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Bratislava - On the border with 3 countries

Blue Church, Bratislava, Slovakia
St. Elizabeth Church or Blue Church
The Blue Church was built between 1909-1913 in the Hungarian-Secessionist art nouveau style. It is a Roman Catholic church consecrated to St. Elizabeth of Hungary. The steeple is 36.8 meters (120.8 ft.) high and capped with an Apostolic cross (double cross). The roof is made of blue cover plates.

Blue Church
Note the mosaic medallion with St. Elizabeth over the main door. Above that is the cup and host, a symbol of Eucharistic sacrifice. The Church is located on Bezručova Street, a short walk from the city center.

Interior of Blue Church

Hlavné Námestie (Main Square) with Old Town Hall and Roland Fountain
The Old Town Hall is now home to the Bratislava City Museum with an exhibit of torture devices, among others. The Roland fountain was initiated in 1572 to supply water to the public with the support of Maximilian II of Hungary. The statue on top of the column is of the knight, Roland, the protector of Bratislava, but may also be a representation of Maximilian. It is the work of Andreas Lutringer. Below Roland's statue are stone reliefs of four urinating boys which were previously removed due to its indelicate nature. It has since been returned.

Stone relief 
Found these two ancient stone reliefs in the courtyard of Stará Radnica (Old Town Hall), totally unprotected. Note the expression on the man’s face. These reliefs are probably part of the City museum collection.

Stone relief
These reliefs have stunning details like the scales on the body of this monstrous fish and its piercing eyes.

 
Fountain of St. George and the Dragon, Primatial Palace courtyard, 17th c
There was a children’s event on the day we visited Bratislava and they were all over having a great time with the various activities set up for them.

Bratislava Castle
This was the first landmark we saw as we approached Bratislava by train. The Castle has a panoramic view over the city. It houses the Slovak National Museum which  documents the history of the Slovak people. It is also the venue for Parliamentary proceedings.

Napoleonic Soldier, Juraj Meliš
The inspiration behind this sculpture is a Napoleonic soldier who fell in love with a Bratislavan woman while his army was in Slovakia. He decided to stay for good to be with her. The statue can be found on the main square.

Čumil, Victor Hulik, bronze
Is Čumil (watcher in Slovak) a peeping tom or did he come up for air from the sewer below? That is the question. He is on the corner of Panská and Rybarska brána and apparently has lost his head a couple of times from careless motorists.

Schöne Nači, Juraj Meliš
This silver sculpture is of Lamar Ignac, a well liked local character who always greeted people with a smile and a doff of his tophat. He can be found on the main square.

Planet of Peace Fountain, Hodžovo Square
Engraved with doves

Grassalkovich Palace (The Presidential Palace), Hodžovo Square

Konditorei Kormuth
Heavenly restaurant! The ceiling and walls are decorated with religious frescoes and figurines of angels holding a lamp.

Some of the mouth watering offerings at Konditorei Kormuth which is located near Hlavné Namestie at Sedlarska 363.

Bratislovsky rožoc (poszonyi kifli or pressburger kifle)
This is what the server brought me when I asked her to recommend a pastry which is truly local or Slovakian. This poszony crescent has a ground walnut filling. Here’s the recipe if you’d like to make one: http://floorcookies.com/2014/03/31/pozsony-crescent-pozsonyi-kifli/

I’ll take double the happiness with two scoops of pistachio ice cream, please.

Stara Trznica - Old Market Hall
The indoor market wasn’t quite as busy as the outdoor stalls with all kinds of food and brew offerings.

Bratislava, Beer and Bike
Talk about drinking and driving! 

How to get there:
From Vienna - take the train to Bratislava from the main train station. The fare is €16 roundtrip (In April 2022). It includes use of public transportation in Bratislava. The journey takes less than an hour to Bratislava and there’s a tram stop right outside the train station. There are three tram stops to choose from in the city center depending on what you’d like to see. Bratislava is a compact city so all the top sites are within walking distance from each other.
From Hungary - there’s a train service between Budapest and Bratislava that takes about two hours.
From Poland - there are day tours to Northern Slovakia from Krakow.

*****

Images by TravelswithCharie

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Location: Bratislava, Slovakia

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