Bratislava Revisted 2012

Local Brews in Bratislava

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Mestiansky Pivovar, Bratislava Photo - Bratislava, Slovakia

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When it comes to beer, the Czechs are quite rightly proud of their brews which are sold and enjoyed all over the world; brands such as Pilsener Urquell and Staropramen are not unusual or exotic, they can be found in pubs and bars across Europe and beyond. You would be forgiven for thinking that the Slovaks don’t share this brewing tradition but nothing is further from the truth; Slovakia may not have any of the really big international brands but there are lots of smaller domestic brands and, better still, loads of good microbreweries.Some tour agencies offer trips to the large brewery just out of town, but if it’s the local microbreweries you want to visit, you need to get yourself a city...Read More

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Slavin Monument

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Attraction | "Remembering the Soviet Liberators at the Slavin Monument"

The Slavin Monument Photo - Slavin Monument, Bratislava, Slovakia

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The Maly Carpaty – the little Carpathians – tumble into the Slovak capital, Bratislava, from the north; these hills are studded with three very recognisable landmarks: Bratislava’s white Baroque castle; the television tower; and the Slavin Monument. The latter is a memorial to the Soviet soldiers that fell in the liberation of the city (and the country more generally) at the end of World War Two. The television tower is some distance out and requires at least a half day to make the trip worthwhile, and while the castle and the Slavin monument are both accessible on foot from the city centre, the views from the memorial are much better than those from the castle. If you’re in Bratislava for...Read More

The Maly Carpaty – the little Carpathians – tumble into the Slovak capital, Bratislava, from the north; these hills are studded with three very recognisable landmarks: Bratislava’s white Baroque castle; the television tower; and the Slavin Monument. The latter is a memorial to the Soviet soldiers that fell in the liberation of the city (and the country more generally) at the end of World War Two. The television tower is some distance out and requires at least a half day to make the trip worthwhile, and while the castle and the Slavin monument are both accessible on foot from the city centre, the views from the memorial are much better than those from the castle.

If you’re in Bratislava for more than a weekend, or you’re making a return visit, you may wish to see a bit more of the city than the obvious sights down in the Old Town and the Slavin monument is something I’d certainly recommend visiting not just because it’s a striking piece of architectural in a great setting, but because the getting there through one of the city’s most pleasant districts is part of the experience. The half hour stroll through the embassy district with its splendid residences – some old and characterful, others very modern with massive panoramic windows designed to take full advantage of the elevated position – is time well spent, especially on a sunny day.

Be warned, however, there are lots of steps and a fairly steep incline to manage: public transport does not come very close to the monument so if you’re not driving and you don’t want to walk, your alternative is a private guide, or a taxi. Some tours may include a visit to the Slavin Monument so do check at the Tourist Information Office if you prefer not to walk. For ease take a tram to the main train station and make your way from there. A convenient footbridge takes you over the busy main road and from there you can either rely on a city plan, or look up and use your common sense: most of the time you’ll be able to see the top of the monument and this will be your guide.

The monument comprises a square base in which is housed a ceremonial hall and mausoleum, topped with a 35 metre high obelisk, which is in turn topped with a sculpture (by Alexander Trizuljak )of the figure of a Soviet soldier planting a billowing flag into the ground. A colonnade frames the central building, not going to the edges but forming a covered walkway around the outside. It was designed in the Stalinist style by Jan Svetlik; the shape reminds me of the Palace of Culture and Science in Warsaw, and another building I saw in Chisinau, Moldova, the name of which escapes me now. Steps on each side lead up to the monument and visitors are able to walk right up to the doors; although the grounds are patrolled regularly, there are no guards based at the site. The interior can be viewed but this is during organised tours only and it was not open when we visited.

The monument was built between 1957 and 1960 and officially opened in 1960 on the date of the 15th anniversary of the city’s liberation. In 1961 it was designated a ‘National Monument’. Statesmen and women from around the world have attended ceremonies of remembrance at the Slavin monument, most notably the occasion in 2005 when George Bush Jnr and Vladimir Putin attended at the same time.

A frieze around the outer walls of the building depict scenes of the liberation and plaques list the cities liberated by the Soviet troops in 1944-45. The familiar red star appears on each side too; and inscriptions are in Cyrillic text. It seems, perhaps, ironic today that this monument is still an important one to Slovakians. Few people admit to speaking Russian and the idea that Slovakia was ‘liberated’ is a relative one given what was to happen three years after the Soviet troops entered the city and defeated the German Wehrmacht and those Slovak troops supporting the fascist government.

Every year on April 4th a ceremony is held here to commemorate the liberation of Bratislava. As well as the monument, there is a military cemetery where over 6,000 soldiers are buried, almost 300 in individually marked graves, the rest in 6 mass graves. The lawns here are beautifully kept, manicured in fact and when we visited the only sound that could be heard was the intermittent buzz of the sprinklers as they watered the lawns. At the southern edge of the complex a wide wall forms the perimeter and makes a good place to sit and look out over the city, or from which to contemplate the memorial. On the corners of the cemetery a series of statues with typically Soviet themes flank the gravelled footpaths.

A Peace Garden stands on the other side of some privet hedging; it was opened at the insistence of Alexander Dubcek, the leader of Czechoslovakia at the time of the Prague Spring (in 1968) when Soviet tanks were brought in to quell an uprising by those who wanted an end to communist rule.

If you visit Bratislava and have only a day to explore then you’ll have more than enough to see in the Old Town but if you are staying longer and want to get out of the centre, then a walk to the Slavin Monument is a great way to escape the crowds and get a different perspective. The walk through the embassy district is an added bonus and you get to see a part of the city you might not otherwise experience. Altogether it’s an experience I highly recommend.

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Member Rating 4 out of 5 on January 2, 2013

Slavin Monument

Bratislava, Slovakia

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Exploring Bratislava Old Town

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Bratislava Old Town Photo - Bratislava, Slovakia

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People often talk of Bratislava’s Old Town as being compact but actually it’s rather sprawling with a dual carriageway (which becomes the famous Novy Most) cutting between the medieval core and Bratislava Castle, and the Presidential Palace almost stuck on a little island between the main shopping street and the train station. I’ve even heard of the Slavin Monument being described as being in the Old Town though having walked there from the train station and through the leafy residential district that leads to the monument, it somehow seems too far out (and a bit too new). In this review I've opted to write only about the core section of the Old Town, and not to include the castle which deserves a rev...Read More

People often talk of Bratislava’s Old Town as being compact but actually it’s rather sprawling with a dual carriageway (which becomes the famous Novy Most) cutting between the medieval core and Bratislava Castle, and the Presidential Palace almost stuck on a little island between the main shopping street and the train station. I’ve even heard of the Slavin Monument being described as being in the Old Town though having walked there from the train station and through the leafy residential district that leads to the monument, it somehow seems too far out (and a bit too new). In this review I've opted to write only about the core section of the Old Town, and not to include the castle which deserves a review in its own right.

Those visitors who are short of time can easily see the chief sights of Bratislava in a day but you do need at least two if you want to take in a couple of museums or galleries too. It’s perfectly possible to tour the lower part of the Old Town in the morning and the castle in the afternoon, breaking for a good lunch and stopping for a mid-morning or afternoon coffee at one of the cafes on the main square. For those who prefer, there are plenty of walking tours available and these can be booked through the tourist information centre or through your hotel. The lower section of the Old Town is most flat though there are some slight inclines and a few cobbled areas, but there is a moderately steep walk up to the castle and beyond that to the Slavin Monument. The lower section of the Old Town is predominantly traffic free which makes for pleasant strolling and a handy footbridge over the very busy road that separates the Old Town from the castle keeps you safe and cuts a good ten or fifteen minutes off a walk to the castle.

The wonderful Gothic St. Martin’s Cathedral is a good place to start a tour. You'll find it right beside the road leading onto the Novy Most and it's easy to spot because of its 85 metre tall tower which is capped with a replica of the Hungarian royal crown; this serves as a reminder that this cathedral was the scene of the coronation of eleven Hungarian kings and eight queens between 1563 and 1830. You can go into the cathedral but there is an admission charge and there are strict hours for tourists; depending on your budget and how much time you have available, this may influence your decision on whether to view the interior or not, however, the exterior is interesting in its own right anyway (though I can vouch for the fact that the stained glass windows are better appreciated from inside). If you do go in, be sure to take a look at the presbytery which has the most fabulously complex vaulted ceiling.

The streets to the north of the cathedral, between here and St. Michael's Gate, make up my favourite part of the old town. These streets are quiet and don't contain any of the city's famous buildings, in fact many of them are either semi derelict or undergoing restoration work. Many of the offices of the Archdiocese can be found in these streets and you'll often see trainee priests dashing to classes at the seminary. There are several music schools and private teachers based in the old town and I love to hear the musicians playing through the open windows.

Dating from the first half of the fourteenth century, St. Michael's Gate is the only remaining gate from Bratislava's medieval fortifications. The 51 metre tower holds the Museum of Arms & City Fortifications over its six floors. I've heard that the view from the tower is excellent but I can't comment personally as the content of the museum has neer persuaded me to go in.

Hlavne namestie is Bratislava's main square; it's on a more personal scale than its equivalents in other central European cities and, unusually, the buildings along the sides aof the square are not the grandest in the city. This place was formerly the site of the old city market and yard sticks and a butcher's knife can be seen by the entrance to the Old Town Hall. There's a fountain in the middle of the square which is named the Maximilian Fountain because it was commissioned by Maximilian II in the 1580s after a huge fire had swept through this part of the city. The sculpture on the fountain depicts Maximilian as the knight Roland and legend has it that on New Years Eve Roland will turn around. So far I don't believe that anyone has seen this happen and not only because it is also said that this will only happen if there's a sober, Bratislava born virgin there too.

It is actually Hviezdoslavono namestie which is the city's most impressive square. It used to be the city's moat but that was filled in on the orders of Marie Theresa when the city walls were demolished in order to make space for grand new projects. This is the place to see and be seen, with restaurants and pavement cafes along the sides. In the winter there's a free ice rink in the middle of the square, in the summer an over-sized chess board. The magnificent National Theatre is at one end of the square; the first time we visited Bratislava the ballet company was performing a premiere and we went up to the doors where we pushed our noses up at the window to have a look inside at the sparling chandeliers and the men and women of the audience in their finery. Opposite the American embassy on Hviezdoslavono namestie there's a statue of Hans Christian Anderson; he visited Bratislava in the 1840s and declared it to be a fairytale of a city.

The squares are lovely places to sit out on sunny days but you will pay a lot more for a drink there than you would on one of the side streets. My advice would be to go a little further for lunch as you can get a good set meal in the newer part of town for a reasonable price, and save the old town squares for drinks.

The Old Town Hall (Stara radnica) which stands at one end of Hlavne namestie is a building I like very much because of the mix of architectural styles; that's because bits have been added over five centuries. This building is the home of the City Museum: it's your typical history museum with archaeological exhibits, old coins, arms and armour, and all those things you find in any museum like this in Europe.

The art museum in the Palffy Palace is more to my liking and it contains pieces from the National Gallery of Bratislava on a rotational basis.Part of this lovely building houses the Austrian embassy and a plaque commemorates the concert that Mozart played here in 1762 at the tender age of six. The main art collection of Bratislava is housed in the Mirbach Palace, a building I love for its rococo facade. The paintings I am not so keen on, at least not in such concentration, because this collection consists almost entirely of Baroque paintings from the 17th and 18th centuries. Personally, unless the paintings are by an artist I'm really interested in, I prefer to visit somewhere with a bit more variety.

It might sound like I'm being a bit negative about this part of Bratislava but actually I like the area very much. It's the so-called attractions that don't do that much for me. I'm interested in history but I find the museums here rather heavy and uninspiring. I much prefer to wander around the little lanes, nosing in the courtyards and spotting the quirky little features that make the old town so special. These could be old signs over archways, pretty courtyards or fun statues; one of my favorites is the statue of Ignac Lamar holding out his top hat: apparently he was a Bratislava dandy who denied his only true love and spent his days wandering round the city giving flowers to women and sweets to children until his death in 1967. Alas, a couple of years ago his statue was vandalised by a British stag group but has since been repaired.

Bratislava is a great city and it does have a handsome Old Town which deserves to be explored but don't feel bad for sitting and soaking up the atmosphere at a cafe rather than traipsing round a museum or church. We liked Bratislava so much we went back nine years later, and even the second time when faced with the option of visiting a musuem we said 'We can do it next time'. Fortunately next year we'll live only a couple of hours away and might get back sooner. Read Less

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Govinda

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Restaurant | "Committing Hare Curry"

Lunch at Govinda Bratislava Photo - Govinda, Bratislava, Slovakia

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During the 2000 US presidential campaign George Bush Jnr famously (at least to people in the two countries involved) confused Slovenia and Slovakia. I wonder whether, when he did that, his confusion came about because both countries have a vegetarian Indian restaurant called "Govinda" in their respective capital cities, Ljubljana and Bratislava. Having been to the one in Ljubljana only a few months back, Himself and I decided to commit a selfless act in the name of research and check out its Slovakian counterpart in June 2012. The restaurants are unrelated in terms of ownership but connected in that they are both essentially Hare Krishna kitchens offering meat free dishes with a tenuous In...Read More

Member Rating 2 out of 5 on July 26, 2012

Govinda
Obchodna 30
Bratislava, Bratislava

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Novy Most/New Bridge and Observation Deck

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Attraction | "View from the Bridge"

Most SNP, Bratislava Photo - Novy Most/New Bridge and Observation Deck, Bratislava, Slovakia

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THE TOURISTS The Slovakian capital Bratislava has handsome Baroque buildings, a beautiful Franciscan church and a rather striking old town hall as well as an imposing castle perched on a craggy hill, but it is a much more recent and, some might say, much less attractive, landmark that is the most recognisable symbol of the city. The space age structure at the southern end of the 'Novy most', or Most SNP as it will revert to its original name at the end of August 2012, reminds me of the Tripods of the science fiction novel (minus one leg, of course). It looks like a sinister sentry to the high-rise jungle that is Petrzalka; there the tower blocks have been re-facaded in a rainbo...Read More

Member Rating 4 out of 5 on June 25, 2012

Novy Most/New Bridge and Observation Deck
Straddling The Danube On The Staromiestka
Bratislava, Slovakia

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Ibis Bratislava Centrum

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Hotel | "Where Staff Indifference is a Way of Life"

Our room at Ibis Bratislava Photo - Ibis Bratislava Centrum, Bratislava, Slovakia

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Last time we stayed in Bratislava, back in 2003, we arrived at our pre-booked hostel to find they didn’t have any record of our reservation. We were recommended something cheap but further out of town and as a result we didn’t see as much of the city as we’d have liked. Nine years on we wanted to make sure we were close to the main sights in order to cram in as much sightseeing as possible; it turned out to be a good decision because we arrived late due to a delayed flight and lost a whole evening.I’m not a particular fan of Ibis Hotels but when I was booking the parent group Accor (Sofitel, Etap, Mercure and others fall under its umbrella) were running an attractive promotion and I was al...Read More

Member Rating 3 out of 5 on June 17, 2012

Ibis Bratislava Centrum
Zamocka 38
Bratislava, Slovakia
+421-59292000

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