Bratislava

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I came to Bratislava with uncharacteristically low expectations: normally I am excited at the prospect of visiting any new city, but it was hard to retain any enthusiasm for the Slovakian capital. Every single person I'd met who had been here told me that it was not worth visiting, especially not for longer than a day; many a traveller has a tale of how they regret wasting a weekend in this city. Nonetheless I felt it unjustifiable to go straight from Budapest to Vienna when a whole country lay between. I decided to give Slovakia's capital one night to prove her naysayers wrong.
The bus journey from Budapest to Bratislava was only three hours long, and it was not long at all after crossing the border that we reached the outskirts of the city. It was midday when I got off at Bratislava's international bus station, and it did not take long to reach my hostel. Unlike Budapest, which creates the illusion of being small by having everything important in its compact city centre, Bratislava is genuinely minute, with a population of just 430,000. I decided to visit some points of interest located right out on the edge of my tourist map, anticipating a fair trek, and was repeatedly finding myself wondering "How am I already there?!" Firstly I visited Bratislava Castle, located to the west of the city on a hill next to the Danube. The castle's interior was actually closed for renovation, but it was quite quaint from the outside and from the hilltop one can see not only Bratislava but also, further away, Austria and Hungary. Bratislava is the only capital city in the world that borders onto two foreign countries. From the castle I headed to the Grasalkovič Palace, also known as the Slovakian White House, due to the fact that it is the president's official residence and that its external walls are white. The building is attractive but small and unimpressive compared to the grandeur of Budapest's historic buildings. I did happen to witness the changing of the guard: it was somewhat incongruous seeing these guards all wearing dark sunglasses with their historic uniforms. Directly behind the Grasalkovič Palace is a very pleasant public park, which I feel is the equivalent of the public being allowed to freely enter the grounds of Buckingham Palace. This lush royal park was a stark contrast to the next park I visited: Námestie Slobody, a bleak, slightly derelict-feeling, largely concrete "park" built by the Communist government and centred on a fountain which is currently free of water. Although Communist-era architecture is generally derided, just beyond Námestie Slobody is the headquarters of Slovakia's national radio station, an impressive inverted pyramid. Although not exactly beautiful, it is certainly very striking to see such a building.
After a walk along the Danube and through the attractive, quaint little old town, I joined one of Bratislava's twice-daily free walking tours. It seems mostly every city in Europe now has a company offering these free tours, where the guides just get by on tips. I felt bad for the guide (a local girl), as her city does not give her a great deal to work with (interesting sights are somewhat thin on the ground), but she did her best to make it interesting. What I found most interesting was the way she described the Nazi period: she gave the impression that the Slovaks decided to become allies with the Third Reich through their own free will, while I'd always thought they had been essentially annexed and given a puppet government. She also said that for Slovaks the "alliance" with the Nazis had a lot of benefits, chiefly independence from their Czech neighbours and having the focus of Slovak government and culture moved from Prague to Bratislava. She gave the impression that the only downside of the period was the treatment of the Jews, and she claimed that the Slovakian government was unaware that the Jews being deported were headed to their deaths. She said that the realization that the Jews were being killed was the key factor that caused the Slovaks to turn against the Nazis in 1944, while I think really I had a lot more to do with the realization that the Red Army was about to march on Slovakia and that Germany was going to lose the war. I do find it very interesting to see different national perspectives on world history.
This afternoon I'm getting a bus to Vienna, and after I've left Bratislava I will certainly speak fondly of its attractiveness and pleasant atmosphere, but I don't think I'll be able to recommend spending more than a day here.

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Comments

[Richard]

Cheers from Slovakia
Fair enough. Though Bratislava is an important economic, cultural and historic centre, it's not the best tourist spot in Slovakia. Next time you find yourself in Slovakia I recommend you visit High Tatras (Vysoke Tatry) and Slovak Paradise which provide stunning views, alpine nature as well as luxury resorst for relax and wellness. :)