Old Town, Bratislava

Staré Mesto
Borough
Bratislava's main square.
Country	Slovakia
Region	Bratislava
District	Bratislava I
River	Danube
Elevation	130 m (427 ft)
Coordinates	48°08′36″N 17°06′27″E
Area	9.59 km2 (3.703 sq mi)
Population	42,241 (2005)
Density	4,405 / km2 (11,409 / sq mi)
First mentioned	907
Postal code	81421
Area code	+421-02
Car plate	BA, BL
Location of Staré Mesto in Slovakia
Website: www.staremesto.sk
Source

The Old Town of Bratislava (Slovak: Staré Mesto) is the historic center and one of the boroughs of Bratislava, in the Bratislava Region of Slovakia. It is coextensive with the smallest Slovak administrative district by area, Bratislava I. It contains the small, but preserved medieval city center, Bratislava Castle and other important landmarks. Bratislava's Old Town is known for its many churches, a riverbank promenade and cultural institutions, it is also the location of most of the foreign states Embassies and important Slovak institutions including National Council of the Slovak Republic, Summer Archbishop's Palace; seat of the Government of Slovakia and Grassalkovich Palace; seat of the President of Slovakia.

Characteristics

As its name suggests, the district houses many historic monuments and Bratislava's central institutions. It also contains many Slovak governmental institutions, such as the Ministry of Interior, the Ministry of Culture, and the Ministry of Justice.

The western part of the district is a hilly area featuring the Slavín monument, Horský park (literally Mountain(ous) Park), many detached houses, and most of the foreign embassies in Slovakia. The hilly area ends in the south at the Danube with the Chatam Sófer memorial and the Bratislava Castle hill, and in the west at the D2 Motorway. This part of Bratislava is more quiet than the other parts of the city's Old Town.

The eastern section is the historical and administrative center. Notable buildings and spaces include the Grassalkovich Palace, Trinity Church, Bratislava's Town Hall, St. Martin's Cathedral, Michael's Gate, the Primate's Palace, Comenius University, the main railway station (Hlavná stanica), the Slovak National Theatre (both the old and new sites), SNP Square, the Main Square (Hlavné námestie), Hviezdoslav Square (Hviezdoslavovo námestie), Kamenné námestie ('Stone Square'), Obchodná ulica ('Shop Street' equivalant to High Street), Zochova Street from the 14th century and many other old churches and palaces. There are still some remnants of the medieval Bratislava city walls, although not open to the public for the time being.

Mayors

• 1990–1994 – Miloslava Zemková
• 1994–1998 – Andrej Ďurkovský
• 1998–2002 – Andrej Ďurkovský
• 2002–2006 – Peter Čiernik
• 2006–2010 – Andrej Petrek
• 2010–present – Tatiana Rosová

Twin town

• Obrenovac, Serbia

See also

• Eurovea
• River Park
• List of fountains in Bratislava
• Public restrooms in Bratislava
• Ignác Lamár

External links

• Official website (Slovak)

Gallery

Panorama of the early-morning sunshine over Bratislava. To the east lies the Old Town district; to the west, the New Town.

Panorama of the same area after a snowfall.

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  A typical paved street in Bratislava's Old Town district

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  Old Town from the castle hill

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  Old Town from the Nový Most bridge