Bratislava: Capital of Slovakia
The only capital that borders two countries. Coronation city of Hungarian kings, then half of Czechoslovakia — now Slovakia's capital on the Danube, an hour from Vienna.
Bratislava Castle and the Danube
Public domain (Wikimedia Commons)
| Population | 475,000 (city) |
| River | Danube |
| Language | Slovak |
| Hungarian capital | 1536–1783 (as Pressburg / Pozsony) |
| Independent capital | 1993 (Velvet Divorce) |
| Currency | Euro (since 2009) |
History
Pressburg: a royal Hungarian city
People have lived at the Danube crossing here since Celtic and Roman times, but Bratislava's golden age began in 1536. After the Ottomans captured Buda, the Kingdom of Hungary moved its capital to the city then known as Pressburg (German) or Pozsony (Hungarian). For nearly 250 years it was the coronation city of Hungarian kings and queens — eleven of them were crowned in St Martin's Cathedral, including Maria Theresa in 1741.
From Pozsony to Bratislava
The Slovak name Bratislava was officially adopted only in 1919, after the collapse of Austria-Hungary made the city part of the new state of Czechoslovakia. For most of the 20th century it was the second city of Czechoslovakia and the centre of Slovak political life.
The Velvet Divorce
On 1 January 1993, Czechoslovakia split peacefully into two countries — an event so amicable it became known as the Velvet Divorce. Bratislava became the capital of independent Slovakia, which joined the European Union in 2004 and the Eurozone in 2009.
Landmarks
Bratislava Castle
Bratislava Castle (Bratislavský hrad) — a white rectangular fortress with four corner towers, often compared to an upturned table — crowns the hill above the Danube. Gutted by fire in 1811 and left a ruin for over a century, it was rebuilt in the 20th century and now houses part of the Slovak National Museum.
The Old Town and the UFO Bridge
Bratislava's compact, pedestrian Old Town is full of Baroque palaces, narrow lanes, and quirky bronze statues — the most famous being Čumil, a worker peering out of a manhole. Spanning the Danube is the Most SNP, whose single pylon is topped by a flying-saucer-shaped restaurant and observation deck — locally nicknamed the UFO.
Fast Facts
- Bratislava is the only national capital that borders two countries — Austria and Hungary
- It and Vienna are the two closest capitals in Europe — about 60 km apart
- A six-year-old Mozart performed here in 1762
- Composer Johann Nepomuk Hummel was born in the city in 1778
- You can travel from Vienna to Bratislava by boat along the Danube in about 75 minutes