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Bratislava

2007 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Related subjects: European Geography

                    Bratislava
             Bratislava coat of arms
   Region (kraj)          Bratislava Region
   District (okres)       Bratislava I-V
   Location               48°08′41″N, 17°06′46″E
   Altitude               126-514 m
   Population             446,819 (as of 2005)
   Area                   367.59 km²
   Time Zone
   •  Summer DST          CET: UTC+1
                          CEST: UTC+2
   Telephone prefix       +421-2
   Postal code            8XXXX
   Car registration plate BA
             Bratislava location map

   Bratislava (see below for other names) is the capital of Slovakia and
   the country's largest city, with a population of some 450,000.
   Bratislava is the political, cultural and economic centre of Slovakia.
   It is the seat of the Slovak presidency, parliament and government as
   well as home to several universities, museums, theatres, galleries and
   other national economic, cultural and educational institutions. Most of
   Slovakia's large businesses and financial institutions have their
   headquarters in Bratislava. The city's past has been characterized by
   the strong influence of various peoples, including Slovaks, Germans,
   Hungarians, Czechs, Austrians and Jews. Bratislava still retains its
   cosmopolitan spirit. It hosts many festivals and trade shows and it is
   famous for its nightlife and leisure facilities. Andrej Ďurkovský is
   its mayor.

Etymology

   In March 1919 Bratislava was adopted as the official name. It is not
   known on what grounds. One theory is that the name was invented by US
   president Wilson, another that it might be a corruption of the old
   Slavic Braslava. However, we know for sure that a variant of this name
   was reconstructed by Pavel Jozef Šafárik (by mistake) from old names in
   the 1830s based on the name of the Bohemian ruler Bretislav. It was
   used subsequently by members of the Slovak movement in the 1840s and
   occasionally also afterwards.
   Bratislava's names most commonly used before 1919
   Preßburg German (before the 19th century occasionally and since the
   German spelling reform of 1996 regularly spelled Pressburg)
   Prešporok Slovak name; stems from the German one (one of the many
   variants was Pressporek in 1773)
   Prešpurk Czech
   Pressburg(h) English
   Presburgo Spanish
   Pressbourglater Presbourg French (rue de Presbourg in Paris)
   Presburg Dutch
   Pozsony Hungarian (still in use by Hungarians today)
   Posonium Latin
   Požun Croatian, Serbian, Bosnian
   Pozhoma Romani
   Istropolis ancient Roman, meaning the Danube City

   A more detailed list can be found in the History of Bratislava article.

Geography

   Bratislava lies on both banks of the River Danube, by Slovakia's
   borders with Austria and Hungary, and is only an hour's drive from the
   border with the Czech Republic. It is the only capital in the world
   which borders two countries. The Carpathian mountain range begins
   within the territory of the city with the Lesser Carpathians (Slovak:
   Malé Karpaty).

   Bratislava is only 50 km from the Austrian capital Vienna.

   Climate The city climate is mild. It is often windy with a marked
   variation between hot summers and cold, humid winters.
     * annual average temperature: 9.9 °C
     * annual sunshine hours: 1976.4 (5.4 hours/day)
     * annual average rainfall: 527.4 mm (according to 1993 data)

History

Prehistory and early Middle Ages

     * Neolithic Age: the first permanent settlement of the region now
       known as Bratislava begins with the Linear Pottery Culture
     * 400 B.C.- 50 B.C.: Celts were settled here. From 125 B.C. they had
       an important oppidum (fortified town) with a mint here.
     * 1st century – 5th century: the border of the Roman Empire ( Limes
       Romanus) runs right through the middle of today's town; many Roman
       (e.g. "Gerulata") and Germanic settlements
     * 6th century-8th century: first Slavs (500 A.D.- today) and Avarians
       ( 560s - 8th century)

          - 623- 658: part of King Samo's Empire

     * late 8th century – 833: part of the Principality of Nitra
     * 833 – 907: part of Great Moravia

907-1918

     * From 2nd half of 10th century to 1918: part of the Kingdom of
       Hungary (with short interruptions) and the capital of the Posonium
       Comitatus:
     * 1536- 1784: capital of the Kingdom of Hungary (whose territory
       consisted until 1699 of today's Slovakia and parts of today's
       Western Hungary, because the Turks ruled Buda at that time); the
       Kingdom of Hungary was part of the Habsburg (i. e. Austrian)
       Monarchy from 1526 to 1918
     * 1542- 1848: meeting place of the Hungarian Diet (with short
       interruptions)
     * 1563- 1830: coronation town for Hungarian kings ( St. Martin's
       Cathedral (picture below))
     * since the 18th century: centre of the Slovak national movement

Post WWI (1919-present)

     * 1919- 1939: part of Czechoslovakia; official new name becomes
       "Bratislava"- instead of "Prešporok" ( Slovak) /"Pressburg"
       (German)/ "Pozsony" ( Hungarian) in 1919
     * 1939- 1945: capital of Slovakia
     * 1945- 1992: part of Czechoslovakia again:

          1969- 1992: capital of the federal state of Slovakia within
          Czechoslovakia

     * since 1993: capital of Slovakia

Important events held in Bratislava

     * 2005, February: American president George W. Bush and Vladimir
       Putin met in Bratislava for bilateral summit.

Landmarks

   Paved street in the Old Town of Bratislava
   Enlarge
   Paved street in the Old Town of Bratislava

   Bratislava is picturesquely situated on both banks of the Danube, at
   the base of the outlying spurs of the Lesser Carpathians, in a position
   of strategic importance near the Devín Gate (earlier called Hainburger
   Pforte or Porta Hungarica). The area includes a picturesque old town
   centre.

   One of the most conspicuous buildings of the town is the Bratislava
   Castle situated on a plateau 82 m above the Danube. A castle has
   existed on the site since time immemorial. It has been the acropolis of
   a Celtic town, part of the Roman Limes Romanus, a huge Slav fortified
   settlement and a political, military and religious centre of Great
   Moravia. A castle of stone was built only in the 10th century (part of
   Hungary), it was turned into a Gothic anti- Hussite fortress under
   Sigismund of Luxemburg in 1430, in 1562 it became a Renaissance castle,
   and in 1649 a baroque reconstruction took place. Under Queen Maria
   Theresa, the castle was turned into a prestige seat of the royal
   governor Albert von Sachsen-Teschen, the son-in-law of Maria Theresa,
   who founded the Albertina picture gallery in the castle, which was
   later moved to Vienna. In 1784, when Bratislava ceased to be the
   capital of Hungary, the castle was turned into a school for Catholic
   clergy, and later, in 1802, into barracks. In 1811, the castle was
   inadvertently destroyed by fire by the French soldiers and lay in ruins
   until the 1950s, when it was reconstructed mostly in its former Maria
   Theresa style.

   Another castle is Devín Castle (now in ruins) in the borough of
   Bratislava-Devín. It is situated on the top of a high rock at the point
   where the March (Morava) river, which forms the boundary between
   Austria and Slovakia, reaches the Danube. It is one of the most
   important Slovak archaeological sites and has been – thanks to its
   excellent location – a very important frontier castle of Great Moravia
   and the early Hungarian state. It was destroyed by Napoleonic troops in
   1809 and is an important symbol of Slovak and Slavic history.

   Yet another castle, built in 1813 and turned into an English Gothic
   style castle in the late 19th century, is situated in the borough of
   Bratislava- Rusovce, otherwise known for ruins of Roman Gerulata
   settlements.
   A street in the Old Town
   Enlarge
   A street in the Old Town

   Other noteworthy buildings are:
   City Museum
   Enlarge
   City Museum
     * St. Martin's Cathedral (a Gothic edifice of the 14th-15th century
       replacing an older church from the 13th century) in which many of
       the Hungarian kings were crowned
     * Bratislava's Town hall (a complex of 14th-15th century buildings)
       containing an interesting museum – the City Museum founded in 1868
     * Bratislava's Franciscan church, dating from 1297
     * the building of the University Library (erected in 1756) where the
       sittings of the Diet (parliament) of the Kingdom of Hungary were
       held from 1802 to 1848 and many important laws of the Hungarian
       Reform Era were enacted (liberation of serfs, foundation of the
       Hungarian Academy of Sciences).
     * the Primate's Palace (erected in 1781) in which the (4th) Peace of
       Pressburg was signed
     * the beautiful Slovak National Theatre (built in 1886), and
     * the Michael's Gate (early 17th century), the only extant gate of
       the municipal fortification
     * the narrowest house in central (or maybe in the whole of) Europe
       (just behind the Michael's Gate)
     * the 18th century house of the composer Johann Nepomuk Hummel who
       was born in the town.
     * Nový Most Bratislava is a bridge across the Danube river, featuring
       a UFO-like tower restaurant
     * Kamzik TV Tower is a TV tower of unique design with an observation
       deck

   The historic centre is characterized by many baroque palaces. The
   Grassalkovich Palace (built around 1760), for example, is now the
   residence of the Slovak president, and the Slovak government now has
   its seat in the former Archiepiscopal palace, the former summer
   residence of the archbishop of Esztergom).

   A curiosity is the underground restored portion of the Jewish cemetery
   where Rabbi Moses Sofer is buried. (See article on Sofer).
   Demographics
   data derived from the 2001 census
   Population 428,672 inhabitants
   Population by districts Bratislava I 44,798, Bratislava II 108,139,
   Bratislava III 61,418, Bratislava IV 93,058, Bratislava V 121,259
   Average age 38.7 years
   Age structure 0–5: 4.1%, 6–14: 9.8%, Working age: 62.9%, Retirement
   age: 19%
   Ethnic groups Slovaks 391,761 (91.4%), Hungarians 16,451 (3.8%), Czechs
   7,972 (1.9%), Moravians 635, Ruthenes 461, Ukrainians 452, Germans 1
   200, Croats 614, Roma 417, Poles 339
   Religion Roman Catholics 243,048 (56.7%), Atheists 125,729 (29.3%),
   Lutherans of the Augsburg Confession 24,810 (6%), Greek Catholics 3,163
   (0.7%), Reformed Christians 1,918, Eastern Orthodox 1,616, Jehovah's
   Witnesses 1,827, Methodist Protestants 737, Jews 700, Baptists 613

Economy

   The economy of Bratislava is prosperous and mainly based on services,
   engineering ( Volkswagen), chemical and electrical industry.

   The GDP per capita ( PPP), which was valued at €25,351 (2002), reaches
   120% of the EU average, which is the second highest level (after
   Prague) of all regions in all the recently joined countries ( Eurostat;
   for the latest Eurostat data, see: )

   In recent years service and high-tech oriented businesses are thriving
   in Bratislava. Many global companies, including IBM, Dell, Accenture,
   AT&T, Lenovo and SAP to name a few, are building their outsourcing and
   service centers here.

Transport

   Its geographical position has always made Bratislava a natural
   crossroads for trade traffic. There is a large international motorway
   junction ( D1/ D2/ D4 - all form the Bratislava bypass) and railroad
   junction, International Airport of Milan Rastislav Štefánik with
   rapidly growing traffic, and a busy river port. Furthermore, the Vienna
   International Airport is located only 40 km away, in Austria, providing
   a large international network.

   Public transportation in Bratislava is run by Dopravný podnik
   Bratislava, the city-owned company. There are three types of transport
   vehicles used in Bratislava including buses (covering the most of the
   city and the largest district of Petržalka), trams (covering the most
   frequent commuter trips and connecting city centre with suburbs) and
   trolleybuses (connecting city centre with suburbs and serving as a
   complementary mean of transport).

Territorial division

   Bratislava districts
   Enlarge
   Bratislava districts
     * 5 districts (for the purpose of national administrative division):

     * 17 "city parts" (i.e approx. boroughs) (for the purpose of
       municipal administrative division and of serving as entities to
       which the town delegates its powers and functions imposed by law on
       communities)

     * 20 "cadastral areas" : they coincide with the "city parts", except
       that: Nové Mesto is further split into Nové Mesto + Vinohrady, and
       Ružinov is split into Ružinov + Nivy + Trnávka

   Administrative and Territorial Division of Bratislava
   Districts "City Parts" (Boroughs) Quarters or Localities
   Bratislava I Staré Mesto
   Bratislava II Ružinov Nivy, Pošeň, Prievoz, Ostredky, Trávniky,
   Štrkovec, Vlčie hrdlo, Trnávka
   Vrakuňa Dolné hony
   Podunajské Biskupice Dolné hony, Ketelec, Lieskovec, Medzi jarkami
   Bratislava III Nové Mesto Ahoj, Jurajov dvor, Koliba, Kramáre, Mierová
   kolónia, 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
   Devín
   Devínska Nová Ves Devínske Jazero, Kostolné, Paulinské, Podhorské,
   Stred, Vápenka
   Záhorská Bystrica
   Bratislava V Petržalka Dvory, Háje, Janíkov dvor, Lúky, Ovsište,
   Kopčany, Zrkadlový háj, Kapitulský dvor, Starý háj
   Jarovce
   Rusovce
   Čunovo

Twin towns

   Bratislava is twinned with:
     * Armenia Yerevan, Armenia
     * Austria Vienna, Austria
     * Bulgaria Ruse, Bulgaria
     * Cyprus Larnaka, Cyprus
     * Czech Republic Prague, Czech Republic
     * Egypt Alexandria, Egypt
     * Finland Turku, Finland
     * Germany Bremen, Germany
     * Germany Ulm, Germany
     * Greece Thessaloniki, Greece
     * Hungary Székesfehérvár, Hungary
     * Italy Perugia, Italy
     * Netherlands Rotterdam, Netherlands
     * Poland Kraków, Poland
     * Slovenia Ljubljana, Slovenia
     * Ukraine Kiev, Ukraine
     * United States Cleveland, USA

Images

   Panorama of Bratislava I (from castle)
   Enlarge
   Panorama of Bratislava I (from castle)

   The Old Town Hall viewed from the Main Square.

   Devín Castle at the confluence of the Danube and the Morava viewed from
   Austria - an old picture.

   Bratislava on the river Danube

   Old Town (Staré mesto) of Bratislava viewed from Bratislava Castle.

   Slovak National Theatre.

   Bratislava on the river Danube

   The Grassalkovich Palace - the seat of the President.

   The Bratislava Castle viewed from the south-west.
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   The Nový Most (New Bridge).

   Michael's Gate.

   St. Martin's Cathedral - the coronation cathedral.

   Apartment blocks of Petržalka, across the Danube and the Nový Most

   A typical paved street in Bratislava's Old Town district

   Bratislava's Old Town district

   Hotel Carlton in Hviezdoslav Square (Hviezdoslavovo námestie)

   The flag of Bratislava

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