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Goodbye Hungary, Hello Slovakia. Another whistlestop tour which is the downside of taking a river cruise along the Danube. On the plus side you do get a taste of each city so you can decide which ones to revisit in the future. Beautiful architecture, haunting holocaust memorial, lovely parks but my favourite memory of this beautiful city are the quirky statues that you find as you walk around.
Some of the places we visited;
Bratislava Castle is the former seat of the rulers, today the symbol of Bratislava and the seat of the Museum of History. There is a wonderful view of the city and the neighbouring countries from its 47-metre-high crown tower in which royal coronation jewels used to be deposited.
St Martin's Cathedral - A three-nave Gothic church from the 15th century and the former coronation church. A gilded replica of the coronation crown fixed on the top of the cathedral tower at a height of 85 metres and weighing 150 kg reminds of this glorious age. The portal of the southern antechamber represents the oldest example of Renaissance architecture in Slovakia.
Old Town Hall - The former seat of the city self-government is since 1868 the seat of the Bratislava City Museum, the oldest museum in Slovakia. After climbing up the narrow stairs leading to its 45-metre-high tower you will be rewarded with a beautiful panoramic view of the Old Town.
Michael's Gate - The only preserved gate of the city fortification system dates back to the 14th century. The roof of the original gothic tower, built in the mid 14th century, was modified between 1753 and 1758 to give it its current, baroque style. The 51 meters tall tower has seven floors and offers a superb view of the old town from the upper terrace. At the top of the tower is a statue of the archangel Michael, slaying a dragon. On the street that passes through the gate is the so-called "zero kilometre" plate, listing the distances of 29 world capitals from Bratislava.
A Memorial Arch, made of concrete and symbolically riddled with bullet holes, remembers over 400 people shot while trying to escape to the West during the communism times. A walk along the riverbank reveals a pole crowned by a large rust-coloured heart constructed from the barbed wire that sealed off the area from the West.
UFO Bridge - The Bridge of the Slovak National Uprising built in 1967-1972 was given the label of the most characteristic building of the city. On top of the 80 metres tall pylon, there is a restaurant. The bridge is 431.8 m long and 21 m wide. The total mass of the steel structure including the pylon is 7537 tons.
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