Bratislava (Slovakia): what to see in the capital


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What to see in Bratislava, itinerary including the main monuments and places of interest, including Castle, St. Martin's Cathedral, Blue Church and Primatial Palace.


Tourist itinerary

Capital of the Slovak Republic and capital of the homonymous region, Bratislava is located a short distance from the borders with Austria and Hungary, at the foot of the Little Carpathians on the left bank of the Danube.

The name Bratislava, given to it after the First World War, replacing Pressburg, shows that in the past different cultures have marked this city.


Since the time of Great Moravia, Bratislava Castle was an important center.

In the tenth century the city became part of Hungary and in 1405, with the promotion to a free royal city, it began to enrich itself from a cultural and economic point of view.

So in 1467 King Matthias Corvinus founded the university called Universitas Istropolitana.


Although this institution closed soon after the sovereign's death, the episode reveals the importance of the city within the Kingdom of Hungary, as the capital and coronation city until 1835.

In the period when the Hungarians recognized the Habsburgs as a ruling house, Bratislava further embellished itself with the construction of new palaces, streets and monasteries.

After the First World War it became part of Czechoslovakia and became the capital of the Slovak Republic from 1939 to 1945.


From 1945 to 1992 the city was subjected to Soviet control, while from 1993 it became the capital of the Slovak Republic.

What see

From the attractive old town, full of Baroque palaces and imposing residences of the Austro-Hungarian imperial court, you can access the Castle, located on the hill overlooking the Danube river, where the Slovak National Museum is housed, which preserves interesting collections concerning history and music.

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From the Porta di San Michele, the only remaining gate that was once part of the city wall, you enter Via Michalská, one of the main streets of the old town Stare Mesto, from which continuing to get to the Cathedral of San Martino, where for over the coronations of the sovereigns of Hungary took place two and a half centuries.

The old town hall overlooks the main square Hlavné Namesti, while the current seat of the town hall is located in the Palazzo Primaziale.

In neoclassical style, this palace is considered the most representative building in the city.

In the famous Hall of Mirrors, the Peace of Presburg was signed between the Habsburg Empire and France after the battle of Austerlitz won by Napoleon.

In the reception rooms there are a series of English tapestries.

Very particular is the Church of Santa Elisabetta, nicknamed Blue Church for the color that distinguishes it, a place of Catholic worship located in the old city.

BRATISLAVA, the Capital of Slovakia: Is It Worth Visiting? (March 2024)


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