Bratislava

	Bratislava
	City
	Bratislava Montage
Flag	Coat of arms
	Nickname: Beauty on the Danube, Little Big City
Country	Slovakia
Region	Bratislava
Districts	Bratislava I, II, III, IV, V
Rivers	Danube, Morava, Little Danube
Elevation	134 m (440 ft)
Coordinates	48°08′38″N 17°06′35″E / 48.14389°N 17.10972°E
Highest point	Devínska Kobyla
- elevation	514 m (1,686 ft)
Lowest point	Danube River
- elevation	126 m (413 ft)
Area	367.584 km² (142 sq mi)
- urban	853.15 km² (329 sq mi)
- metro	2,053 km² (793 sq mi)
Population	462,603 (2012-01-02)
- urban	586,300
- metro	659,578
Density	1,258 /km² (3,258 /sq mi)
First mentioned	907
Government	City council
Mayor	Milan Ftáčnik
Timezone	CET (UTC+1)
- summer (DST)	CEST (UTC+2)
Postal code	8XX XX
Phone prefix	421 2
Car plate	BA, BL
	Location in Slovakia
	Location in the Bratislava Region
	Wikimedia Commons: Bratislava
	Statistics: MOŠ/MIS
	Website: bratislava.sk

Coordinates: 48°08′38″N 17°06′35″E / 48.14389°N 17.10972°E

Bratislava is the capital city of Slovakia. About 450,000 people live there. It used to be called Pressburg (German) or Pozsony (Hungarian) and by some other names. Bratislava is the seat of national government, the presidency, and the parliament. It has several museums, galleries and of other educational, cultural and economic institutions.

There is a small Old Town, and a castle called Bratislavský Hrad. The Danube river goes through Bratislava.

Etymology

Bratislava had many names through its history. Here are some of them:

German: Preßburg (now spelled Pressburg)
Slovak: Prešporok, from German name
Hungarian: Pozsony (still used today by Hungarians)
Greek (medieval): Istropolis (meaning the Danube City)
Latin: Posonium
English: Pressburg(h)/Pressborough

and many others.

Geography

Bratislava is in the extreme southwest of Slovakia, on the borders with Austria and Hungary, and not far from the Czech Republic border. It is on the Morava and Danube rivers.

History

People have lived here since the Neolithic age. The Celts inhabited this area from 400 BC-50 BC. The Roman Empire set up border military camps near Bratislava from the 1st century until the 5th century, for example "Gerulata". The Slavs started moving here from the 6th century. Bratislava was part of the Slavic empire called Great Moravia in the 9th century. From the second half of the 10th century until 1918, it was part of the Kingdom of Hungary, with some exceptions. It was even capital of the Kingdom between 1524 and 1830/1848. After the World War I ended in 1918, it was part of newly founded Czechoslovakia until 1939, when it became capital of World War II Slovak Republic until 1945. After 1945, it was part of Czechoslovakia again, becoming capital of Slovak Socialist Republic (which was still part of Czechoslovakia) in 1968. After the event called Velvet Divorce, when the Czechoslovakia broke up, Bratislava became capital of Slovakia.

Sightseeing

Main square in the Old Town

List of notable structures:

Economy

Economy of Bratislava is prosperous and based on automobile industry, chemical industry and services. The unemployment (people without work) is lowest in Slovakia (around 2%, compared to the national average 7%). Approximately 250,000 people from all over the Slovakia travel to Bratislava for work.

Transport

Motorway D1 in Bratislava

Position of Bratislava made it a natural crossroads for international traffic. It is a motorway junction, rail junction, has its own international airport. The international river traffic passes along the Danube through Bratislava, with its own river port.

Bratislava has its own public transport system, with buses, trams and trolleybuses.

Territorial division

Bratislava is divided into 5 national districts and 17 city parts:

District I: Staré mesto (Old Town)
District II: Ružinov, Vrakuňa, Podunajské Biskupice
District III: Rača, Nové mesto (New Town), Vajnory
District IV: Karlova Ves, Dúbravka, Devín, Devínska Nová Ves, Záhorská
District V: Petržalka, Jarovce, Rusovce, Čunovo