Bratislava is the capitol of Slovakia. It is situated on the Danube River, very close to Vienna. Bratislava has a storied history dating back to the Romans who, once again, introduced grape cultivation and winemaking. The city has also been part of the Hapsburg empire, Hungary, the Eastern Block, and a combined Czechoslovakia before peacefully separating from what is now the Czech Republic after the fall of the USSR’s eastern block of nations.
We were here on our first river cruise and visited the castle (seen above) which sits on top of the hillside above the town and river. We then returned to Vienna and sailed by the castle, lit up at night, on our way to Budapest.
This time, We stayed primarily in the Old Town … but Mrs Bear hiked up to the castle. Pictured above is Bratislava’s Opera House.
I love Bratislava… It is not too large, has picturesque architecture, and a couple features that make it truly unique.
They have placed these gold emblems in the ground that mark where the Jews of Bratislava lived prior to being sent to the concentration camps.
Here are a couple pictures of a brightly decorated bakery and their star pastry stuffer.
Napoleon really got around in the Balkans. When he wasn’t destroying castles, he was visiting Bratislava, which had a different name back then.
Bratislava contained the narrow streets with outside cafes that we have gotten used to seeing in this part of Europe.
And they led to the open squares that are also a regular feature.
Finally, my favorite feature of the Bratislava old town is a figure looking to crawl out of a sewer. Last time we were here, we were told that the figure represented the local’s disdain for work and his subsequent escape. Today we were told that it might represent the local resistance to the Nazis when troops and supply seekers used the sewer system as a way of moving undetected around towns. It seems that there is no right answer, but it is thought that if you rub the figure’s head it brings good luck.
