Not only is Bratislava the largest city in Slovakia, it also serves as the state capital. Furthermore, Bratislava is the seat of the National Council of the Slovak Republic, the Government of the Slovak Republic, national ministries and the other central bodies of the state administration of the Slovak Republic. It is situated in the centre of Europe in the south-western part of Slovakia.
History of Bratislava begins in 400 - 50 B.C. when an important Celtic town - "Oppidum" was established at the current territory of Bratislava city, Slovakia. During the 1st through 5th century territory of todays Bratislava is known as "Limes Romanum" - fortified border of Roman Empire. The first written reference to Bratislava is found in Salzburg Annals of 907, relating to a battle between Bavarians and Hungarians.
Bratislava is located in a mild climatic zone of continental nature, characterized by wide differences between temperatures in summer and winter, as well as by four distinct seasons of the year. Within recent years, however, the transition of winter to summer in Bratislava almost occurs without spring, and winter weather with average temperatures of around zero degrees Celsius can abruptly change into summer from one day to another.
A major industrial center, Bratislava is known for building VW cars and historically the manufacture of furniture, chemicals, tobacco products, musical instruments, woolen goods, and leather products. The Bratislava region accounts for about a quarter of the GDP in Slovakia, even though it is the smallest of all eight official Slovak regions. On the other hand, Bratislava is the only Slovak region in which the services and trade sector accounts for a much greater portion of the GDP than industry. More than three quarters of the population of Bratislava work in the tertiary sector, which is comparable with advanced regions of other EU member states.
Schwechat airport is about 45 km from Bratislava and regular bus connections shuttle between them several times a day. Bratislava's public transport network is divided into two zones. The first zone lines are the usual choice for tourists, since they cover downtown and most of the city.Bus lines cover most of the city, however it's better to take the tram downtown. Trams are generally faster during the day, since the buses are often stuck in traffic jams. Trolleybuses service some parts of the city, too, especially the area above the castle hill. Night lines cover all parts of the city, however they run only 3 times per night. There are many underground and open-air car-parks in Bratislava. The cheapest parking is on designated parking places on the city streets, tickets for which can be bought from street sellers wearing orange vests.
Historically, Bratislava has always had a strong density of quality educational institutions. They guarantee the further advancement of top level science and research and also provide the region with a pool of various experts. Bratislava has traditionally been the university city of Slovakia. Bratislava universities cover all areas of science and research, including economics, information technologies, legal sciences, humanitarian sciences, social sciences, medicine, art and natural sciences. University education is complemented by a strong network of elementary and secondary schools.
The old city and the castle are the best parts of Bratislava. The old city is packed with museums (such as the Municipal Museum which comes complete with torture chambers and the Museum of Wine Production) and palaces (Primate's Palace and the Mirbach Palace). The castle, built above the Danube, was a frontier post of the Roman Empire from the 1st to the 5th century. Today the castle serves the Slovak Parliament and houses collections of the Slovak National Museum, exhibitions of Treasures from the ancient past, as well as the Museum of History.
Today's Slovak National Theatre was built in 1886 based on the designs of the Viennese architects F. Fellner and H. Helmer who specialised in theatres throughout Central Europe. They designed for Bratislava a Neo-Renaissance building with a stone sculpture group of Thalia above the cupola. Artists such as F. Šaľjapin, P. Mascani, Richard Strauss and G. Filip performed here. Currently, the opera and ballet are hosted there.
The mighty fortress above the confluence of the rivers Morava and Danube is one of the most significant archaeological sites in Slovakia. The oldest traces of settlement date back to 5000 BC. In the 1st century BC, the territory was populated with Celts. The castle is a national monument of cultural legacy belonging to the Municipal Museum at present, it is open to the public until October, when it closes for the winter.
Favourite events of visitors from both home and abroad include the Bratislava Music Festival, devoted to classical music, or the Bratislava Jazz days, which speaks for itself. The Wilsonic festival of progressive music has also developed an avid following. Large outdoor events always meet with great enthusiasm, like the Coronation Celebrations or the New Year celebrations, which are on a par with similar mega events in other cities of Europe. Somebody once coined the phrase Partyslava to describe Bratislava.
