HomeAbout BratislavaBratislava History

Bratislava City has a long and rich history. Let’s go back to the times when the Celtic tribes, the first ethnic group known by name lived on the Slovak territory, built so called ‘oppidums’ in Bratislava’s old town (400 years BC – 1st century AD) and settlements in Bratislava and Devin castle.

Later, the Romans (1st – 4th century) settled in nearby Petronell-Carnuntum (Austria) and the Danube river was the border called ‘Limes Romanus’, the border between the Roman empire and the Germanic tribes in the northern side.
The Slavs arrived in the area between the 5th and 6th century during the Migration Period.

The first king of the Slavs became Samo (7th century) who established the first known Slavic political entity – Samo’s empire, then, the area was a part of the Great Moravia Empire (833-907). In the year 1000 in Hungary, the first Hungarian King Stephen was elected and at the same time, present-day Slovakia became part of Hungary known as ‘upper Hungary’ or ‘the upper part of the Kingdom of Hungary’. After the Battle of Mohac in 1526, where the Hungarians were defeated by the Ottoman Turks, Bratislava became the capital of Royal Hungary (1536) and later the coronation town The total of 18 coronations took place in St. Martin’s Cathedral from the year 1563, first King Maximilian of Habsburg up to 1830, the last coronated king Ferdinand V . The Kingdom of Hungary became part of the Habsburg Monarchy up to 1918.

Maria Theresa, the Austrian empress was crowned in Bratislava on the June 25, 1741 and became Hungarian Queen. Thanks to her visits, Bratislava’s city life was flourishing. Her favorite daughter Maria Kristine got married in Grassalkovich palace (nowadays it serves as a presidential palace) and lived in Bratislava castle. 1919 – the town’s official name became ‘Bratislava’ instead of ‘Presporok’ , Pressburg (in German), Pozsony (in Hungarian). 1939-1945 became Bratislava the capital of Slovak State. 1993 – became Bratislava the capital Slovakia.

Nowadays, Bratislava is a young and dynamically developing city.