304 CENTRAL EASTERN EUROPE

For hotels and restaurants in this region see pp328–9 and pp330–31

Old Town Hall 1
Stará Radnica

Hlavné námestie. Map C4.
City Museum Tel (02) 5920 5130.

10am–5pm Tue–Fri, 11am–6pm

Sat & Sun. &

The charming Old Town Hall,
in Hlavné námestie, was
created in the 15th century by
combining a number of resi-
den tial houses. At the turn of
the 16th century, it was
rebuilt in the Renaissance
style. In the 18th century, its
much older corner tower was
remodelled in Baroque style;
excellent views can be had
from the top. On the lower
section of the tower is a
plaque marking the level of
flood waters recorded in
February 1850. Higher up, to
the left of the Gothic window,
is another historical relic – a
cannonball embedded in the
wall during the 1809 siege of
Bratislava by Napoleon’s Army.
It is worth taking a look at
the unusual colourful roof of
the building on the side of
Primaciálne námestie.
The Town Hall houses the
popular City Museum (Mestské
múzeum). Displayed within
its splendid vaulted interiors
are exhibits associated with
the hist ory of Bratislava,
includ ing an unusual collec-
tion of 17th–19th century
painted shooting targets.
Opposite the Town Hall
stands the Jesuit Church of
the Holy Saviour. It was built
between 1636 and 1638 for
Bratislava’s Protestant commu-
nity, which explains its plain
façade. Its Baroque furnish-
ings include a richly deco rated
black and gold Rococo pulpit
with gilded tassles.

Franciscan

Church 3

Františkánský Kostol

Primaciálne námestie. Map C4.

# 10:30am–5pm Mon–Fri.

The oldest religious building

in Bratislava stands behind

an inconspicuous Baroque

façade. Built in the 13th

century, the church

was conse crated in

1297 in the pres ence

of King Andrew II.

Subsequent remod-

elling obliterated its

original Gothic form,

but it is still possible

to see the medieval

rib vaulting above

the presbytery.

Particularly

impressive is the

two-tier 14th-

century chapel of St John

the Evangelist. During corona -

tion pageants, the church

was used for knighting

ceremonies, in which the

new monarch appointed

Knights of the Golden

Spur. This pres tigious

honour was bestowed on

those who dis tinguished

themselves through feats

of bravery.

The church’s elaborate

furnishings, mainly Baroque

in style, date from the 17th

and 18th centuries. The

15th-century Pietà, in a

side altar, is a highlight.

Primate’s Palace 2

Primaciálny Palác

Primaciálne námestie 1. Map C4.

Tel (02) 5935 6394. # 10am–5pm

Tue–Sun. &

The most beautiful palace in

Bratislava, Primate’s Palace was

built between 1778 and 1781

to a design by architect

Melchior Hefele, for Jozef

Batthyány, the primate of

Hungary and archbishop

of Esztergom.

Its lovely Neo-

Classical pink-

and-gold

façade features a

magnificent pedi ment

that is crowned with

the archbishop’s coat

of arms and topped

with a giant-sized

cardinal’s hat. The

figures of angels on

the façade hold the

letters I and C, a

refer ence to the motto

in the cardinal’s coat of

Imposing façade of Bratislava’s eclectic Old Town Hall

An ornate fountain in the courtyard

at the Primate’s Palace

Statue in the

Franciscan Church

arms – Iusticia (Justice) and

Clementia (Mercy). The palace,

now the seat of the town’s

mayor, is partly open to the

public. The most opu lent room

is the Hall of Mirrors, where

in 1805, the Peace Treaty of

Pressburg was signed between

Napoleon and Francis I, after

the French victory at the Battle

of Austerlitz. Other first-floor

rooms are occupied by a

branch of the Municipal

Gallery, with a modest

collec tion of paint ings and

six unique English tapes tries

dating from 1632, depict ing

the love story of Hero and

Leander. The strik ingly bright

tapestries were discov ered

in a hidden com partment

during building works in

the early 20th century.