📰 Bratislava · page 3

Devín Castle

Main article: Devín Castle

The ruined and recently renovated Devín Castle is in the borough of Devín, on top of a rock where the Morava River, which forms the border between Austria and Slovakia, enters the Danube.185 It is one of the most important Slovak archaeological sites and contains a museum dedicated to its history.[122]186 Due to its strategic location, Devín Castle was a very important frontier castle of Great Moravia and the early Hungarian state.187 It was destroyed by Napoleon's troops in 1809.188 It is an important symbol of Slovak and Slavic history.[123]189

Rusovce

Rusovce mansion, with its English park, is in the Rusovce borough.190 The house was originally built in the 17th century and was turned into an English neo-Gothic-style mansion in 1841–1844.[124]191 The borough is also known for the ruins of the Roman military camp Gerulata, part of limes Romanus, a border defence system.192 Gerulata was built and used between the 1st and 4th centuries AD.[125]193

Parks and lakes

Main article: Parks and gardens in Bratislava

Due to its location in the foothills of the Little Carpathians and its riparian vegetation on the Danubian floodplains, Bratislava has forests close to the city centre.194 The total amount of public green space is 46.8 km2, or 110 m2 per inhabitant.[126]195

The largest city park is Horský park (literally, Mountainous Park), in the Old Town.196 Bratislavský lesný park (Bratislava Forest Park) is located in the Little Carpathians and includes many locales popular among visitors, such as Železná studienka and Koliba.197 The Forest Park covers an area of 27.3 km2, of which 96% is forested mostly with oak and mixed oak/hornbeam forest, and contains original flora and fauna such as European badgers, red foxes, wild boar and red and roe deer.198 On the right bank of the Danube, in the borough of Petržalka, is Janko Kráľ Park founded in 1774–1776.[127]199 A new city park is planned for Petržalka between the Malý Draždiak and Veľký Draždiak lakes.[117]200

Bratislava's zoological park is located in Mlynská dolina, near the headquarters of Slovak Television.201 The zoo, founded in 1960, currently houses 152 species of animals, including the rare white lion and white tiger.202 The Botanical Gardens, which belong to Comenius University, can be found on the Danube riverfront and house more than 120 species of domestic and foreign origin.[128]203

The city has several natural and human-made lakes, most of which are used for recreation.204 Examples include Štrkovec lake in Ružinov, Kuchajda in Nové Mesto, Zlaté Piesky and the Vajnory lakes in the north-east, and Rusovce lake in the south, which is popular with nudists.[129]205

Demographics

Main article: Demographics of Bratislava

2021 census results[130][131]206

From the city's origin until the 19th century, Germans were the dominant ethnic group.[34]207 By the end of World War I, 42% of the population of Pressburg spoke German as their native language, 40% Hungarian, and 15% Slovak.[34]208 After the formation of the Czechoslovak Republic in 1918, Bratislava remained a multi-ethnic city, but with a different demographic trend.209 Due to Slovakization,[132][133] the proportion of Slovaks and Czechs increased in the city, while the proportion of Germans and Hungarians fell.210 In 1938, 59% of the population were Slovaks or Czechs, while Germans represented 22% and Hungarians 13% of the city's population.[84]211 The creation of the first Slovak Republic in 1939 brought other changes, most notably the expulsion of many Czechs and the deportation or flight of the Jews during the Holocaust.[34][134]212 In 1945, most of the Germans were evacuated.213 After the restoration of Czechoslovakia, the Beneš decrees (partly revoked in 1948) collectively punished ethnic German and Hungarian minorities by expropriation and deportation to Germany, Austria, and Hungary for their alleged collaborationism with Nazi Germany and Hungary against Czechoslovakia.[86][135][136]214

The city thereby obtained its clearly Slovak character.[86]215 Hundreds of citizens were expelled during the communist government of the 1950s, to replace people perceived as "reactionary" with members of the proletarian class.[34][86]216 Since the 1950s, the Slovaks have been the dominant ethnicity in the city, making up around 90% of the city's population.[34]217

Politics

See also: Mayor of Bratislava, Boroughs and localities of Bratislava, International relations of Bratislava

Bratislava is the seat of the Slovak parliament, presidency, ministries, supreme court (Najvyšší súd), and central bank.218 It is the seat of the Bratislava Region and, since 2002, also of the Bratislava Self-Governing Region.219 The city hosts 41 foreign embassies and 22 consulates.[137]220

The current local government (Mestská samospráva)[138] structure has been in place since 1990.[139]221 It is composed of a mayor (primátor),[140] a city board (Mestská rada),[141] a city council (Mestské zastupiteľstvo),[142] city commissions (Komisie mestského zastupiteľstva),[143] and a city magistrate's office (Magistrát).[144]222

The mayor, based at the Primate's Palace, is the city's top executive officer and is elected to a four-year term of office.223 The current mayor of Bratislava is Matúš Vallo, who won the election held on October 29, 2022, as an independent candidate.224 The city council is the city's legislative body, responsible for issues such as budget, local ordinances, city planning, road maintenance, education, and culture.[145]225

City Council

The Bratislava City Council is the legislature of the City of Bratislava.226 It has 45 members.227 The Council usually convenes once a month and consists of 45 members elected to four-year terms concurrent with the mayor's.228 Many of the council's executive functions are carried out by the city commission at the council's direction.[143]229 The city board is a 28-member body composed of the mayor and his deputies, the borough mayors, and up to ten city council members.230 The board is an executive and supervisory arm of the city council and also serves in an advisory role to the mayor.[141]231

Administration

Administratively, Bratislava is divided into five districts: Bratislava I (the city centre), Bratislava II (eastern parts), Bratislava III (north-eastern parts), Bratislava IV (western and northern parts) and Bratislava V (southern parts on the right bank of the Danube, including Petržalka, the most densely populated residential area in Central Europe).[146]232

For self-governance purposes, the city is divided into 17 boroughs, each of which has its own mayor (starosta) and council.233 The number of councillors in each depends on the size and population of the borough.[147]234 Each of the boroughs coincides with the city's 20 cadastral areas, except for two cases: Nové Mesto is further divided into the Nové Mesto and Vinohrady cadastral areas and Ružinov is divided into Ružinov, Nivy and Trnávka.235 Further unofficial division recognizes additional quarters and localities.236

Bratislava's territorial divisions237

• District; Borough; Map238
• Bratislava I; Staré Mesto239
• Bratislava II; Ružinov240
• Vrakuňa241
• Podunajské Biskupice242
• Bratislava III; Nové Mesto243
• Rača244
• Vajnory245
• Bratislava IV; Dúbravka246
• Karlova Ves247
• Devín248
• Devínska Nová Ves249
• Lamač250
• Záhorská Bystrica251
• Bratislava V; Petržalka252
• Jarovce253
• Rusovce254
• Čunovo255

Economy

Main article: Economy of Bratislava, List of tallest buildings in Bratislava

The Bratislava Region is the wealthiest and most economically prosperous region in Slovakia, despite being the smallest by area and having the third smallest population of the eight Slovak regions.256 It accounts for about 26% of the Slovak GDP.[148]257 According to GDP per capita, Bratislava is the 19th-richest region in the European Union in 2023.[149]258 The unemployment rate in Bratislava was 2,38% in June 2023.[150]259 The average monthly salary in the Bratislava region in 2026 was €2421.[151]260

Many governmental institutions and private companies have their headquarters in Bratislava.261 More than 75% of Bratislava's population works in the service sector, mainly composed of trade, banking, IT, Telecommunications, and tourism.[152]262 The Bratislava Stock Exchange (BSSE), the organiser of the public securities market, was founded on March 15, 1991.[153]263

Companies operating predominantly in Bratislava with the highest value added according to the 2018 Trend Top 200 ranking, include the Volkswagen Bratislava Plant, Slovnaft refinery (MOL), Eset (software developer), Asseco (software company), PPC Power (producer of heat and steam) and Trenkwalder personnel agency.[154]264

Volkswagen Group took over and expanded the BAZ factory in 1991, and has since considerably expanded production beyond original Skoda Auto models.[155]265 Currently, 68% of production is focused on SUVs: Audi Q7; VW Touareg; as well as the body and under-chassis of the Porsche Cayenne.266 Since 2012, production has also included the Volkswagen up!, SEAT Mii and Skoda Citigo.[156]267

In recent years, service and high-tech-oriented businesses have prospered in Bratislava.268 Many global companies, including IBM, Dell, Lenovo, AT&T, SAP, Amazon, Johnson Controls, Swiss Re and Accenture, have built outsourcing and service centres here.[157]269 Reasons for the influx of multi-national corporations include proximity to Western Europe, skilled labour force, and the high density of universities and research facilities.[158]270 Also Slovak IT companies including ESET, Sygic and Pixel Federation have headquarters in Bratislava.271

Other large companies and employers with headquarters in Bratislava include Slovak Telekom, Orange Slovensko, Slovenská sporiteľňa, Tatra banka, Doprastav, Hewlett-Packard Slovakia, Slovnaft, Henkel Slovensko, Slovenský plynárenský priemysel, Kraft Foods Slovakia, Whirlpool Slovakia, Železnice Slovenskej republiky, AeroMobil, and Tesco Stores Slovak Republic.272

The Slovak economy's strong growth in the 2000s has led to a boom in the construction industry, and several major projects have been completed or are planned in Bratislava.[115]273 Areas attracting developers include the Danube riverfront, where two major projects are already finished: River Park in the Old Town, and Eurovea near the Apollo Bridge.[159][160]274 Other locations under development include the areas around the main railway and bus stations, the former industrial zone near the Old Town and in the boroughs of Petržalka, Nové Mesto and Ružinov.[146][161][162]275 In 2010, the city had a balanced budget of €277 million, with one fifth used for investment.[163]276 Bratislava holds shares in 17 companies directly, including the city's public transport company Dopravný podnik Bratislava, the waste collection and disposal company named OLO (Odvoz a likvidácia odpadu), and the water utility.[164]277 The city also manages municipal organisations such as the city police (Mestská polícia), Bratislava City Museum and ZOO Bratislava.[165]278

Tourism

See also: Tourism in Slovakia

In 2022, a total of 927,950 people came to visit Bratislava and spent 1,719,409 nights there.[166]279 These were most commonly 65% foreigners.280 Bratislava attracts predominantly visitors from the neighboring and nearby countries - the Czech Republic, Germany, Austria, and Poland.281 The top 5 is closed by visitors from the UK.282 Bratislava offered 272 accommodation facilities with 10,338 rooms in 2022.[166]283 A considerable share of visits is made by those who visit Bratislava for a single day, but their exact number is not available.284

Among other factors, the growth of low-cost airline flights to Bratislava, led by Ryanair, has led to conspicuous stag parties, primarily from the UK.285 While these are a boom to the city's tourism industry, cultural differences and vandalism have led to concern by local officials.[167]286 Reflecting the popularity of rowdy parties in Bratislava in the early to mid-2000s, the city was a setting in the 2004 comedy film Eurotrip, which was actually filmed in the city of Prague corpus, the Czech Republic.287

Shopping

Bratislava has eight major shopping centres: Aupark, Avion Shopping Park, Bory Mall, Central, Eurovea Galleria, Nivy Centrum, Vivo!288 (formerly Polus City Center) and Shopping Palace.289

A month before Christmas, the Main Square in Bratislava is illuminated by a Christmas tree, and the Christmas market stalls are officially opened.290 Around 100 booths are opened every year.291 It is open most of the day as well as in the evening.292

Culture

Bratislava is the cultural heart of Slovakia.293 Owing to its historical multi-cultural character, local culture is influenced by various ethnic and religious groups, including Germans, Slovaks, Hungarians, and Jews.[168]294 Bratislava enjoys numerous theatres, museums, galleries, concert halls, cinemas, film clubs, and foreign cultural institutions.[169]295

Performing arts

Bratislava is the seat of the Slovak National Theatre, housed in two buildings.[170]296 The first is a Neo-Renaissance theatre building situated in the Old Town at the end of Hviezdoslav Square.297 The new building, opened to the public in 2007, is on the riverfront.[116][170]298 The theatre has three ensembles: opera, ballet, and drama.[170]299 Smaller theatres include the New Scene Theatre, the Astorka Korzo '90 Theatre, the Arena Theatre, the L+S Studio, the Naive Theatre of Radošina, and the Bratislava Puppet Theatre.300