Scenic Tours Jewels of Europe #14

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Bratislava, Slovakia

Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia, is only 60 km from Vienna. The fertile country is flatter and is part of the Hungarian Plains. Farming still seems to be of the strip type. The EU dictates what the farmers are to grow, but they don't seem to hear the instructions. There are very many wind turbines - Beth estimated about 300 in one "farm".

Our entry was over the New Bridge, built between 1967 and 1972 but the restaurant on top was not opened until 2005 because it gave great views of non communist Austria. Nearby was the monument to the victory over the plague and the monument to the 105,000 victims of the holocaust. The Synagogue was demolished to make way for the highway.

We entered the old city through Michael's Gate. In a small square there was an unrestored very old pharmacy with the name written in Hungarian, German and Slovakian. All public announcements used to be made from this shop.

The Bratislavians obviously have a great sense of humour that is shown in some of the statues. The stories behind the statues seem to be as follows. The one named Paparazzi may also be a comment on the communist secrecy. The Man at work was inspired by the communist attempts to get men to work. The Flower man was a man who had an unhappy love affair and then spent his time giving flowers to ladies. The Napoleonic soldier was injured, was nursed back to health in Bratislava and fell in love with his nurse, so he decided to stay. The statue of Hans Christian Andersen has a "Whisperer" on his shoulder.

The city buildings are slowly being restored after the communist era. The Opera House used the same architect as the Vienna Opera House. Brass "crowns" embedded in some streets mark the route that Maria Theresa took when riding through the city.

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