Bratislava is only a two-hour train ride away from its Hungarian counterpart. It is frequently mentioned as a capital city that retains small-town intimacy and is reasonably off the beaten path to be somewhat of a hidden gem, so I incorporated a full-day trip to the Slovak capital into my Budapest-centric itinerary.
The historic center of Bratislava, encompassing most of the points of interest in town, is pretty compact and largely pedestrianized. On a late-November Saturday, the main square was predictably taken over by a Christmas market, forcing me to shoot primarily over-the-head perspectives.
The square is watched over by the tower of the Old Town Hall and the Maximilian Fountain, built by the Hungarian King of that name as a public water supply in the late 16th century.
On the opposite side of the square, this Art Deco building stands out in contrast with the mix of Baroque and Neoclassical styles.
The theme of pointing my camera to the upper parts of surrounding buildings continued on all major squares. Good thing that there are plenty of attractive features to find.
The imposing Bratislava Castle oversees the town from the highest point of local topography.
The castle was one of my targets to explore, and in its courtyard, I was unexpectedly greeted with a delightful medieval fair.
Here is a sampling of various craftsmen and their wares.
The interior of the Bratislava Castle is not too rich in highlights, aside from this central staircase.
A rare selfie – the only type I am keen on.
The castle houses the Museum of History, which offers a range of limited collections of art and historical artifacts.
My favorite collection was the special exhibition of the works of the 20th-century naïve artist Martin Jonaš.
I love bright colors and distinctive styles!
We are now standing on the terrace by the castle. The eastward view combines the roofline of the historic old city with the high-rises of the business district in the distance. The steeple of St Martin’s Cathedral is the commanding feature in the foreground, while the Old Town Hall tower can be seen on the left of the frame.
Turning ninety degrees at the same spot, we get a view of the Danube.
The tower straddling the bridge its called the UFO Tower – that seems to be the formal name. The observation deck at the top did not survive the itinerary cut for my limited time in town.
A grand church will always survive such a cut. The 13th-century well-maintained and restored St Martin Cathedral did not disappoint, offering a surprising number of superb features.
Among the most delightful decorations are the carved animals on the choir stalls.
One other designated target for exploration was the Mirbach Palace, an 18th-century Rococo standout housing one of the branches of the Bratislava City Gallery.
The main attraction here is the Graphics Cabinets, numbering nearly 300 panels depicting various pastoral, allegorical, historical, mythological, and biblical themes.
Heating stoves are another highlight in an otherwise empty mansion.
Inexplicably, the rooms of the palace exhibited a pretty strong smell that could have been of decay or could have been of an unknown-to-me chemical. I don’t really understand how the place remained open. The attendant in charge of the rooms must have lost all sense of smell long ago, but I could only remain inside for less than 10 minutes. Quite unfortunate that it may end up as one of the strongest memories of my time in Bratislava.
Let’s try to compensate for that with pretty corners found all around the historic center. As crowds tended to congregate at markets in the main public spaces, there were much fewer people just a block or two away (although I did remove some of the stray passersby from these shots).
National Theater buildings – or Opera Houses – are almost always among the most impressive landmarks in any city. Bratislava is no exception.
The exquisite doors of the Franciscan Monastery deserve a special mention.
There are plenty of interesting statuary in Bratislava. The most popular and whimsical one is this sewer worker in a manhole, called Čumil.
The Neolog Synagogue Memorial marks the place of the temple that existed between 1893 and 1969, surviving World War II only to be demolished for the construction of the adjacent bridge over the Danube. I first thought that it was a Holocaust Memorial since the words in Slovak and Hebrew say “Remember!”
Another popular statue, in the gardens separating the castle district from the historic town below, is called The Witch.
The equestrian statue of the 9th-century king of Great Moravia Svätopluk I stands in front of the castle. In his reign, Moravia achieved its greatest might in history, extending over parts of modern Czechia, Slovakia, Hungary, and Poland. He was once addressed by the Pope as “the King of the Slavs” and has been portrayed in some literary works as “the King of Slovaks”.
Unexpectedly, Hans-Christian Andersen has his own statue in town. His connection to Slovakia is only in that he once visited Bratislava, and the statue was unveiled in 2006 precisely to commemorate the 165th anniversary of that visit.
This monument celebrates Schöne Náci, a fixture on the streets of Bratislava in the first half of the 20th century. He walked around in an elegant evening dress and top hat, smiling at people and greeting ladies reverently.
There are also modern or abstract pieces here or there.
And I love noticing artistic decorations in shop and restaurant exteriors.
A few perspectives from the platform at the top of Michael’s Gate tower. The first is towards the main square – Old Town Hall should be a recognizable landmark by now.
The view towards St Martin Cathedral with the UFO Tower in the distance.
And a perspective towards the castle.
After the fall of darkness, you can’t help but look up towards the castle at every opportunity.
And the theater is simply resplendent at night.
In the end, I liked Bratislava well enough and felt that I managed to explore it to a reasonable degree. I cannot describe it in superlatives, but it is certainly a fine and pleasant town that could warrant a closer and deeper look given an opportunity in the future.
With that, the sets from the Hungary/Slovakia trip from last November are complete.
But don’t despair – I expect a steady stream of material, both from the past and the future planned trips, to sustain these narratives in the months to come.
This article is also featured on GPSmyCity. To download this article for offline reading or create a self-guided walking tour to visit the attractions highlighted in this article, go to Walking Tours and Articles in Bratislava.