May 20, 2024
About 50 miles east of Vienna sits Bratislava, the capital city of Slovakia. Since gaining its independence from Czechoslovakia in 1992 its economy has grown, and they are currently under the governance of their first female president.
Bratislava is known for its unique UFO bridge restaurant and quirky bronze statues. The UFO bridge restaurant is located 278 feet above Bratslava’s New Bridge. It gained fame because of its unique shape. People bungie jump from it during the summer, and its bathroom floors are clear glass, allowing you to see straight down to the ground below while taking care of business. Strange.
Two of the statues that stand out as you walk through Old Town are the Leaning Man and the Working Man. There’s a story that goes with the Leaning Man that suggest it is modeled after a French soldier who fell in love with a local girl. He had to return to his homeland, but promised he would return and marry her. He kept his word, but when he came back, he couldn’t find her. He’s still waiting today.
The only thing we know about the Working Man is that his smile grows wider in the summer because he enjoys looking at all the bare legs of the ladies.
The main focus of our visit was the Bratislava Castle, built in 1712. It served as the royal residence for about 300 years, and is built on the site of the first known Bratislava settlement that existed 2500 years ago. The statues on the gates represent the spoils of war.
You can see three countries from the castle – to the left is Austria, to the right Hungary and Slovakia is in the middle.
There is a huge well on the property.
The Old Town contains some interesting bits of history. There’s a plaque in the walkway commemorating the lives lost during the period of witch trials; gold crowns imbedded in the road mark the coronation route; and one of the houses has ma cannon ball planted in its front facade just to the upper left of a marker. During the Napoleonic wars home were destroyed by some of the cannon fire. The ruler declared if your house had a cannon ball in it you would be exempt from taxes for a period of time so you could use that money to rebuild or repair your home.
In the center of the oldest entrance to the city is a bronze map indicating how far and in what direction major cities are located from Bratislava.
The old town square was the place to be. It’s where the latest news was shared, warnings were broadcast, and executions were held. The fountain in the center is dedicated to the city’s first coronated king.
And now we can say we’ve been to Slovakia!
Shout out to Raelanna and Raeliaha Cumbie who are taking excellent care of Sophie and the house while we’re away.
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