In the shadow of its prestigious neighbors Prague, Vienna and Budapest, Bratislava is undoubtedly the most unknown capital in Mitteleuropa. But, since the “velvet divorce” of Czechia (then Czechoslovakia) in 1992, its old town has regained its splendor, revealing the many influences that shaped it, from the Habsburg era to the communist era. A young and modern capital at the crossroads of three countries.
Day 1
09:00 Kings and Queen
Overlooking the quiet Rudnayovo Square at the entrance to the old town, the Gothic St. Martin’s Cathedral (1) It was for three hundred years – when Bratislava was called Pressburg, capital of the Kingdom of Hungary – the coronation place of ten kings of the Habsburg dynasty and one queen: Maria Theresa of Austria, in 1741. Every summer, a great festival marks the memory with medieval dances, fencing, falconry and processions: 178 gold crowns dot the cobblestones, from the square central to the cathedral, reconstruct the route.
10 am Plaza Fortaleza
From the cathedral you can easily access the castle along Beblaveho Street. Its four corner towers and its square fortress appearance make it look like an overturned table. Built in the 12th century.my century, devastated by a fire in 1811 and restored a century and a half later, Bratislava Castle (2) It has become a symbol of the city. It houses the History Museum and a treasure room, and it is especially worth taking in the panorama, which is even more impressive from the Crown Tower. After visiting its baroque garden, we descend along the terraces to the old town, crossing a walkway that overlooks the remains of the medieval walls. Of the four gates of the enclosure, only one remains, the Michel Gate and its onion-shaped bell tower, which also serves as kilometer zero (Paris is 1,094 kilometers away).
12:30 p.m. Market and goulash
Recommended lunch break on Saturday at the old covered market, SNP Square (in homage to the Slovak national uprising of 1944), with a market and tasting of local products. Or at Zylinder, on the beautiful Hviezdoslavovo street, to taste traditional cuisine in a refined atmosphere: bryndzove halusky (potato gnocchi and sheep cheese) or goulash (here, with sautéed beef).
2 pm Divine Fortune Teller
Zylinder is located very close to the SNP Bridge, where you can catch bus 29, which takes twenty minutes to Devin Castle. (3)upstream from the city. In ruins since the passage of the Napoleonic armies in 1809, it remains a notable archaeological and historical site, from the Celtic and Roman presence to the Hungarian aristocracy, including the first occupants of Slavic Great Moravia.
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