Bratislava Slovakia

Description: Bratislava historically known as Preßburg (Pressburg), is the capital and largest city of Slovakia and the fourth largest of all cities on Danube river. Officially, the population of the city is about 475,000; however, some sources estimate it to be more than 660,000—approximately 140% of the official figures. Bratislava is in southwestern Slovakia at the foot of the Little Carpathians, occupying both banks of the River Danube and the left bank of the River Morava. Bordering Austria and Hungary, it is the only national capital to border two sovereign states.

Population: 442,452

Demographics: From the city’s origin until the 19th century, Germans were the dominant ethnic group. By the end of World War I, 42% of the population of Pressburg spoke German as their native language, 40% Hungarian, and 15% Slovak. After the formation of the Czechoslovak Republic in 1918, Bratislava remained a multi-ethnic city, but with a different demographic trend. Due to Slovakization, the proportion of Slovaks and Czechs increased in the city, while the proportion of Germans and Hungarians fell. In 1938, 59% of the population were Slovaks or Czechs, while Germans represented 22% and Hungarians 13% of the city’s population. The creation of the first Slovak Republic in 1939 brought other changes, most notably the expulsion of many Czechs and the deportation or flight of the Jews during the Holocaust.

History: The first known permanent settlement of the area began with the Linear Pottery Culture, around 5000 B.C. in the Neolithic era. About 200 B.C., the Celtic Boii tribe founded the first significant settlement, a fortified town known as an oppidum. They also established a mint, producing gold and silver coins known as biatecs. The area fell under Roman influence from the 1st to the 4th century A.D. and was made part of the Danubian Limes, a border defence system. In the 10th century, the territory of Pressburg (what would later become Pozsony county) became part of Hungary (called the “Kingdom of Hungary” from 1000). It developed as a key economic and administrative centre on the kingdom’s frontier. The Kingdom of Hungary was defeated by the Ottoman Empire in the Battle of Mohács in 1526. The Ottomans besieged and damaged Pressburg, but failed to conquer it. Owing to Ottoman advances into Hungarian territory, the city was designated the new capital of Hungary in 1536, after becoming part of the Habsburg monarchy and marking the beginning of a new era. Pressburg flourished during the 18th-century reign of Queen Maria Theresa, becoming the largest and most important town in the Kingdom of Hungary. The population tripled; many new palaces, monasteries, mansions, and streets were built, and the city was the centre of social and cultural life of the region. Industry developed rapidly in the 19th century. The first horse-drawn railway in the Kingdom of Hungary, from Pressburg to Szentgyörgy (Svätý Jur), was built in 1840. On March 27, 1919, the name Bratislava was officially adopted for the first time to replace the previous Slovak name Prešporok. At the beginning of August 1919, Czechoslovakia got permission to correct the borders for the strategic reasons, mainly to secure the port and to prevent a potential attack of the Hungarian Army on the town. On the night of 14 August 1919 barefoot Czechoslovak soldiers silently climbed to the Hungarian side of the Starý most (Old Bridge), captured the guards and annexed Petržalka (currently part of Bratislava’s 5th district) without a fight. The Paris Peace Conference assigned the area to Czechoslovakia with the aim of creating a bridgehead for the newly created Czechoslovak state for controlling the Danube. After the Communist Party seized power in Czechoslovakia in February 1948, the city became part of the Eastern Bloc. The city annexed new land, and the population rose significantly, becoming 90% Slovak. The end of Communist rule in Czechoslovakia in 1989 was followed once again by the country’s dissolution, this time into two successor states. Czechoslovak Socialist Republic renamed as Czech and Slovak Federative Republic, the word “socialist” was dropped in the names of the two republics within the federation, the Slovak Socialist Republic renamed as Slovak Republic. In 1993, Bratislava became second time the capital of the newly formed independent Slovak Republic, following the Velvet Divorce.

Elevation: 134 m

Climate: Humid subtropical climate. Average annual temperature in Bratislava is 11 C (51 F), the average for July is 21 C (70 F), the average for January is -1 C (30 F).

Attractions: Bratislava Old Town, Cumil, Devin Castle, Slavin, Modry Kostol, Nedbalka Gallery, Bratislava Castle, Hlavne Namestie

Airports: M. R. Štefánik Airport Bratislava BTS

Distance To City Centre: 10 km

Commute Length: 20 min

Average Transportation Cost: 35 EUR

Traffic Hours: 7:30 am – 9:30 am, 4:30 pm – 6:30 pm