Bratislava

by Jan Oravetz, Ft. Myers, FL

During summer 2004, my wife, Eva, and I visited Slovakia, the land where we both were born many years ago. It is a small country (19,000 square miles) in the heart of Europe, and I think it is fair to say that the average American knows little about it.

Many confuse it with Slovenia, which is also a small new country in Europe; however, that one is situated more southwesterly, between the south Alps and the Adriatic Sea. Slovakia is landlocked east of Austria.

A few facts

The official language is Slovak, but many people also speak German or Hungarian, and nowadays more and more people speak English (more so the young ones).

As a centrally located European country, it has four distinctive seasons, but extreme temperatures are rare.

Independent Slovakia is a very young country, having celebrated its 12th birthday in January ’05. Till the end of the First World War it was a part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, ruled by the Habsburg dynasty for many centuries. When the empire fell apart, one of the countries which arose from the ashes was Czechoslovakia, a common state of the Czechs, who lived until then under the Austrians, and the Slovaks, who lived under the Magyars of Hungary.

Czechoslovakia lasted till the fall of 1989, albeit in most of the postwar years as a communist country. With the demise of the Soviet Union, it was finally free to decide its own fate. This culminated in the fall of 1992, when the Czechs and Slovaks decided to go their own ways peacefully, and the Czech and Slovak republics were created.

Getting there

The gateway to Slovakia is its capital, Bratislava (pop. 450,000), located on the Danube some 70 miles downstream from Vienna.

We flew into Vienna’s Schwechat Airport, which lies between Vienna and Bratislava and until recently doubled as the main airport for both Austria and Slovakia. However, more and more airlines are starting to offer service to Bratislava’s international airport.

From Schwechat we took a Euroline bus (3.90 plus .70 per piece of luggage) to the main bus station near the VUB Bank highrise, east of the city center. From there we took a taxi to our hotel.

During the day, the bus leaves regularly at 25 minutes after the hour from the curb outside of the arrival hall. But be sure to have euros on hand (available at the airport exchange), as dollars are not accepted.

The border between Austria and Slovakia has lost much of its significance since Slovakia joined the E.U., but the guards still want to see your passport.

Bratislava is a lively and bustling city. Its skyline is dominated by the old castle and the new parliament building on the hill, with the Dom’s spire beneath it.

After general neglect in the early communist years and a construction boom of ugly prefabricated apartment buildings in the later ones, combined with a rebuilding of the old castle and the construction of a couple of bridges over the Danube River, Bratislava is finally firing on all burners and the city is bursting at its seams.

The Dom, below Castle Hill, is the grandest church in Bratislava. It was the site of 19 coronations of Hungarian kings and queens in the 16th and 17th centuries when Pozsony, as present-day Bratislava was then called, was the interim capital of Hungary while most of Hungary was occupied by the Turks. However, as grand old churches in Europe go, it leaves much to be desired.

Navigating the city’s streets

The Old City, close to the Dom, is mostly a colorful pedestrian zone, and in the summer the cafés, restaurants and nightclubs overflow with life late into the night. Sometimes even the pedestrians have a tough time negotiating their way between the tables.

The main plaza, Hviezdoslavovo námestie, named for a famous Slovak poet, has some resemblance to Las Ramblas in Barcelona. It is dominated on one end by the Opera House, with the philharmonic building, the Reduta, next to it behind a small park. Embassy row follows, with the much-touted Danube Hotel at the end. The other side of the square is lined by restaurants.

The short street between the philharmonic building and the nearby Radisson SAS Carlton Hotel leads to the Danube River, on the banks of which the city folks like to promenade on summer days, admiring the multitude of sleek cruise ships docked close to downtown.

A short walk from the Opera House in the opposite direction, away from the river, will take you to Hlavné námestie, a nice little square again with embassies on two sides. Restaurants (notably the famous Café Mayer pastry shop and the Roland Café) and shops line the west side, with the old Stara rádnica (city hall) to the east.

Go through its courtyard and you’ll come to another small square, Primaciálne námestie, with the old Archbishop’s Palace on the right and the new city hall on the left. Of importance is Bratislava Information Services (BIS), an information center located on the opposite street corner.

We stayed in the new Ibis Bratislava Centrum (phone +421 2 59292000 or visit www.accorhotels.com), on the slope of Castle Hill and within walking distance of the pedestrian center. This is a recently built 3-star hotel (120 rooms) with modern amenities, underground parking, a restaurant and lounge. We paid Sk2,600 ($78) per night for a room with a king-sized bed and were very satisfied.

Visit www.bratislavahotels.sk for information on this and other hotels as well as comprehensive tourist information about Bratislava and the vicinity.

City dining

One of the best things in this city (and also throughout the country) is the dining. As is common in Europe, there is no difference between the lunch and dinner menus, be it in selection or pricing. Actually, Slovaks in general like to have their main meal at lunchtime.

In Bratislava, you have a great choice of restaurants, from modest, inexpensive ones to upscale, trendy and expensive ones. The least expensive ones are in and around the Stará trznica (old market hall), which is only a short walk down the street from the BIS. There you can get any of the most common Slovak meals, listed on the wall together with the prices, for Sk30-Sk60 ($1-$2).

Try the bryndzove halusky (a Slovak specialty of gnocchi with sheep cheese and fried bacon pieces), the excellent tripe soup, fried cheese with French fries (called hranolky), a goulash (pork or beef stew or soup) or any of the other listed dishes (chicken, turkey and pork predominate). Wash it down with a glass of excellent Slovak or Czech beer for Sk20-Sk35 and finish with an espresso for Sk25-Sk30.

As you walk the streets at lunchtime, you can see a number of signs in front of restaurants offering 3-course meals for less than Sk100 ($3).

My wife and I liked Café Corzo on Rybne námestie, located opposite the Danube Hotel. It has excellent outdoor seating with a view of the castle, a nice selection and modest prices (entrées cost Sk100-Sk200). Try the halászlé (Hungarian fish soup), the hearty Slovak cabbage soup with sausage, the blini with cream and caviar, or the vegetarian strudel.

For a more elegant but also quite affordable meal (entrées, Sk150-Sk250), we liked Café Zichy (Ventúrska 9; phone 421 2 54418551), not far from Corzo, at the Zichy Palace, next to the massive university library. (In most cases, a café is a complete restaurant, only with a less formal atmosphere.)

As mentioned, prices at most of the restaurants in Slovakia are still unbelievably reasonable. The best buys are beer, espresso (or cappuccino, etc.) and excellent ice cream ($1 for three scoops). Tipping is also a bargain, mostly just small change, maybe 3%-5% at most.

Most better establishments accept major credit cards, but beware: before asking for the check, let them know you want to pay by card. Also, you can’t include your tip on the card slip.

You can exchange money at any of the many banks, at small walk-in exchanges in the Old City or at one of the many automatic teller machines.

Further info

Bratislava, as a centuries-old city located at one of the most important European crossroads, has a rich history and offers many historical and architectural attractions. The BIS has a cadre of competent multilingual guides, and tours for individual visitors can be arranged there.

Once you are in Bratislava, the best guide to everything Slovak is the yearly “Spectacular Slovakia,” issued by The Slovak Spectator, an English-language weekly. The guide costs $15 and can be ordered online at www.slovakspectator.sk or by calling 421 2 5923 3300.