BRATISLAVA 305

Bratislava Castle 6

Bratislavský hrad

Bratislavský hrad. Map A5. Slovak

National Museum Tel (02) 5441

1444. 
      

      9am–5pm Tue–Fri,

      
      

      10am–6pm Sat & Sun (last adm
      45 mins before closing). &
      http://www.bratislava-hrad.sk

      
      

The Bratislava Castle, first

men tioned in 907, is perched

on a large, rocky hill above the

scenic Danube. It was strate-

gically located at the crossing

of ancient trade routes includ-

ing the ancient Amber Route.

Fortified in the 11th and 12th

centuries, the castle was rebuilt

in Gothic style in the 15th cen-

tury, and between 1552 and

1560 remod elled into a superb

Renaissance residence.

Between 1750 and 1760 it

acquired beau tiful Rococo fur-

nishings. In 1811, the castle

burnt down; it was rebuilt in

the 1950s. Inside there are

sev eral sec tions of the Slovak

Mirbach Palace 4
Mirbachov Palác

Františkánske námestie 11. Map C4.
City Gallery Tel (02) 5443 1556.

11am–6pm Tue–Sun. &

http://www.gmb.sk

The Rococo Mirbach Palace,
opposite the Franciscan
Church, has a beautiful façade
with stuccoes and a triangular
pediment. The build ing was
erected between 1768 and
1770 by a rich brewer, Martin
Spech. Its subse quent owner,
Count Karol Nyary, ordered
his family crest to be placed in
the tym pa num. The last owner,
Emil Mirbach, bequeathed the
building to the city.
Now an art gallery, the
palace currently holds the
main col lec tion of Bratislava’s
City Gallery (Galéria mesta
Bratislavy), including examples
of 17th- and 18th-century
Baroque paintings. Two of
the first-floor halls have walls
almost entirely covered with
colourful 18th-century engrav-
ings set in wood panelling.

Bratislava Castle perched above the Danube river

Michael’s Gate with its striking
Baroque cupola

Michael’s Gate 5
Michalská Brána

Michalská ulica 24. Map C4.
Museum of Weapons and Town
Fortifications Tel (02) 5443 3044.

Oct–Apr: 9:30am–4:30pm Tue–

Sun; May–Sep: 10am–5pm Mon–Fri,
11am–6pm Sat & Sun. &

Built in the first half of the 14th
century, Michael’s Gate is the
only surviving gateway to the
medieval city. In the 18th

House at the Good

Shepherd 7

Dom U Dobrého Pastiera

Židovska 1. Map B5. Tel (02) 5441

1940. Museum of Clocks # 10am–
      5pm Mon–Fri, 11am–5pm Sat & Sun.

One of the city’s finest

examples of Rococo archi tec-

ture can be seen at the House

at the Good Shepherd, named

after the statue of the Good

Shepherd on its corner. Built

between 1760 and 1765, it

is one of the few remaining

18th century houses in the

area. It is colloquially referred

to as the “house like an iron”,

because of its tall, flat wedge

shape, dictated by the plot

on which it was erected. It is

believed to be the narrow est

building in Europe, and con-

tains only one room on each

floor. Inside is the Museum

of Clocks (múzeum hodín), a

branch of the City Museum

located in the Old Town Hall.

The exhib its date from the

17th to the 20th cen turies

and are mostly the works of

Bratislava’s clockmakers.

National Museum (Slovenské

národne múzeum). The largest

collec tions are from the Slovak

History Museum (Slovenské

Historické múzeum), includ-

ing furniture, clocks and folk

arti facts. In the Treasury of

Slovakia (Klenoty davnej

minulosti Slovenska) stands

the tiny Venus of Moravany, a

fertility figure carved from a

mammoth tusk about 25,000

years ago. The Music Museum

(Hudobné múzeum) displays

scores, recordings and some

fascinat ing folk instruments.

century, its Gothic tower was

raised to its present height of

51 m (167 ft) by the addi tion

of a Baroque cupola, and the

statue of the Archangel

Michael on top. The tower

now houses the cap ti vating

Museum of Weapons

and Town Forti fications

(múzeum zbraní a mestského

opevnienia), which throws

light on the his tory and forti-

fications of the town.

The viewing terrace affords

a stunning panorama of

the city and beyond. Next

to the gate stands Bratislava’s

oldest pharmacy, the Baroque

At the Red Lobster (U

červeného raka).