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.