following days, work is shortened or not at all in public offices, shops and schools:
January 1st:
– Establishment of the Slovak Republic
– New Year
January 6th:
– Epiphany (Holy Three Kings)
– Orthodox Christmas
May 1st:
– Labor Day
May 8th:
– End of the Second World War in Europe
July 5th:
– Holiday in honor of the two canonized monks Kyrillos and Methodos
August 29:
– Anniversary of the Slovak National Uprising
September 1st:
– Slovak Constitution Day
September 15th:
– Holiday of the Mother of Sorrows (Mater Dolorosa), the patroness of Slovakia
November 1st:
– All Saints’ Day
November 17th:
– Day of the Struggle for Freedom and Democracy
December 24th:
Christmas Eve
December 25th:
Christmas Day
December 26th:
Boxing Day
Bratislava: Well-known people
Herta Däubler-Gmelin (born 1943)
Herta Däubler-Gmelin was born on August 12, 1943 in Bratislava. The SPD politician was a member of the German Bundestag from 1972 to 2009 and here she was chairwoman of the legal committee from 1980 to 1983 and deputy chairwoman of the SPD parliamentary group from 1983 to 1993. From 2002 to 2005 she was Chair of the Committee on Consumer Protection, Food and Agriculture and from 2005 to 2009 Chair of the Committee on Human Rights and Humanitarian Aid. From 2008 to 2009 she was Chair of the Legal Committee of the Parliamentary Assembly in the Council of Europe. Between 1998 and 2002 she was Federal Minister of Justice in the government.
She left the Bundestag on October 27, 2009
Ernst von Dohnányi (1877-1960)
pianist and composer. Ernst von Dohnányi was born in Bratislava on July 27, 1877.
In 1948 he moved to Argentina and in 1949 to the United States, where he became a professor at Florida State University in Tallahassee.
He died on February 19, 1960 in New York
Johann Nepomuk Hummel (1778-1837)
composer and pianist. Johann Nepomuk Hummel was born on November 14, 1778 in Bratislava (Pressburg).
He died on October 17, 1837 in Weimar.
Joseph Karl Ludwig of Austria (1833-1905)
The second son of Archduke Josef Anton and Maria Dorothea of Württemberg was born on March 2, 1833 in Bratislava.
He died on June 13, 1905 in what is now Rijeka in Croatia.
He found his final resting place in the Palatinus crypt in the castle of Ofen – a district of Budapest.
Veronika Velez-Zuzulová (born 1984)
ski racer. Velez-Zuzulová was born on July 15, 1984 in Bratislava. She won a gold medal at the Alpine Junior World Championships in 2002 and 2009. In addition, she took part in the slalom at the Winter Olympics in 2002, 2006, 2010, 2018. and had won five world cup races.
After the slalom in Ofterschwang on March 10, 2018, she had contested her last World Cup race.