Bratislava (Pozsony in Hungarian, Pressburg in German) is Slovakia's largest city and has been the capital since 1969. Here the Carpathian Mountains, which begin at the Iron Gate of Romania, finally come to an end. As you arrive at the main train station, you'll see vineyards on the slopes of the Little Carpathian Mountains, where they meet the Danube River. The Austrian border is almost within sight of the city and Hungary is just 16km away.

Many beautiful monuments survive in the old town to tell of its past under Hungarian rule, and Bratislava's numerous museums are surprisingly rich. Franz Lizst visited Bratislava 15 times, and the opera productions of the Slovak National Theatre rival anything in Europe. Bratislava isn't as swamped by Western tourism as are Budapest and Prague (except on weekends when the Austrians invade).

The old city and the castle are the best parts of Bratislava - the rest of the city is pretty drab. The old city is packed with museums (such as the Municipal Museum which comes complete with torture chambers and the Museum of Wine Production) and palaces (such as the Primate’s Palace, where Napoleon and the Austrian Emperor Franz I signed a peace treaty in 1805, and the rococo Mirbach Palace).

The castle, built above the Danube, was a frontier post of the Roman Empire from the 1st to the 5th century. Since the 9th century it has been rebuilt several times, most recently between 1953 and 1962. Parts of the castle are open to the public, and contain exhibitions of the Slovak National Museum.

There is a very good exposition on the History of Musical Instruments, as well as a historical furniture exposition and a collection of exhibits called ‘The Jewels of Slovakia’s Remote Past’.

Primatial Palace. This beautiful palace has seen its fair share of Kings and Queens over the years. It was here in 1805, that Napoleon signed the Pressburg Peace Treaty.

Today, the palace houses part of the Municipal Museum, and has an excellent collection of English Tapestries, which were found hidden in the palace. The Hall of Mirrors is a delightful room, and the chapel within the Palace can still be hired out for weddings.

Municipal Museum. On the Main Square, the interesting looking building that was the Old Town Hall, today houses the town’s Municipal Museum.

This is a museum with many different exhibitions about the history of Bratislava. The most interesting part of the museum is the exposition on Medieval Justice, which displays the various different torture instruments that were used at the time to bring people to justice.

Novy Most. The unusual design may or may not be an eyesore, but what’s worse is the highway that leads from the bridge, which ripped up part of the old town when it was built.

St. Michael’s Tower. The only one of the Watch Tower Gates that is still standing, St. Michael’s Tower acts as the gateway into the old town from the North.

There is a very interesting exposition about Arms and Municipal Fortifications on six floors of the tower. If you venture up to the very top of the tower you will be rewarded with outstanding views of Bratislava, and an excellent photo opportunity of the castle.

St. Martin’s Cathedral. The biggest, oldest and finest church in Bratislava, St. Martin’s Cathedral was built in the gothic style in the C14th and C15th.

It was here, during the time when Bratislava was the capital of the Kingdom of Hungary, that a series of Hungarian Kings and Queens, including Marie Theresa, were crowned.

At the bottom of Panska Street, opposite St. Martin’s Cathedral, is a house known to the locals as Bibiana. It is here that a superb museum of art for children can be found, which runs informal art classes for the kids. There is also a number of exhibitions on display, such as the excellent puppet exposition, to keep the adults occupied as well.

Situated on the banks of the Danube, the Slovak National Museum is easy to spot, because of the statue of the lion that stands in front of the building.

Tag: Bratislava