Bratislava

Bratislava (pronounced in Slovak [GRUNTING] (?·i)until 1919: in Slovak PrešporokIn Hungarian: Pozsonyin German Pressburg/Preßburgin Croatian Požun and in Spanish Presbourg) is the capital and largest city of Slovakia. In 2021 it had 462 603 inhabitants and is located on the banks of the Danube, near the borders with Austria and Hungary, 60 km Vienna.

The Carpathian Mountains begin in the territory occupied by the city (Malé Karpaty, Little Carpathians). Bratislava is the seat of the Slovak parliament and government and has a great artistic, cultural and educational offer. The most interesting area from the monumental and artistic point of view is the Old City, with a wide variety of shops and services, although the prices are significantly higher than those in other areas of the city and those in the interior of the country. The river port also deserves a special mention, where you can see merchant ships and great activity. Bratislava is the political, economic, financial and cultural center of Slovakia.

The southern territories of Slovakia, including Bratislava, were part of the Kingdom of Hungary from the arrival of the Hungarians in 895 until the end of World War I in 1918.

Bratislava Castle was built in the 15th century during the reign of Sigismund of Hungary. In 1811, a fire destroyed the castle, as well as a large part of the surrounding hamlet and, later, a reconstruction of the complex was carried out. Currently, the castle houses the Slovak National Museum, which encompasses archaeological, historical and artistic exhibits.

Once the kingdom of Hungary fell in 1526 to the Ottoman Turks, it was divided into three parts: the independent principality of Transylvania, the Valiato of Buda, under Turkish rule, and the Hungarian kingdom under control of the Holy Roman Empire. Bratislava was located in the Germanic part and was influenced as such, until the expulsion of the Turks from Hungary in 1686. From that moment on, the Hungarian monarch was the Germanic emperor and, therefore, he wanted to Germanize the Hungarian and Slovak territories. In 1806 the Holy Empire disappeared and the Austrian Empire emerged in 1804, which inherited the territories belonging to the kingdom of Hungary (including Slovakia). After the Hungarian wars of independence against the Austrians, the Austria-Hungary agreement is signed in the city in 1867 and the Austro-Hungarian Empire is born. The city was called Prešporok in Slovak until the end of World War I and its former names Presburg and Pozsony, in German and Hungarian respectively, they are still officially recognized.

Toponymy

The first written reference comes from the Annales Iuvavenses, in which it is named as Brezalauspurc, in relation to the battles between Bavarians and Hungarians before the castle walls from Bratislava in 907. The castle was named either after Predslav, third son of King Svatopluk I, or the local nobleman Braslav. This ancient variant reappears as Braslava or Preslava on coins struck by King Stephen I of Hungary around the year 1000 and bearing the motto "Preslavva Civitas". In the late Middle Ages, the name finds its form ending of Presburg in German and the Slovak of Prešporok, derived from it (Presburgo in Spanish). Although Presburg i> was the official name until 1919, Hungarians called it Pozsony (spelled Posony before the XIX), and is still used among Hungarians. The name could derive from Božaň, a ruler of Bratislava Castle from the 11th century. The Latin name Posonium derives from the Hungarian. In addition to these names, in Renaissance documents the city is called ᾽´Ιστροπόλις Istropolis, meaning "City on the Danube". in ancient Greek.

The current name of Bratislava has its origin in 1837, when the Slavist Pavel Josef Šafárik reconstructed the variant Břetislaw from ancient names, believing that these derived from the ruler Bretislaus I of Bohemia. This was first used by members of the Slovak movement in 1844 as Bratislav. After World War I, non-Slovak MPs attempted to rename it "Wilson City" after United States President Woodrow. Wilson to prevent annexation by Czechoslovakia. The proposal was rejected and the official name was Bratislava in March 1919, after the city became part of Czechoslovakia.

History

An original Biatec and its replica in a coin of 5 crowns.

The first permanent settlement in the area began with the Banded Pottery Culture, around 5000 BCE. C. in the Neolithic. Around 200 B.C. The Celtic tribe of the Boii founded the first major settlement, an oppidum-type fortified town, and also established a mint that minted silver coins known as biatecs. The area came under Roman influence from the I d. until the IV century C. and formed part of the limes romanus, a border defense system. The Romans introduced growing grapes to the area and a tradition of winemaking began, which survives to the present.

The Slavic ancestors of modern Slovaks arrived between the V and VI during the Migration Period. In response to attacks by the Avars, the local Slavic tribes revolted and created the Empire of Samo (623-658), the first known Slavic political entity. In the IX century, the castles Devín and Bratislava were important centers of the Slavic states of the Principality of Nitra and Great Moravia. The first written reference to the city dates from 907 and is related to the fall of Great Moravia as a result of Hungarian attacks.

Bratislava (Presbourg) in the centuryXVII.

In the X century, the territory of Bratislava (later to be County of Pressburg) became part of of Hungary (which had been called the "Kingdom of Hungary" since the year 1000) and became a key city for the economy and administrative center on the border of the kingdom. The strategic position of the city motivated that It was the place of frequent attacks and battles, but it also led to great economic development and high political status. Bratislava received its first city privileges from Andrew III in 1291 and was declared a royal city in 1405 by King Sigismund of Luxembourg, who determined in 1436 that the town had the right to use its own coat of arms.

After the Battle of Mohács in 1526, when the Kingdom of Hungary was defeated by the Ottoman Empire, the Turks besieged Bratislava, but did not conquer it. Due to Ottoman advances into Hungarian territory, Bratislava was designated the new capital of Hungary in 1536, becoming part of the territories governed by the House of Habsburg (of Austria), the monarchy that marks the beginning of a new era. Bratislava became a coronation city and the seat of kings, archbishops (1543), the nobility, and all major organizations and administrations. Between 1536 and 1830, eleven kings and queens were crowned in St. Martin's Cathedral. However, the 17th century characterized by anti-Habsburg uprisings, fighting the Turks, floods, plagues, and other disasters.

The Reformation arrived in the second half of the 16th century and found support mainly among the urban classes. As a result of the frequent insurrections against the Catholic Habsburgs, the suburbs were devastated. The city and the castle were conquered by the insurgents on several occasions, and had to be recaptured by the imperial troops. This period of uprisings ended in 1711 (end of the so-called Rákóczi war of independence), with the signing of the Treaty of Szatmár.

Bratislava (Presbourg), in a 1787 drawing.

Bratislava flourished during the 18th century in the reign of Maria Theresa of Austria, becoming the largest and most important city from the territory of present-day Slovakia and Hungary. The population tripled, many new palaces, monasteries and streets were built, and it became the center of social and cultural life in the region. However, it began to lose importance under the reign of Maria Theresa's son, Joseph II, especially when the crown jewels were brought to Vienna in 1783 in an attempt to strengthen the union between Austria and Hungary. Many headquarters later moved to Buda, followed by a large section of the nobility. Bratislava became a nucleus of the Slovak national movement: in 1783, the first Slovak-language newspaper, Presspurske Nowiny, was founded. > (Presburg Newspaper) and the first novel in Slovak was published.

The history of Bratislava in the XIX century is closely linked to major events in Europe. The Treaty of Pressburg between France and Austria was signed here in 1805. Devín Castle was demolished by Napoleon's French troops in 1809, and Bratislava Castle destroyed by fire in 1811. As a reaction to the revolutions of In 1848, Fernando V signed the so-called March Laws in the Palacio Primacial, which included the abolition of serfdom. The industry grew rapidly in this century. The first railway line on the territory of present-day Slovakia, from Bratislava to Svätý Jur, was built in 1840. A new line from Vienna for steam locomotives was opened in 1848. Numerous industries and other institutions were created, including the first bank of Slovakia was founded in 1842). The city's first permanent bridge over the Danube, Starý Most, was built in 1891.

Damage caused by the allied bombings at the Apolo industrial plant in Bratislava, September 1944.

After World War I and the formation of Czechoslovakia on October 28, 1918, Bratislava was incorporated into the new state despite the reluctance of its representatives. The dominant Hungarian and German population tried to prevent the annexation of Bratislava, and Czechoslovakia declared it a free city. However, the Czechoslovak legions arrived in the city in January 1919 to unite it with Czechoslovakia. The city immediately became the seat of Slovakia's political bodies and organizations, being preferred to Martin and Nitra due to its economic importance and its strategic position on the banks of the Danube. On March 27, 1919, the name Bratislava was officially adopted for the first time.

In 1938, Nazi Germany annexed neighboring Austria in the so-called Anschluss; that year, the still independent municipalities of Petržalka and Devín were also annexed, alleging ethnic reasons. Bratislava was declared the capital of the First Slovak Republic, on March 14, 1939, formally independent, but under German control. In 1941-1942 and 1944-1945, the new Slovak government in Bratislava expelled approximately 15,000 Jews, most of whom were sent to concentration camps. Bratislava was bombed by the Allies, occupied by German troops in 1944 and finally liberated by the Soviet Red Army on April 4, 1945. At the end of World War II, most of the Germans in Bratislava were evacuated by the German authorities, the few who returned after the war they were expelled by virtue of the so-called Beneš Decrees.

The Apollo Bridge and the neighborhood of Petržalka.

After the Communist Party seized power in Czechoslovakia in February 1948, the country became part of the Eastern Bloc. The city is listed in the new land annex, and the population increased considerably, becoming 90% of Slovakia. The large residential areas consisting of buildings with prefabricated panels, such as those in the municipality of Petržalka, were built. The communist government is responsible for several of the new emblematic constructions, such as the Nový Most bridge, which crosses the Danube, and the headquarters of Slovak Radio.

In 1968, after the reforms of Alexander Dubček and the period known as the Prague Spring, it was occupied by Warsaw Pact troops. Soon after, it became the capital of the Slovak Socialist Republic, one of the two states of the federalized Czechoslovakia. Bratislava's dissidents foresaw the fall of communism with the Bratislava candlelight rally in 1988, and the city became a major focus of the Velvet Revolution in 1989.

In 1993 Czechoslovakia was dissolved, and Bratislava became the capital of the Slovak Republic. In the 1990s and early 2000s XXI, the economy boomed due to foreign investment. The thriving city also hosted several cultural and political events, including the 2005 Summit between George W. Bush and Vladimir Putin, held in Slovakia.

Geography

Bratislava is the capital of Slovakia, it is located in the center of Europe and in the southwest of Slovakia. Its location next to the borders of Austria in the west and Hungary in the south makes it the only capital of a country in the world that borders two countries. It is only 62 kilometers from the border with the Czech Republic and only 60 kilometers from Vienna.

The city has a total area of 367.58 km², making it the second largest city in Slovakia by area (after the city of Vysoké Tatry). Bratislava is located on both sides of the Danube River, which crosses the city from the west to the southeast. The Middle Danube basin begins at the Devin Gate in the west. Other nearby rivers are the Morava River, which forms the north-western border of the city and flows into the Danube at Devín, and the Little Danube and Vydrica rivers, which flow into the Danube in the municipality of Karlova Ves. Some parts of Bratislava, in particular Devín and Devínska Nová Ves, are vulnerable to flooding. For this reason, new flood protections are being built on both banks.

The highest point in Bratislava, Devínska Kobyla, seen from Devin.

The Carpathian mountain range begins in the city in what is called the Little Carpathians (Malé Karpaty). The area includes the Bratislava Forest Park, which is very popular with the city's inhabitants and is part of the protected landscape area of the Little Carpathians. The city is the lowest point on the surface of the Danube, at 126 meters above mean sea level, and the highest point is Devínska Kobyla at 514 meters. The average altitude is 140 meters.

The nearest cities and towns are: to the north Stupava, Borinka and Svätý Jur; to the east Ivanka pri Dunaji and Most pri Bratislave; in the southeast Rovinka, Dunajská Lužná and Šamorín; to the south Rajka (Hungary), and to the west Kittsee (Austria), Hainburg an der Donau (Austria) and Marchegg (Austria).

Distances to some European cities

Bratislava is located: 62 km from Vienna; 196 km from Budapest; 289 km from Prague; 569 km from Belgrade; 769 km from Zurich; 1,265 km from Paris; 1,273 km from Amsterdam; 1,314 km from Rome; 1473 km from Istanbul; 1,000 miles from London; 1735 km from Stockholm; 1886 km from Athens; 2,104 km from Moscow and 2,261 km from Madrid.

Climate

Bratislava is in the temperate zone and has a continental climate with four seasons. With a marked variation between hot summers and cold, wet winters, the city is one of the hottest and driest in Slovakia. In recent years, the transition from summer to winter and from winter to summer has been rapid, with short periods of autumn and spring. Snow falls less frequently each year.

Average Bratislava climate parameters (1981–2010)
Month	Ene.	Feb.	Mar.	Open up.	May.	Jun.	Jul.	Ago.	Sep.	Oct.	Nov.	Dec.	Annual
Temp. max. abs. (°C)	19.8	19.1	25.0	30.3	33.4	36.3	38.2	39.3	34.0	30.0	21.3	17.9	39.3
Average temperature (°C)	2.7	5.1	10.3	16.7	21.8	24.9	27.5	27.0	21.7	15.6	8.2	3.3	15.4
Average temperature (°C)	−0.4	1.2	5.5	11.0	16.0	19.1	21.3	20.7	15.9	10.4	4.9	0.7	10.5
Temp. medium (°C)	−3.4	−2.3	1.3	5.4	10.2	13.4	15.4	15.0	11.0	5.3	1.8	−1.9	6.0
Temp. min. abs. (°C)	−24.6	−20.0	−15.1	−4.4	−2.0	3.0	7.0	5.0	-2.0	−8.0	−12.0	−20.0	−24.6
Total precipitation (mm)	39	37	38	34	55	57	53	59	55	38	54	46	565
Hours of sun	65.1	81.9	151.9	204.0	263.5	270.0	275.9	269.7	207.0	142.6	60.0	46.5	2038.1
Relative humidity (%)	83	78	71	64	67	66	64	65	73	78	83	85	73
Source No. 1:
Source No. 2:

Urban landscape and architecture

The city of Bratislava is characterized by medieval towers and grandiose buildings from the 20th century, but has undergone a profound transformation in an explosion of construction in the early 21st century century.

City

The Old Town Hall, seen from the Plaza de Armas.

Most of the historic buildings are located in the Old City. The Bratislava City Hall is a complex of three buildings built in the XIV to XV and currently houses the Bratislava City Museum. Michael's Gate (Michalská brána) is the only surviving gate from medieval fortifications, and is among the oldest buildings in the city; the narrowest house in Europe is in the area nearby. The University Library building, erected in 1756, was used by the Diet (Parliament) of the Kingdom of Hungary from 1802 to 1848. Much of the important legislation of the Hungarian Reform Era (such as the abolition of serfdom and the foundation of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences) was enacted there.

The historic center is characterized by numerous baroque palaces. The Grassalkovich Palace, built around 1760, is now the residence of the Slovak President, and the Slovak Government now has its seat in the former Archbishop's Palace. In 1805, diplomats under Emperors Napoleon and Francis I of Austria signed the Fourth Treaty of Peace of Pressburg in the Primacy Palace, after Napoleon's victory at the Battle of Austerlitz. Some smaller houses are historically significant, as composer Johann Nepomuk Hummel was born in a 18th-century house XVIII in the Old City.

Notable churches include St. Martin's Cathedral, built in the Gothic style during the 13th and XVI, which served as the coronation church of the monarchs of the Kingdom of Hungary between 1563 and 1830. The Franciscan Church, dating from the 13th century, it has been a place of ceremonies. It is the oldest sacred building in the city. The Church of Saint Elizabeth, better known as the Blue Church due to its colour, is built entirely in the Art Nouveau style.

The Grassalkovich Palace.

The restored underground (formerly at ground level) portion of the 19th century lowercase Jewish cemetery, where the rabbi is buried Moshe Sofer, is located at the base of the castle on the hill near the entrance to a tram tunnel. Bratislava's only military cemetery is Slavín, which was built in 1960 in honor of fallen Red Army soldiers. in the liberation of Bratislava from German troops. It offers an excellent view of the city and the Little Carpathians.

Other notable structures of the 20th century include the Nový Most (New Bridge), which spans the Danube and has a tower with a restaurant at its top from which a panoramic view of the city can be appreciated. Another is the headquarters of the Slovak Radio, in the shape of an inverted pyramid, and the unique design of the Kamzík TV Tower with an observation deck and a revolving restaurant. At the beginning of the 21st century, new buildings have transformed the traditional urban landscape. The construction boom has spawned new public buildings, such as the Most Apollo (Apollo Bridge) and a new building for the Slovak National Theatre, as well as property developers.

Bratislava Castle

The castle of Bratislava

Situated on a plateau 85m above the Danube, Bratislava Castle is one of the most prominent structures in the city. The hill on which the castle stands has been inhabited since the transition period between the Stone and Bronze Ages, and has also been the acropolis of a Celtic village, part of the Limes Romanus, a huge Slavic fortified settlement, and a political, military center. and religion of Great Moravia. The primitive stone castle was not built until the X century, when the area was part of the Kingdom of Hungary. In this castle Saint Elizabeth of Hungary spent her childhood and youth.

In 1430 it was converted into a Gothic fortress against the Hussites during the reign of Sigismund of Luxembourg. In 1562 it was transformed into a Renaissance castle and was remodeled in 1649 in the Baroque style. Thanks to Queen Maria Teresa, it became a prestigious royal seat. In 1811, the castle was destroyed through carelessness and lay in ruins until the 1950s, when it was mostly rebuilt in the style of Queen Maria Theresa.

Devín Castle

Devin Castle

The ruined and recently renovated Devín Castle stands in Devín, on top of a rock, where the Morava River, which forms the border between Austria and Slovakia, flows into the Danube. It is one of the most important Slovak archaeological sites and houses a museum dedicated to its history. Due to its strategic location, it was an important border castle for Great Moravia and the early Hungarian state. It was destroyed by Napoleon's troops in 1809. It is an important symbol of the history of Slovakia and the Slavs.

Russian

The Rusovce mansion, with its English park, is in the Rusovce municipality. It was originally built in the 17th century and was transformed between 1841 and 1844 in the English Gothic Revival style. The municipality is also known for the ruins of the Roman military camp of Gerulata, part of the Limes of the Roman Empire, a border defense system. Gerulata was built and used between the I and IV.

Parks and lakes

Sad Janka Krá in Petržalka.

Due to its location at the foot of the Little Carpathians and its riparian vegetation on the Danube floodplains, Bratislava has forests close to the city center. The total amount of public green space is 46.8 km², or 110 m² per inhabitant. The largest park in the city is Horský Park (literally, the park on the mountain), in the Old Town. The Bratislava Forest Park (Bratislavský lesný) is located in the Lesser Carpathians and includes many places popular with visitors, such as Železná studienka and Koliba. The forest park covers an area of 27.3 km², of which 96% is forest, and contains original European flora and fauna such as badgers, red foxes and mouflons. On the right bank of the Danube, in the neighborhood of Petržalka, the Janko Kráľ park was created in 1774-1776. A new park is planned for Petržalka between the Malý Draždiak and Veľký Draždiak lakes. The Bratislava Zoological Garden is located in Mlynská dolina, near the headquarters of Slovak Television. The zoo was founded in 1960 and currently houses 152 species of animals, including rare species such as the white lion and white tiger. The botanical garden, which belongs to the Comenius University, is located on the banks of the Danube and contains more than 120 domestic, foreign and exotic species.

The city has a number of natural and man-made lakes, most of which serve for recreation, for example Štrkovec in Ružinov, Kuchajda in Nové Mesto, Zlaté Piesky and Vajnory lakes in the northeast and the Rusovce in the south, which is popular with nudists.

Demographics

From the origin of the city until the 19th century, ethnic Germans were the dominant group despite belonging to the Kingdom of Hungary, under the House of Habsburg. However, after the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of 1867, a process of Magyarization took place with a significant increase in the Hungarian presence, and by the end of World War I Bratislava was a city with the same approximately number of German speakers than Hungarian speakers with Slovaks as the largest minority. Since the Czechoslovak Republic was formed in 1918, Bratislava remains a multi-ethnic city, but with a different demographic evolution. The proportion of Slovaks and Czechs increased, while that of Germans and Hungarians fell. In 1938, 59% of the population were Czech or Slovak, while Germans represented 22% and Hungarians 13% of the urban population. The creation of the First Slovak Republic in 1939 brought other changes, notably the expulsion of many Czechs and Jews. In 1945, at the end of World War II, most Germans were expelled or, after Czechoslovakia was restored, displaced from the city, along with Hungarians accused of collaboration with the Nazis. The city lost its multicultural character. Hundreds of citizens were expelled during the communist period in the 1950s, with the aim of replacing "reactionaries" by the proletarian class. Since the 1950s, Slovaks have been the dominant ethnic group in the city and currently make up about 90% of the city's population.

Petržalka neighbourhood housing block in Bratislava V district

According to the 2001 census, the city had 428,672 inhabitants (2005 estimate is 425,459). The average population density is 1,157 inhabitants/km². The most populous district is Bratislava V with 121,259 inhabitants, followed by Bratislava II with 108,139, Bratislava IV with 93,058, Bratislava III with 61,418 and Bratislava I with 44,798. The largest ethnic groups in 2001 were Slovaks with 391,767 inhabitants (91.37% of city population), followed by Hungarians with 16,541 (3.84%) and Czechs with 7,972 (1.86%). Other ethnic groups are Germans (1,200, 0.28%), Moravians (635, 0.15%), Croats (614, 0.14%), Russins (461, 0.11%)), Ukrainians (452, 0.11%), Roma (417, 0.08%) and Poles (339, 0.08%).

Historical population

Age

According to a 2005 estimate, the average age in the city was 38.7 years, distributed as follows: 51,783 inhabitants from 0 to 14 years old, representing 12.1%; 281,403 between 15 and 59 years old, with 65.6%, and 92,273 women over 55 years of age and men over 60 years of age, with 21.5%.

Religion

The 2001 census recorded 243,048 Latino Catholics (56.7%), 125,729 atheists (29.3%), 24,810 Lutherans (6%), 3,163 Greek Catholics (0.7%), 1,918 Calvinists, 1,827 Jehovah's Witnesses, 1,616 followers of the Orthodox Church, 737 Methodist Protestants, 748 Jews, and 613 Baptists.

Government

Bratislava is the seat of the Slovak parliament, the Presidency, ministries, supreme court, and the central bank. It is the seat of the Bratislava Region and, since 2002, also of the Bratislava Autonomous Region. The city also has many foreign embassies and consulates.

Primatial Palace, the headquarters of the mayor of the city.

The current local government (Mestská samospráva) has been in place since 1990. It consists of a mayor (primátor), a city board (Mestská rada), a municipal council (Mestské zastupiteľstvo), city commissions (Komisie mestského zastupiteľstva), and an office of the magistrate of the city (Magistrat).

The mayor, based in the Primacial Palace, is the city's highest-ranking official executive, elected for a four-year term. The current mayor of Bratislava is Ďurkovský Andrej, who won the elections in 2006 as a candidate for the KDH-SDKÚ coalition and is serving his second term. The city council is the legislative body of the city, responsible for issues such as budget, local ordinances, urban planning, road maintenance, education and culture. The Council normally meets once a month and is made up of 80 members elected for four-year terms coinciding with the mayoralty. Many of the council's executive functions are carried out by the city's governing board commission. The city commission is a 28-member body made up of the mayor and his deputies, ward mayors, and even a maximum of ten city council members. The council is an executive and control body of the city and also has an advisory function to the mayor.

View of Bratislava.

Bratislava is divided into:

• 5 districts:
  • Bratislava I (center)
  • Bratislava II (East and Southeast)
  • Bratislava III (north and northeast)
  • Bratislava IV (west)
  • Bratislava V (left margin and south)
• 17 neighborhoods
• 20 "castrol areas"that match the neighborhoods, except:
  • Nové Mesto, who subdivides in Nové Mesto + Vinohrady, and
  • Ružinov, who subdivides in Ružinov + Nivy + Trnávka.

Administrative and territorial division of Bratislava
Districts	Barrios	Localities
Bratislava I	Staré Mesto
Bratislava II	Ružinov	Nivy, Pošeň, Prievoz, Ostredky, Travniky, Štrkovec, Vlčie hrdlo, Trnávka
	Vrakuňa	Dolné hony
	Podunajské Biskupice	Dolné hony, Ketelec, Lieskovec, Medzi jarkami
Bratislava III	Nové Mesto	Ahoj, Jurajov dvor, Koliba, Kramáre, Mierova kolonia, Pasienky/Kuchajda, Vinohrady
	Rača	Krasňany, Rača, Východné
	Vajnory
Bratislava IV	Karlova Ves	Dlhé diely, Kútiky, Mlynská dolina, Rovnice
	Dúbravka	Podvornice, Záluhy, Krčace
	Lamač	Podháj, Rázsochy
	Devin
	Devinska Nová See	Devínske Jazero, Kostolné, Paulinské, Podhorské, Stred, Vápenka
	Záhorská Bystrica
Bratislava V	Petržalka	Dvory, Háje, Janíkov dvor, Lúky, Ovsište, Kopčany, Zrkadlový haj, Kapitulský dvor, Starý haj
	Jarovce
	Rusovce
	Čunovo

Economy

Rascacielos in Nivy, one of Bratislava's leading financial districts.

The Bratislava Region is the most economically rich and prosperous region of Slovakia, despite being the smallest region and having the second smallest population center of the eight regions that make up Slovakia. It accounts for 26% of Slovak GDP. GDP per capita, worth €33,124 (2005), accounts for 147.9% of the European Union (EU) average and is the second highest level (after Prague) from all regions of the new EU Member States.

In December 2007 the unemployment rate was 1.83%. Many government institutions and private companies have their headquarters in Bratislava. More than 75% of Bratislava's population works in the service sector, mainly made up of trade, banking, IT, telecommunications and tourism. The Bratislava Stock Exchange (BSSE), the organizer of the public stock market, was founded on March 15, 1991.

Since 1991, the automaker Volkswagen has had a factory in Bratislava, which has expanded. Currently, its production is focused on SUVs, which account for 68% of all production. The VW Touareg is produced in Bratislava, the Porsche Cayenne and the Audi Q7 are partly built there.

In recent years, many international companies such as IBM, Dell, Lenovo, AT&T, SAP, and Accenture have built service centers in the city or are planning to do so soon. Reasons for companies to enter Multinationals include proximity to Western Europe, skilled labor, and high density of universities and research centers.

Other large companies and entrepreneurs based in Bratislava include Slovak Telekom, Orange Slovensko, Slovenská sporiteľňa, Tatra banka, Doprastav, Hewlett-Packard Slovakia, Slovnaft, Henkel Slovensko, Slovenský plynárenský priemysel, Kraft Foods Slovakia, Whirlpool Slovakia, Slovakia republiky, and Tesco Stores Slovak Republic.

The strong growth of the Slovak economy in 2000 has led to a boom in the construction industry, and several major projects have been completed or are planned in Bratislava. Areas attracting developers include the Danube banks, where two large projects are already under construction: River Park in the old town, and Eurovea near the Apollo Bridge. Other places under development are the areas around the main train and bus stations, around the old industrial zone near the old town and in the village of Petržalka, Nové Mesto and Ružinov. Investors are expected to spend €1.2 million on new projects by 2010. The city has a balanced budget of nearly six million Slovak crowns (€182 million, as of 2007), with a fifth intended for investment. Bratislava owns shares in 17 companies directly, for example in the public transport company (Dopravný podnik Bratislava), the waste collection and disposal company, and the water utility. manages municipal organizations such as the City Police (Mestská polícia), Bratislava City Museums and Bratislava Zoological Garden.

Culture

Statue of Man Working, one of the most popular sculptures of Bratislava.

Bratislava is the historical and cultural center of Slovakia. Due to its multicultural character, the local culture is influenced by various ethnic groups, including Germans, Slovaks, Hungarians, and Jews. Bratislava has many theatres, museums, galleries, concert halls, cinemas, film clubs, and cultural institutions.

Old building of the Slovak National Theatre at Hviezdoslav Square.

Performing Arts

Bratislava is home to the Slovak National Theatre, housed in two buildings. The first is a Neo-Renaissance building located in the old town at the end of Hviezdoslav Square. The new building, open to the public since 2007, is on the waterfront. The building has three ensembles: the opera, the ballet, and the theater. Smaller theaters include the Bratislava Puppet Theatre, the Astorka Korzo'90 theater, the Arena Theatre, L+S Studio and the Radošina Naive Theater.

Music in Bratislava flourished in the 18th century and is closely linked to Viennese musical life. Mozart visited the city at the age of six. Other notable composers who visited the city include Haydn, Liszt, Bartók, and Beethoven, who performed his Missa Solemnis for the first time in Bratislava. It is also the birthplace of composer Johann Nepomuk Hummel. Bratislava is the home of the Slovak Philharmonic Orchestra. The city hosts several annual festivals, such as the Bratislava Music Festival and Bratislava Jazz Days. The Wilsonic Festival has been held every year since 2000, bringing dozens of international musical acts to the city each year. During the summer, various musical events take place as part of the Bratislava Cultural Summer. Apart from the music festivals, one can listen to music ranging from the underground to well-known pop stars. Composers who were born in Bratislava include Johann Nepomuk Hummel, Vladimír Godár and Peter Machajdik.

Museums and Galleries

The style marked "House of the Good Shepherd", which houses the Museum of Watches.

The Slovak National Museum (Slovenské národné múzeum), founded in 1961, is located in Bratislava, on the waterfront in the Old Town, together with the Museum of Natural History, which is one of its subdivisions. It is the largest museum and cultural institution in Slovakia. The museum manages 16 specialized museums in Bratislava and beyond. The Bratislava City Museum (Múzeum mesta Bratislavy), established in 1868, is the oldest museum in continuous operation in Slovakia. The main objective is the chronicle of the history of Bratislava in various forms from the first periods of use of the historical and archaeological collections. It offers permanent exhibitions in eight specialized museums.

The Slovak National Gallery, founded in 1948, offers the widest network of galleries in Slovakia. Two screens in Bratislava stand next to each other at the Esterházy Palace (Esterházyho palác) and the Water Barracks (Vodné kasárne) on the Danube on the bank of the old City. The Bratislava City Gallery, founded in 1961, is Slovakia's second largest gallery of its kind. The gallery offers permanent exhibitions in the Pálffy Palace (Pálffyho palác) and Mirbach Palace (Mirbachov palác), in the Old Town. Danubiana Art Museum, one of the youngest art museums in Europe, it is close to Čunovo water.

Media

Rozhlas building to Slovenska televizia ("Radio y televisión de Slovakia")

As the national capital, Bratislava is home to many national and local media outlets. Notable television stations based in the city include Slovak Television (Slovenská televízia), Markíza, JOJ and TA3. Slovak Radio (Slovenský rozhlas) has its headquarters in the center, and many Slovak commercial radio stations are domiciled in the city. National newspapers based in Bratislava include SMEs, Pravda, Nový hora, Hospodárske noviny and the English-language daily The Slovak Spectator, as well as news agencies: the News Agency of the Slovak Republic (TASR) and the Agency for Slovak News (SITA).

Sports

Stadium Tehelné pole in Nové Mesto, home of the football club Slovan Bratislava.

Football is currently represented by two clubs that play in the soccer Super League, the Corgoň Liga. Slovan Bratislava, founded in 1919, is based in the Tehelné pole stadium, is the most successful club in the country (8 titles) and is the only club from the former Czechoslovakia and current Slovakia to have a European title in its showcases, the European Cup Winners' Cup in 1969. FC Artmedia Bratislava founded in 1898 is the oldest club in Bratislava and is based at Štadión Petržalka in Petržalka. Another well-known club in the city is FK Inter Bratislava, founded in 1945, it is based at the Štadión Pasienky ground and currently plays in the Slovak Second Division.

Bratislava is home to three winter sports forums: Ondrej Nepela Winter Sports Stadium, V. Dzurilla Winter Sports Stadium, and Dúbravka Winter Sports Stadium. The HC Slovan Bratislava ice hockey team represents Bratislava in Slovakia's top ice hockey league, the Slovak Extraliga. Samsung Arena, a part of Ondrej Nepela Winter Sports Stadium, is the home of HC Slovan. The Ice Hockey World Championships in 1959 and 1992 were held in Bratislava, and the 2011 men's championship will also be held in Bratislava, and Košice, a new venue being planned.

The Čunovo Water Sports Center is a white slalom and rafting course, in the immediate vicinity of the Gabčíkovo dam. The Center hosts several annual national and international canoe and kayak competitions.

The National Tennis Center, which includes the Sibamac Arena, hosts various cultural and sports activities and social events. Several Davis Cup matches have been played there, including the 2005 Davis Cup final. The city is represented at the top of Slovakia in the men's and women's basketball, women's handball and volleyball, and men's water polo leagues. The Bratislava Devín National Run is the oldest sporting event in Slovakia, the Bratislava Marathon and the marathon has been held annually since 2006. A track is located in Petržalka, where horse and dog races are regularly held.

Tourism

Prešporáčik tourist train in the old town.

As of 2006, there were 77 commercial accommodation facilities in Bratislava (of which 45 were hotels), with a total capacity of 9,940 beds. Approximately a total of 686,201 overnight visitors stayed in the city, of whom 454,870 were foreigners. However, a considerable part of the visits is made by those who visit Bratislava for a single day, mostly from Budapest or Vienna, so their exact number is not known. In total, visitors made 1,338,497 overnight stays. Most foreign visitors come from the Czech Republic, Germany, the United Kingdom, Italy, Poland, Spain and Austria.

Plaza Hlavné Námestié

Tourism in Bratislava has experienced great growth in recent years, among other factors, due to the increase in air transport by low-cost airlines, mainly from the United Kingdom, Italy and Spain by Ryanair. While they are a boon to the city's tourism industry, cultural differences and vandalism have raised concerns among local officials.

Education and science

Comenius University building in the center of Bratislava.

The first university in Bratislava, and also in the territory of present-day Slovakia, was the Universitas Istropolitana, founded in 1465 by King Matthias Corvino. It was closed in 1490 after his death.

Bratislava is home to the country's largest university (Comenius University, 27,771 students), largest technical university (Slovak University of Technology, 18,473 students), and oldest art schools (Slovak Academy of Performing Arts and the Academy of Fine Arts and Design) of Slovakia. Other tertiary educational institutions are the public in Bratislava University of Economics and Technical College and the first private university in the Czech Republic, Seattle City University. In total, around 56,000 students attend the university in Bratislava.

There are 65 public elementary schools, nine private elementary schools, and ten elementary schools. In total, 25,821 students enroll. The city's secondary education system (some middle schools and all high schools) consists of 39 gymnasiums with 16,048 students, 37 specialized high schools with 10,373 students, and 27 vocational schools with 8,863 students (according to data from 2007).

The Slovak Academy of Sciences is also based in Bratislava. However, the city is one of the few European capitals that has neither an observatory nor a planetarium. The nearest observatory is in Modra, 30 kilometers away, and the nearest planetarium is in Hlohovec, 70 kilometers away. CEPIT, the Europa Central Park For Innovative Technologies, is scheduled for development in Vajnory. This science and technology park combines public and private research and educational institutions. Construction is scheduled to start in 2008.

Transportation

Bratislava's geographical position in central Europe has made the city a natural crossroads for international trade. Ancient trade routes, such as the Amber Route and the Danube Waterway, have crossed the territory of present-day Bratislava, which today is a road, rail, air and river hub.

Roads

Autopista D1-Petržalka in Bratislava.

The D1 motorway connects Bratislava with Trnava, Nitra, Trenčín, Žilina, while the D2 motorway, in the north-south direction, links it with Prague, Brno and Budapest. It is planned to build the D4 motorway (outer ring road), which would relieve pressure on the city's road network.

The A6 motorway to Vienna connects Slovakia directly to the Austrian motorway system and was opened on November 19, 2007.

Currently, there are five bridges over the Danube (in order of river flow): Lafranconi Bridge, Nový Most, Starý Most, Most Apollo and Prístavný Most.

There are about 200,000 registered cars in Bratislava, which is about 2 inhabitants per car.

Railway

Central Station of FF.CC., Bratislava.

The first horse-drawn railway in the whole of the Kingdom of Hungary was built in 1840, connecting it to Svätý Jur and then extending to Trnava and Sereď in 1846 (the track was converted for steam trains in the 1990s 1870). Steam traction was introduced in 1848 with a link to Vienna and in 1850 with a link to Budapest.

Today, Bratislava is a railway hub, with six railway lines (to Břeclav, Trnava, Galanta, Komárno, Hegyeshalom and Parndorf). The main train station is located on the edge of the old town, with lines connecting via Košice to northern Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Austria, Hungary and southern Slovakia. Notable is the Bratislava-Petržalka railway station, which connects Bratislava with Austria. There are also suburban stations: Devínske Jazero, Devínska Nová Ves, Lamač, Železná studienka, Vinohrady, Rača, Východ, Vajnory, Predmestie, Rusovce, Nové Mesto, Podunajské Biskupice, ÚNS and the canceled stations: Devínska Nová Ves zastávka, Filiálka, Slovany, Nivy, Vrakuňa, Kopčany, Jarovce, Čunovo and Petržalka-Most.

Air traffic

Bratislava Airport.

Modern tram in Bratislava.

Milan Rastislav Štefánik Airport is named after General Milan Rastislav Štefánik. Also called Bratislava Airport (Bratislava Letisko), it is the main international airport of Slovakia. It is located 9 kilometers northeast of the city. It is used for both domestic and international flights. The airport has experienced rapid growth in passenger traffic in recent years, rising from 279,028 passengers in 2000, to 1,937,642 in 2006 and 2,024,142 in 2007.

Fluvial traffic

The port of Bratislava is one of two international river ports in Slovakia. The port connects Bratislava with international river traffic, especially the interconnection from the North Sea to the Black Sea through the Rhine-Main-Danube canal. In addition, the tourist lines that operate in the port of Bratislava, include routes to Devín, Vienna and other places.

Public transport

Public transportation in Bratislava is managed by Dopravný podnik Bratislava, the city's public transportation company. The transport system is known as Mestská hromadná doprava (MHD, "Municipal Mass Transit). The history of public transport in Bratislava began in 1895, with the opening of the first tram line.

The system uses three main types of vehicles. The buses cover almost the entire city and circulate to the most remote places, districts and areas, with 66 day lines and 20 night lines. The trams run on 13 lines (metric gauge, the length of the network is 39.6 km). Trolleybuses serve as a complement to the means of transport, with 14 lines. An additional service is the Bratislava Integrated Transport (Bratislavská integrovaná doprava), which links train and bus routes in the city with the farthest points.

Twinned cities

Bratislava is twinned with: