Home > Destinations > Europe > Eastern Europe > Slovakia > Bratislava > Introduction
Bookstore Community Tips and Tools Book a Trip Deals and News Trip Ideas, Activities, Lifestyles Hotels Destinations Frommers.com Home
Frommer's - The best trips start here. Frommer's - The best trips start here.
Sign up for our FREE Newsletters! Win a FREE Trip
  Email This Article Email Print This Article Print Get Frommer's RSS Feed RSS

Introduction to Bratislava

Slovakia's youthful capital (www.bratislava.sk) has transformed itself from a relatively unappealing sprawl of postwar, Communist-era buildings into a relaxed and pleasant medium-size capital in the span of little more than a decade. The city's compact Old Town has been completely and stunningly renovated. Most of the area is restricted to car traffic, and in the evenings, it seems, the whole town converges for a cup of coffee or a glass of wine. Plan on being thoroughly charmed, and you might even consider extending your stay.

Until relatively recently Bratislava (known as Pressburg to the Germans, and Pozsony in Hungarian) was a quiet city on the Danube river (Dunaj in Slovak). It was only in the past few decades, under Czechoslovakia's then-Communist government, that the city exploded in population to the current around 500,000. The Communists were keen on building up the Slovak capital as a way of gaining Slovak support. You can see the results of this rapid buildup in the high-rise residences on the outskirts of town. The largest of these Communist-era housing projects, Petrzalka, just across the SNP Bridge from the Old Town, holds something like 150,000 people.

Bratislava has played an important role in Hungarian history. During the Turkish occupation of Hungary, the Hungarians moved their capital here. No less than 11 Hungarian royals were crowned in Bratislava's St. Martin's cathedral (Dóm Sv. Martina) throughout the years.


Back to Top


Note: This information was accurate when it was published, but can change without notice. Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before planning your trip.


  Email This Article Email Print This Article Print Get Frommer's RSS Feed RSS
Frommer's Eastern Europe, 1st Edition Frommer's Eastern Europe, 1st Edition

Author: Mark Baker
Pub Date: April 02, 2007
Price: $24.99

Buy Now!
Related Titles:
Europe For Dummies, 4th Edition
Europe For Dummies, 5th Edition
Frommer's Amsterdam Day by Day, 1st Edition
Sponsored Links: What's This?
Discover Ireland's Wonderful West
Add Frommers.com RSS Feed  Add Frommers.com RSS Feed (What's This?)
Add Frommers.com Deals & News to Your Web Site
Add to My Yahoo!     Add to My MSN     More RSS Readers
Add Frommers.com Podcast Add Frommers.com Podcast (What's This?)
Home > Destinations > Europe > Eastern Europe > Slovakia > Bratislava > Introduction