Bratislava Castle

A white rectangular castle with a tower at each corner on a hill above the Danube, nicknamed the 'upturned table'.

From the castle there are excellent views of Bratislava, Austria, and, in clear weather, parts of Hungary. Because of its four corner towers, some people jokingly call it the "upturned table". The castle's largest tower, the Crown Tower, is 47 metres high and dates from the 13th century. Many legends are linked to its history.

What is inside?

Behind the entrance, an arcade corridor leads to a large Baroque staircase and then to the exhibitions of the Slovak National Museum on the second floor. The Treasure Chamber, opened in 1988, shows the country's most precious finds, such as the prehistoric Venus of Moravany. A courtyard has an 80 metre deep well. For about 200 years, from the mid-1500s, the Crown Tower stored the crown jewels of Hungary.

How old is the castle?

The hill has been used since ancient times. Slavs built a castle with a wooden rampart there around the 8th or 9th century, and a Great Moravian basilica from the 9th century has left traces east of the castle. In the Renaissance period the castle was rebuilt, and a new Baroque rebuilding started in 1616. A fire in 1811 destroyed much of it, and it was rebuilt in the 20th century.

On the globe

The model shows a white rectangular castle with a tower at each corner on a hill above the Danube.