Staré Mesto - Old Town
The historical old town of Bratislava, is the city center and by far the nicest part of the city. Small houses, squares,
paved streets and lanes very beautiful buildings. Most of the exteriors are in a very good condition, in contrary to
the newer in the outskirts. A lot of tourists can be seen in this area, and most restaurants and shops are filled with
Australians, Austrians and Germans. Staré Mesto also houses many governmental institutions.
Trinitarian Church is a baroque church built by the Hungarians. The exterior was finished in 1727. It is situated at Hurbanovo
namestie, just at the gate to the Old Town.
Obchodna Ulica at the square Hurbanovo namestie, just where the Old Town begins.
The gate to the Old Town.
The gate is the beginning of the exclusive Michálska Ulica.
Michaels' Gate is the second gate to the old town. It has been preserved since the medieval fortifications.
Michael's Gate, Michalská Brána, dates back to the end of the 13th century.
Michael's Gate was one of the stops at the kings coronation process, when Bratislava belonged to the kingdom of Hungary.
Lost? On the paved ground beneath the gate, you can find the direction of your hometown.
Michálska Ulica towards Michael's Gate. One of the most expensive streets in central Europe with shops as Gucci, Tiffany's, Prada and Louis Vuitton.
Michálska.
Bastova Gate.
The top of the gothic church of St Clare can be seen.
Frantiskanska Ulica.
Hlavné námesti (Main Square) with The Old Town Hall (Stará Radnica) and Roland fountain that is featuring a statue of the Hungarian king Maximilian.
Hlavné námesti.
Closeup of The Old Town Hall (Stará Radnica). A baroque tower with gothic elements.
Details of the tower of the Old Town Hall.
The gate to the Old Town Hall. It was used as town hall from the 15th to the 19th century. Today it hosts Bratislava City Museum.
An old green beer bus at Hlavné námesti.
One of Bratislava's strangely placed statues at Hlavné námesti. This one is called the French army soldier.
Hlavné námesti, the heart of Bratislava, with the Roland fountain and the backside of the leaning statue.
Palác Uhorskej and another grandiose jugend (?) buildings at Hlavné námesti.
Tourists are everywhere on the paved streets of Bratislava.
The Paparazzi statue watches the visitors of the Paparazzi restaurant.
Primates Palace (Primaciálny palác), today's City Hall. Note how the pink woman fits in with the building. This is a pink neoclassical palace from 1781 at Primaciálne namestie (Primates Square).The palace and its Hall of mirrors is of significant historical importance, the most important is the signing of the fourth peace of Pressburg in 1805.
Primaciálne namestie with the backside of the old town hall to the left.
A passage leading from Primates Square to Main Square.
Trolley buses at Frantiskanske namestie.
Frantiskanske namestie.
Frantiskanske namestie towards Hlavné námesti.
A medieval look towards Hrad.
A nice street towards Hrad, Bratislava Castle.
Erdody Palace. Its qZoya Gallery contains an extensive collection of Slovak and Czech art.
There are many artists, museums and art galleries in the old town.
St Martin's Cathedral (Kostol Sv.Martina). The tallest church in Bratislava, 85m tall. It was previously the coronation church of Hungary.
St Martin's is one of two Gothic minsters in Slovakia. The Gothic tower was struck by lightning in 1760, replaced by a baroque tower, that was destroyed by fire and then replaced by a gothic one again!
St Martin's Cathedral was for long part of the medieval city fortifications, of which a part has been preserved.
A very nice Gothic building, that has fallen into neglect. In some way I like that it hasn't been renovated.
View towards Hrad Castle with a large add on one of the old houses.
The typical trams of Bratislava.
A modern Mercedes store seems somewhat inappropriate on this location.
Hviezdoslavovo námestie (Hviezdoslav Square). The square has existed in over 100 years, but was reconstruted in the end of the last millennium. This is the square were George W Bush and Vladimir Putin met when visiting Slovakia in 2005.
The statue of Hviezdoslav, who the square was named after. The square is acutally more like a long alley than a square.
Rybarska brana.
Radisson SAS Carlton is the most exlusive hotel in Bratislava. It is situated at Hviezdoslav Square.
The Slovak Philharmonic concert hall a and a Bratislava tram at Hviezdoslav Square. The baroque concert hall was constructed in 1773.
The Slovak National Theater - old section at Hviezdoslav Square. A brand new building has been built a couple of blocks away, but both buildings are being used. This building was built in 1886 in the country of Austria-Hungary.
The national theater seen from the nearby McDonald's at Hviezdoslav Square. This part of looks more like a real square.