Old Town
Castle. July 2019
Bratislava or Preßburg is a little corner of Central Europe that I ended up visiting twice (three times if you count changing trains in the station). Inexplicably, I liked the place and always felt it was an underrated European capital city.
My first visit was on the big trip back from Japan [see: Beijing to Athens] where I found it refreshing after beautifully somber Prague. I can't recall if the weather was better or if I just liked the situation along the river more, but I genuinely thought Bratislava was a cute little city that no one talked about. It was also the site of both my "near miss" Danube boat rides [see: Danube cruising].
How did I end up back in Bratislava? My Sendai-years good friend BHS ended up getting married and staying on in Japan. Her career later took her to different countries for work to give teacher-training workshops and she made one such trip to Slovakia. Her travel photos were amazing and they totally inspired me to go back I decided that I would have a return look-see on my first trip to Vienna from Dohuk. I took the local train to Bratislava and went on to Trencin [see: Trencin Castle]. Two recollections from that trip: one, Bratislava main station had not changed since my visit in 1987 - that was kind of neat, but also sad - the place needed a makeover badly; two, Trencin was great and I realized B was right, I should spend more time in Slovakia.
On a later trip that divided my time between Vienna, Prague, and Bratislava I had a lot more time to explore Slovakia taking day-trips from the capital. My stay gave me a chance to spend a few days in the former Preßburg. I came to love it more. Bratislava was not full of itself. It was a beautiful little capital city right on the Danube between Vienna and Budapest. It stood at the end of the Carpathians on their long, arching march up from Romania. The diminutive old town didn't have a lot, but what was there had been preserved. The huge boxy castle was visible from all over town. The defunct Soviet War Memorial gave another fantastic perspective over the city. The local food and beer were excellent and the people were very kind. I could see living there and enjoying it - all the best things of Europe, but not yet overwhelmed by mass tourism. Just an hour's train ride from Vienna and two to Budapest, the Slovak capital is centrally located - and nearby Vienna's airport is well-connected and easy to get to. Bratislava is a place I could live.
The city's history has been influenced by people of many nations and religions, including Austrians, Bulgarians, Croats, Czechs, Germans, Hungarians, Jews, Romani, Serbs and Slovaks. It was the coronation site and legislative center and capital of the Kingdom of Hungary from 1536 to 1783; eleven Hungarian kings and eight queens were crowned in St Martin's Cathedral. Most Hungarian parliament assemblies were held here from the 17th century until the Hungarian Reform Era, and the city has been home to many Hungarian, German and Slovak historical figures.
(Wikipedia)
That history is kind of glorious. How then does a city fade? Part of the problem was that "Bratislava" really only became so in 1919. Previously, it had been a multi-ethnic city dominated by Germans and Hungarians. After World War II, the Germans were expelled and most Hungarians moved to Hungary. Slovaks moved in to fill the void and the city became 90% Slovak in addition to becoming the new national capital. The capital of Slovakia should have been Nitra, which has been the center of Slovak language and culture for centuries. Alas, the powers that be preferred to move the Slovak capital into the perceived "more important", soon-to-be- named "Bratislava".
Why then is old Preßburg somewhat moribund? After the exit of the Germans and Hungarians, the Slovaks could not revive the city without its two missing component populations. Formerly multicultural Austro-Hungarian Preßburg, became monocultural Bratislava. The Slovaks were in no need of a new cultural capital, they had Nitra. The city had been gutted of 2/3 its population, so the newly branded "Bratislava" did not take off as a city.
Obviously, as a modern capital Bratislava has shaken off its past. The city became the economic and governmental hub of the country. Nevertheless, the historically Hungarian city that the Germans played a big role in managing had only kept the Slovaks on the periphery. Later they made the place their own, and then undoubtedly due to Soviet influence, the city languished. Even if the Slovaks are now in control, the place remains low-key. I am not sure Bratislava will ever recapture its Preßburg past. In my opinion, that really isn't such a bad thing if it means the city keeps its relaxed vibe on the Danube.
I do like Bratislava.
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