Bratislava (Slovakia)

Bratislava is a Danube River cruise port, as well as Slovakia's capital and largest city (population of around 450,000). The metropolitan area has a population of over 650,000. The city is located in the country's southwestern part, occupying both banks of Danube plus the west bank of Morava River. Bratislava is the world's only capital city bordering with two other countries - Austria (west) and Hungary (southeast). The city has renown universities, museums, art galleries, theatres, also the headquarters of large Slovakian companies and financial institutions, offices of large multi-national corporations.

Bratislava was the capital of Hungary (as part of the Habsburg Monarchy's territories. Among most popular attractions, excursions and tours offered in Bratislava are:

• Bratislava Castle was built in the 10th century (during the Kingdom of Hungary times) and converted into a fortress in 1430 by Sigismund of Luxemburg. Under Queen Maria Theresa (House of Habsburg), the castle was a royal seat. In 1811 the castle was destroyed by fire and was rebuilt in the 1950s.
• Devín Castle's ruins (an important archaeological site with a museum) was destroyed in 1809.
• Rusovce mansion has an English park and the Gerulata ruins (a Roman military camp built between 1st-4th centuries).
• Hrad Cerveny Kamen (13th-century castle/rebuilt as a fortress in the 16th century/now museum) is near the Casta village.

Bratislava has a close to downtown massive forest park space of nearly 47 km2 (18 mi2). Its largest park is named Horsky Park (in the Old Town). Bratislavsky Park (in the Little Carpathians) includes the towns Koliba and Zelezna. Most of the parks are heavily forested with oak and hornbeam trees. Their flora and fauna feature badgers, foxes, deer, wild boar. Mlynska Dolina/valley has the city's zoological park (Bratislava Zoo). Comenius University has the city's Botanical Gardens.

Slovak National Museum and the Natural History Museum are in the Old Town. Bratislava City Museum (est 1868) is Slovakia's oldest museum. Slovak National Gallery has two galleries in Bratislava (at Esterházy Palace and the Water Barracks in the Old Town). Bratislava City Gallery (displays at Pálffy Palace and Mirbach Palace in the Old Town) is the country's 2nd-largest of its kind, Danubiana Art Museum is located near Cunovo waterworks.

Each year the city is visited by around 990,000 people, over 750,000 of whom are foreigners staying in hotels overnight. The largest numbers of those are from Czechia, Austria, Germany, Poland, Italy, the UK.

Bratislava has several natural and artificial lakes, used mostly for recreation.

Bratislava cruise terminal