Bratislava Castle

The Bratislava Castle (Slovak: Bratislavský hrad) is the main castle of Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (3072x2304, 1352 KB) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Bratislava Bratislava Castle List of castles in Slovakia Metadata This file contains additional information, probably added from the... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (3072x2304, 1352 KB) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Bratislava Bratislava Castle List of castles in Slovakia Metadata This file contains additional information, probably added from the... Pierrefonds Castle, France Castle has a history of scholarly debate surrounding its exact meaning. ... Bratislava (see below for other names) is the capital of Slovakia, and the countrys largest city, with a population of some 450,000. ...

The massive rectangular building with four corner towers stands on a quite isolated rocky hill of the Little Carpathians (Malé Karpaty) directly above the Danube river in the middle of Bratislava. It is an outstanding feature of the city. Lesser Carpathians around ÄŒervený Kameň Castle Little Carpathians (Slovak: ; frequent other translations to English are Lesser Carpathians or - wrongly - Small Carpathians) are a low 100 km long mountain range (part of the Carpathian Mountains system) in western Slovakia, covering the area from Bratislava to Nové Mesto nad Váhom. ... The Danube (ancient Danuvius, ancient Greek Istros) is the longest river of the European Union and Europes second-longest[3] (after the Volga). ...

It provides an excellent view of Bratislava, of Austria and, when there is good weather, of Vienna and Hungary. Many legends are connected with the history of the castle. Vienna (German: , see also other names) is the capital of Austria, and also one of the nine States of Austria. ...

For a short summary of this article see Bratislava Bratislava (see below for other names) is the capital of Slovakia, and the countrys largest city, with a population of some 450,000. ...

The castle site

The castle site includes the following:

Castle building (the Palace)

The castle building includes 4 towers (one on each corner) and a courtyard with an 80m deep water well. The biggest tower is the Crown Tower in the south-east from the 13th century, which housed the crown jewels (see History). The outside walls and inside corridors contain fragments of old Gothic and Renaissance construction elements. To the east of the main entrance, one can see the walled up entrance gate from the 16th century. Behind the entrance, there is an arcade corridor and then the big Baroque staircase, which leads to the expositions of the Slovak National Museum (Slovenské národné múzeum). The left part of the southern part of the building houses the 4 halls of the Treasure Chamber (opened in 1988) with a collection of the most precious archaeological findings and other objects found in Slovakia, including the prehistoric statute called the Venus of Moravany. The 3rd floor houses the exposition History of Slovakia. The 1st floor in the southern part of the building houses the rooms of Slovak parliament - the National Council of the Slovak Republic - including parts of furniture from the 16th century. The northern part of the building- the former Baroque chapel, houses the Music Hall in which concerts are held. The court yard includes the entrance to the Knights Hall. Crown jewels are jewels or artifacts that in a way represent the reigning royal family of their country of origina. ... Gothic architecture is a style of architecture, particularly associated with cathedrals and other churches, which flourished in Europe during the high and late medieval period. ... Raphael was famous for depicting illustrious figures of the Classical past with the features of his Renaissance contemporaries. ... Block quote For other uses, see Baroque (disambiguation). ... 1988 (MCMLXXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The National Council of the Slovak Republic (in Slovak: Národná rada Slovenskej republiky, often just: Národná rada) (NR SR) has been the name of the parliament of Slovakia since 1993 (more precisely since 1 October 1992). ...

Entrance gates to the site

• Sigismund Gate in the south-east– the best preserved original part of the site, built in the 15th century
• Vienna Gate in the south-west – built in 1712
• Nicholas Gate in the north-east – built in the 16th century

Other buildings and objects

A plan of the castle site from c. 1780 which approx. corresponds to the current state

To the west of the castle building (see the picture), there is the newly reconstructed Hillebrandt building built in 1762 and destroyed by the 1811 fire (see History). The Yard of Honor is the space directly before the castle entrance. It was created in the late 18th century.
Behind the Sigismund Gate and in front of the castle building, there is the Leopold Yard from the 17th century with bastions.
To the east of the castle building the constellation of the Great Moravian basilica (9th century), the Church of St Savior (11th century) and other Early medieval objects is indicated on the ground. The true archaeological findings are directly below this indicated constellation.
To the north-east of the castle building, next to the Nicholas Gate, there is the Lugiland Bastion (which was a Gothic entrance gate in the 15th century), a long building from the 17th century (today a building of National Council of the Slovak Republic), and a Baroque stable (today a famous restaurant). An English park is located to the south of the stable.
The whole northern border of the castle site is formed by a long Baroque building from the 18th century, which today houses the Slovak National Museum and the castle administration. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (622x631, 322 KB)copyright expired File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (622x631, 322 KB)copyright expired File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Savior refers to a person who helps people achieve Salvation. ... The point of a bastion on a reconstructed French fort in Illinois. ... The term English garden or English park (French jardin anglais) is used outside of the English speaking world to refer to the style of informal landscape gardening which was popular in the United Kingdom from the mid 18th century to the early 19th century, and is particularly associated with Capability...

History

Prehistory (2800 – 450 BC)

The castle, like today's city, has been inhabited for thousands of years, because it is strategically located in the center of Europe at a passage between the Carpathians and the Alps, at a very important ford used to cross the Danube river, and at an important crossing of central European ancient (trade) routes running from the Balkans or the Adriatic Sea to the Rhine river or the Baltic Sea, the most important route being the Amber Route. This article is 150 kilobytes or more in size. ... Satellite image of the Carpathians. ... The west face of the Petit Dru above the Chamonix valley near the Mer de Glace. ... A ford, with pedestrian footbridge, on a minor road near Weimar bei Kassel in Germany The ford at Brockenhurst, leading into the village centre, following heavy rain. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... A satellite image of the Adriatic Sea. ... The River Rhine (Dutch: ; French: ; German: ; Italian: ; Romansh: ) is one of the longest and most important rivers in Europe at 1,320 kilometres (820 miles), with an average discharge of more than 2,000 cubic meters per second. ... The Baltic Sea is located in Northern Europe, from 53°N to 66°N latitude and from 20°E to 26°E longitude. ... The Amber Road (in Lithuanian: Gintaro kelias; Polish: Szlak Bursztynowy, Jantarowy Szlak; in German: Bernsteinstraße; in Russian: Янтарный путь) was an ancient trade route for the transfer of amber. ...

The people of the Boleráz culture (the oldest phase of the Baden culture) were the first known culture to have constructed settlements on the castle hill. This happened around 3500 BC (i.e. in the high Eneolithic Period). Their "castle" was a fortified settlement and a kind of acropolis for settlements in today's Old Town of Bratislava. Approximate extent of the Corded Ware horizon with adjacent 3rd millennium cultures (after EIEC). ... The Chalcolithic (Greek khalkos + lithos copper stone) period, also known as the Eneolithic (Aeneolithic) or Copper Age period, is a phase in the development of human culture in which the use of early metal tools appeared alongside the use of stone tools. ...

Further major findings from the castle hill are from the Hallstatt Period (Early Iron Age, 750 – 450 BC). At that time the people of the Kalenderberg Culture built a building plunged into the rock of the castle hill. Again, the "castle" served as an acropolis for settlements found in the western part of the Old Town. The Hallstatt culture was the predominant Central European culture during the local Bronze Age, and introduced the Iron Age. ... Iron Age Axe found on Gotland This article is about the archaeological period known as the Iron Age, for the mythological Iron Age see Iron Age (mythology). ... Acropolis of Athens from the south-west with the Propylaea and the Temple of Nike (left centre) and the theatre of Herodes Atticus (below left) Acropolis (Gr. ...

Celts and Romans (450 BC – 5th Century AD)

During the La Tène Period (Late Iron Age, Celtic Period, 450 BC – 1 BC ), the castle hill became a very important center of the Celts. In the last century BC (after 125 BC), the "castle" served as the acropolis of an oppidum (town) of the Celtic Boii. A great number and diversity of findings (including coins, house equipment, 2 buildings, castle entrance gate etc.) testifies this. La Tène is a village located at the eastern end of the Lake Neuchâtel (Lac de Neuchâtel), a lake in Switzerland. ... Iron Age Axe found on Gotland This article is about the archaeological period known as the Iron Age, for the mythological Iron Age see Iron Age (mythology). ... A Celtic cross. ... A map of Gaul showing the relative position of the Boii tribe. ...

The castle hill, which was situated at the Danube and thus since 9 BC at the border of the Roman Empire, was also settled by the Romans during the Roman Period (1st to 4th century AD) as findings of bricks of Roman legions (Legion XIII GAN, Legion X GEPF etc.) and some parts of architecture (a Roman figural relief, roof parts etc. ) suggest. The Danube (ancient Danuvius, ancient Greek Istros) is the longest river of the European Union and Europes second-longest[3] (after the Volga). ... Motto: Senatus Populusque Romanus (SPQR) The Roman Empire at its greatest extent, c. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ...

The developments in the 5th century (the time of the Great Migration of Peoples) are largely unclear. Human migration denotes any movement of groups of people from one locality to another, rather than of individual wanderers. ...

Slavs, Nitrian Principality, Great Moravia (500 – 907)

The situation changed with the arrival of the Slavs, the direct predecessors of present-day Slovaks, around 500 in the territory of Bratislava. Initially, they partly used older Roman and Celtic structures and added some fortifications. Probably at the end of the 8th century (definitely not later than in the early 9th century), at the time of the Principality of Nitra, a Slavic castle with a wooden rampart was constructed with a huge area of 55,000 square metres. In the second half of the 9th century, at the time of Great Moravia, a palace of stone surrounded by dwellings and a big basilica were added The basilica is the biggest Great Moravian basilica from the territory of Slovakia, and the area of the castle is approximately the same as that of the Mikulčice site (the historical town "Moravia"), which is the most important Great Moravian archaeological site. The Slavic peoples are the most numerous ethnic and linguistic body of peoples in Europe. ... Events Possible date for the Battle of Mons Badonicus: Romano-British and Celts defeat an Anglo-Saxon army that may have been led by the bretwalda Aelle of Sussex (approximate date; suggested dates range from 490 to 510) Note: This battle may have influenced the legend of King Arthur. ... The Principality of Nitra or Nitrian Principality ( Slovak: Nitrianske kniežatstvo, Nitriansko, Nitrava) was a principality in what is today Slovakia and some adjacent territories in present-day Hungary in the Middle Ages. ... Great Moravia was a Slavic empire existing in Central Europe between 833 and the early 10th century. ... St. ... Location of Mikulčice in the Czech Republic Mikulčice is a municipality (obec) in the Czech Republic, situated 7 km south of Hodonín, near the border with Slovakia. ...

Material from old Roman buildings was used to construct this Slavic castle in Bratislava. This could be a confirmation of the disputed statement of Aventinus from the 16th century, who – referring to lost sources – claimed that around 805/7 the Great Moravian prince Uratislaus (i.e. Vratislav) constructed today's Bratislava (Castle?) at the place of a destroyed Roman frontier fort called Pisonium, and the new settlement was named after him Uratislaburgium / Wratisslaburgium. Another probable fact is that around 900 the castle and the territory it controlled was given in fief to Predslav the third son of the Great Moravian king Svätopluk and that Pre(d) slav, or a person of the same name, is the person after which the castle and the town received its old German name Pressburg (from which the old Slovak name Prešporek is derived). The oldest version of this name was Preslava (Slovak)/*Preslav(a) sburg (German). It appeared for the first time in 907 (Battles at Bratislava) in the forms Brezalauspurc(h) (the first 100% sure name of Bratislava (Castle)), Braslavespurch and Pressalauspruch and then around 1000 on Hungarian coins as Preslav(v) a Civitas (meaning Bratislava Castle). Aventine Hill, named after Aventinus, king of Alba and Latium son of Hercules and Rhea Johannes Aventinus descendant of Aeneas, king of the Latins (future Rome site) This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... Events Emperor Nicephorus I of Byzantium suffers a major defeat against the Saracens at Crasus. ... Svatopluk (-modern Czech name; modern Slovak name: Svätopluk; Old Slavic Свѧтопълкъ; reconstructed name: Sventopluk; some names in Latin texts: Suentopolcus, Zventopluk, Suatopluk, Zwentibald) (around 830 - 894) from the Mojmírs dynasty was the prince of the Nitrian principality (850s - 871) and then the king of Great Moravia (871 - 894). ...

High and Late Middle Ages (907 – 1531)

Although the Magyars (Hungarians) destroyed Great Moravia around 907 and Bratislava probably became part of their territory, no Hungarian findings were found in the town up to the 12th century, implying that the administration was left to Slovaks. The developments in the 10th century are unclear. The Slavic basilica and building were partly destroyed in the early 10th century. The construction of a new castle of stone started in the 10th century, but it was not finished. Under the Hungarian king Stephen I (1000-1038), however, the castle was already one of the central castles of the Kingdom of Hungary. It became the seat of a county (the Bratislava county), protected the kingdom against Bohemian (Czech) and German attacks (e.g. in 1030, 1042, 1052, 1108, 1146) and played an important role in throne struggles in the Kingdom of Hungary (e.g. struggles after the death of King Stephen I.; occupation of the castle by King Solomon; occupation by King Stephen III) – see History of Bratislava. Fighting with the German king Henry III in 1052 caused damage to the castle and the Hungarian king Salomon (1063-1074), who was living in the castle for a certain time, had it repaired in 1073-1074. The old Slavic rampart was modernized and the Church of the St. Savior with a chapter and a church school were added. This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Stephen the Great raising the double cross: equestrian sculpture by Alajos Stróbl, 1906, crowns the Fishermens Bastion, Budapest. ... The Kingdom of Hungary (Hungarian: Magyar Királyság) is the name of a multiethnic kingdom that existed in Central Europe from 1000 to 1918. ... Map of the counties in the Kingdom of Hungary around 1880 A comitatus (less frequently, a comitat, or, inaccurately, a county; for the various names, their origin and use see here) is the name of an administrative unit in the Kingdom of Hungary from the 10th century to 1918. ... Bratislava county is a historic administrative county (comitatus) of the Kingdom of Hungary. ... Flag of Bohemia Bohemia (Czech: ; German: ) is a historical region in central Europe, occupying the western and middle thirds of the Czech Republic. ... Solomon of Hungary (1053-1074) was the King of Hungary between 1063 and 1074. ... Stephen III or better István III (Hungarian: ), (1147–March 4, 1172), king of Hungary from 1162 to 1172. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Henry III, from a miniature of 1040. ... Chapter has multiple meanings. ...

The castle was turned into a proto-Romanesque palace of stone in the 12th century (probably after 1179), maybe because King Béla III (1173-1196) decided to make Esztergom the definitive seat of kings of the Kingdom of Hungary. It was a palace similar to those constructed in Germany under Friedrich Barbarossa. The church institutions and building at the castle were moved to the town below the castle in the early 12th century. Romanesque St. ... Béla III of Hungary (Hungarian , Slovak: Belo III), born in 1148, was King of Kingdom of Hungary circa 1172-1196. ... Basilica in Esztergom. ... Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ...

The well-fortified Bratislava Castle was among the few castles of the Kingdom of Hungary to be able to withstand Mongol attacks in 1241 and 1242. As a reaction to these attacks, a huge "tower for the protection of the kingdom" was constructed at the castle building in 1245 immediately next to two older palaces. The tower was actually a huge high residential building. In addition, 7 (genuine) square towers were built into the old Great Moravian rampart and a stone wall was added around the castle proper (i.e. the residential building). The biggest of the rampart towers was at the same time a corner tower of the stone wall. Today it is a part of the castle building - it is identical with the present-day "Crown tower", which is the biggest one of today's four towers of the castle building. It was probably built around 1250 when Knights of St. John were active at the castle. Honorary guard of Mongolia. ... The Knights Hospitaller (the or Knights of Malta or Knights of Rhodes) is a tradition which began as a Benedictine nursing Order founded in the 11th century based in the Holy Land, but soon became a militant Christian Chivalric Order under its own charter, and was charged with the care...

The new castle had to face further conflicts. In 1271, the Bohemian king Otakar II invaded western Slovakia and charged the knight Egid with the administration of the conquered castle. Egid rebelled against Otakar two years later and was defeated by Otakar, but due to problems in Bohemia, Otakar had to leave this territory. In 1285-86, the noble Nicholas of Güssing (Kysak/Köszeg) occupied the castle in order to use it as a basis for a rebellion against the Hungarian king, but he was defeated. Shortly afterwards, 1287-1291, the Austrian duke Albert of Habsburg, supporting Nicholas, occupied the castle, but was defeated by Matthew Csák, who was made county head of Bratislava county for this. A more or less successful Austrian occupation of the castle and the county occurred in 1302-1312/1322 by duke Rudolf. Otakar II (also spelled Ottokar or PÅ™emysl Otakar/Ottokar) (c. ... Güssing ( in Hungarian Németújvár ) is a town in Burgenland, Austria The lords of Güssing (in Hungarian: Köszeg, in Slovak: Kysak) were a noble family in the frontier region of Austria and the Kingdom of Hungary. ... Albert I (born July 1255 - May 1, 1308) was a German king, duke of Austria, and eldest son of King Rudolph I of Habsburg. ... Matthew Csák III (of Trenčín) (Matúš Čák III (Trenčiansky), Chak, Chaak, Czak; in (modern) Hungarian trencséni Csák Máté) (about 1260 – 1321) was the ruler of the Váh and the Tatras region, and lived in Trenčín castle in Slovakia. ... Rudolph or Rudolf is a male first name, which, among others, can refer to the following: May also be used as a surname. ...

As a result of these permanent fighting, the Hungarian king granted the city rights (town charter) to a part of the settlements below the castle in 1291, thereby withdrawing them from the authority of the county head in the castle. Some settlements on the castle hill remained under the castle's authority and the fortification was gradually extended to them.

In 1385, King Sigismund of Luxembourg occupied the castle and the Bratislava county and one year later put the county in pawn to his cousins, the Moravian margraves Prokop and Jošt in exchange for a loan they provided to him. The castle was reconquered by the Polish-Slovak noble Stibor of Stiborice in 1389, who was made the county head of the Bratislava county in 1389-1402 as a reward. He had a chapel built in the Bratislava Castle. Sigismund (February 14/15, 1368 - December 9, 1437) was Holy Roman Emperor from 1433 to 1437. ... Margrave is the English and French form (recorded since 1551) of the German title Markgraf (from Mark march and Graf count) and certain equivalent nobiliary (princely) titles in other languages. ...

Other allies of King Sigismund, especially in his fights against the Czech Hussites, was the noble family Rozgoň (= Rozgonyi, of Rozhanovce), which received the Bratislava county head function in 1421. At some point between 1420 and 1430, King Sigismund (Holy Roman Emperor) decided to make the Bratislava Castle – due to its central location - the center of his new German-Czech-Hungarian empire. In 1423, the king ordered the Rozgonyis to improve the fortifications of the castle as a protection against Hussite attacks, because the castle was situated close to the Czech border and it was still protected only by the old Great Moravian wooden ramparts. They replaced the old rampart with a new better stone bulwark. Then between 1431 and 1434 a total rearrangement of the Bratislava castle took place. Experts from Germany were invited, material was transported from Austria, towns were imposed special taxes specifically for the construction of the planned largest castle ever built. The construction master was Konrad von Erlingen. The residential "tower" was demolished, and the form of the new Gothic palace was approximately similar to that of the present-day castle (but without two towers). Today, the only completely preserved part of the castle from that time is the Sigismund Gate (wrongly called the Corvinus Gate), i.e. the eastern entrance gate in the bulwark. Smaller parts have been preserve in the main palace. Sigismund plans, however, did not materialize, because the castle was never made Sigismund's residence and Sigismund always lived in the town below the castle. The Hussites comprised an early Protestant Christian movement, followers of Jan Hus. ... The Holy Roman Emperor was, with some variation, the ruler of the Holy Roman Empire, the predecessor of modern Germany, during its existence from the 10th century until its collapse in 1806. ...

After Sigismund's death in 1437, his widow Barbara of Celje was imprisoned in the castle by the new king Albert of Habsburg. In 1438, Albert's daughter was engaged to the markgrave Wilhelm von Meissen in the castle. Later on, Ladislaus Posthumus was probably living in the castle (parts of the castle were adapted for him at least). In 1440-1443, there were fighting between the castle of Bratislava ruled by county heads from the Rozgonyi family (supporting King Ladislaus I of Jagiellon) and the town of Bratislava (supporting – and owned by – Queen Elisabeth which ruled for the young Ladislaus Posthumus) – see History of Bratislava for details. Castle repairs of 1438, 1452 and 1463 included repairs of damages caused by the above conflict. A water well was constructed in the yard of the castle in the 15th century. Barbara of Celje (Slovenian Barbara Celjska) or Barbara of Cilli (about 1390/1395 - 11 July 1451) was Holy Roman Empress. ... Ladislaus, king of Bohemia Ladislaus the Posthumous (22 February 1440 – 23 November 1457), Archduke, king of Hungary as László V; king of Bohemia as Ladislav; duke of Austria, the only son of Albert II, Holy Roman Emperor, and of Elizabeth, daughter of Emperor Sigismund, was born at Komarom four... WÅ‚adysÅ‚aw III of Varna. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ...

Main castle of the Kingdom of Hungary (1531 – 1783)

Political events

In 1536 (de facto already in 1531), after the Turks (the Ottoman Empire) had conquered present-day Hungary, Bratislava became the capital (seat of the Diet and of central authorities, place of coronations) of the remaining Kingdom of Hungary, which was renamed Royal Hungary and was ruled by the Austrian Habsburgs now. Consequently, the Bratislava Castle became the most important royal castle and the formal seat of the kings of Royal Hungary (who however resided in Vienna normally). At the same time, from the beginning of the 16th century, Bratislava and its castle had to face various anti-Habsburg uprisings in Royal Hungary on the territory of Slovakia. For example, troops of Gabriel Bethlen occupied the castle between 1619 and 1621, when it was reconquered by imperial (=Austrian) troops, and had the royal crown removed from Bratislava Castle till 1622. Between 1671 and 1677, the Bratislava Castle was home to an extraordinary court against the Protestants and participants of anti-Habsburg uprisings. Imre Thököly, the leader of another big anti-Habsburg uprising, failed to conquer the castle in 1682-83. Motto: دولت ابد مدت Devlet-i Ebed-müddet (The Eternal State) Anthem: Ottoman imperial anthem Borders in 1680, see: list of territories Capital Söğüt (1299-1326) Bursa (1326-1365) Edirne (1365-1453) Constantinople (Istanbul) (1453-1922) Language(s) Ottoman Turkish Government Monarchy Sultans  - 1281–1326 Osman I  - 1918–1922 Mehmed VI... In politics, a Diet is a formal deliberative assembly. ... Habsburg (sometimes spelled Hapsburg, but never so in official use) was one of the major ruling houses of Europe. ... Gabriel Bethlen, Prince of Transylvania (1580-1629) Gabriel (Gabor) Bethlen (Hungarian: Bethlen Gábor, Slovak: Gabriel Betlen) (1580-1629), prince of Transylvania (1613-1629) and leader of a anti-Habsburg insurrection in the Habsburg Royal Hungary on the territory of present-day Slovakia. ... Protestantism is a general grouping of denominations within Christianity. ... Count Imre Thököly de Késmárk (Thököly/Tököly/Tökölli Imre in Hungarian; Imrich Tököli in Slovak; Emericq Thököly according to his most frequent signature) (1657-1705), statesman, leader of an anti-Habsburg uprising, prince of Transylvania. ...

The Renaissance conversion

The Bratislava Castle in the second half of the 16th century (by Hogenberger)

Immediately after the defeat of the Kingdom of Hungary in the battle at Mohács in 1526, during which the king died, the queen – Maria of Habsburg – fled with her retinue from Buda to Bratislava. The royal treasure (mostly very valuable objects of art, the royal scepter, apple and sword, the globe of Ladislaus of Jagiello known as Astrolabium etc.) and many other important objects she has taken with her were deposited in the Bratislava Castle and guarded by the royal burgrave Ján Bornemisza. Shortly afterwards, however, this precious treasure was mostly destroyed by the new king Ferdinand I of Habsburg, who needed it to finance his participation in a civil war in Royal Hungary, and smaller parts went to the Treasury Chamber of Vienna (Wiener Schatzkammer), or became personal property of Maria, or got lost forever. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (876x547, 527 KB)copyright expired File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (876x547, 527 KB)copyright expired File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... The Battle of Mohács was fought on August 29, 1526 between the Hungarian army led by Louis II and the Ottoman army led by Suleiman the Magnificent. ... Maria of Austria (18 September 1505 – 18 October 1558) is also known variously as Mary, Marie or Maria of Hungary (after her marriage) of Austria (due to her country of origin) or of Habsburg. // Origins She was born in in Brussels to Philip I of Castile and Juana of Castile. ... Buda (German: Ofen, Croatian: Budim, Slovak: Budín, Serbian: Будим or Budim, Turkish: Budin) is the western part of the Hungarian capital Budapest on the right bank of the Danube. ... A sceptre or scepter is an ornamental staff held by a ruling monarch, a prominent item of kingly regalia. ... This article is about the satellite APPLE. For the fruit apple, see Apple. ... Ferdinand I Habsburg Ferdinand I (10 March 1503–25 July 1564), Holy Roman Emperor (1556–1564), was born in Madrid, the son of Juana the Mad, Queen of Castile (1479–1555), and Philip I the Handsome, King of Castile (1478–1506), who was heir to Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I...

Taking into account the new role of the castle, the emperor Ferdinand I. of Habsburg had it rebuilt into a Renaissance castle by Italian builders and artists, such as Giulio Licino da Pordanone and Maciotanus Ulisses from Rome, between 1552 and 1562 (but some work continued even afterwards). The main designer and supervisor of the construction was the Italian architect Pietro Ferrabosco, who had been serving the emperor in Vienna and knew Count Eck Salm, the captain of Bratislava from 1552 – 1571. The building’s form did not change (except that the entrance was shifted), but it was completely changed inside and outside. Above all, floors and rooms were rearranged, and most rooms received precious (golden etc.) equipment. In late 16th century, a ball house (for various ball games) at the eastern wall and a second, better water well were added. Unfortunately, basically only one part of the castle chapel has been completely preserved from this time, paradoxically because it was walled up as “unnecessary” in the 17th century. As for the rest of the site, there were wooden dwellings for the guards (up to the 18th century) in the north-west, a (today unknown) “old tower” somewhere to the left of the castle building was improved, and the western entrance gate of the site was replaced by a big armoury.

In terms of the castle’s functions after 1530, the castle was home to selected participants of Diet meetings (including apartments of the king (emperor), which have been already there since the Gothic reconstruction ), to some central authorities of Royal Hungary, the county head of Bratislava etc., to the apartment of the Governor of Royal Hungary (usually a brother of the emperor), and since 1552, the crown jewels were deposited here as well – in what is today known as the Crown Tower. Initial and final meetings of the Diet took place in the castle too. Crown jewels are jewels or artifacts that in a way represent the reigning royal family of their country of origina. ...

Baroque conversions

Early Baroque

Since some of the Renaissance changes were done in haste (especially the wooden roof), as early as in 1616 a new, gradual Early Baroque reconstruction started based on a design by the main imperial architect Giovanni Battista Carlone. The works were intensified in 1635 and finished around 1647. It was mostly financed by Count Paul Pálffy (Pálfi), the captain of the castle and county head of Bratislava county. The look the castle received through this conversion is basically the look the castle has kept till the present. The northern and western part of the main building have been newly built and a new, 3rd floor was added in the whole building, the main entrance was shifted back to the middle of the wall, the ancient fortifications were improved, the chapel was shifted from the southern part to the northern part (today’s Musical Hall), and 2 new towers were added – yielding in sum the present 4 towers in the corners. As a reward for not having misappropriated state funds during the conversion, the Diet appointed Count Paul Pálffy lifelong captain of Bratislava Castle, county head of the Bratislava county and usufructuary of the castle (which remained in possession of the crown) in 1650. One year later, the emperor made those functions and titles hereditary for the Pálffys. Block quote For other uses, see Baroque (disambiguation). ... Giovanni Battista Carlone (1603 - 1684) was a Genoese painter of the Baroque era. ...

In 1653, all wooden ceilings turned out to be bad and had to be replaced in the following years, so that precious paintings placed on them got lost. Ten years later, facing one of frequent Turkish (Ottoman) attacks to the territory of Slovakia, the fortifications were improved under the leadership of the military engineer Josef Priami of the Imperial Court in Vienna. Further improvements of the fortifications followed around 1673. They ended with the final defeat of the Turks at Vienna in 1683. In 1703, barracks were built in the north-east of the site and the armoury was turned into barracks too. The present-day Vienna Gate was constructed on the occasion of the coronation of Emperor Charles VI in 1712 and it was used as the main entrance to the castle site since then. Holy Roman Emperor Charles VI Charles VI of Austria (October 1, 1685 – October 20, 1740) was Holy Roman Emperor from 1711 to 1740 and the second son of Leopold I with his third wife, Eleonore-Magdalena of Pfalz-Neuburg, came first to the throne with the name Charles III of...

The Maria Theresa conversion

When Maria Theresa became the queen of the Kingdom of Hungary in 1740, she promised to the nobles of the kingdom that she would have a residence both in Austria and in the Kingdom of Hungary – that is in the Bratislava Castle. She kept the promise and spent much time in Bratislava. A corresponding conversion of the defense castle into a (at that time) modern royal residence was performed between 1761 and 1766. Maria Theresa, Holy Roman Empress, Archduchess of Austria, Queen of Hungary and Bohemia The worlds most famous coin, a silver thaler of Maria Theresa, dated 1780. ... Events May 31 - Friedrich II comes to power in Prussia upon the death of his father, Friedrich Wilhelm I. October 20 - Maria Theresia of Austria inherits the Habsburg hereditary dominions (Austria, Bohemia, Hungary and present-day Belgium). ... 1761 was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... 1766 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ...

Minor changes however were done as early as from 1740 onwards: besides various changes in the interior, a large garden was added in the northern part of the site and Emperor Francis I (Maria Theresa's husband, who was interested in botany) created a small garden to the east of the castle building. The chief designer until 1757 was J.B. Martinelli. Events May 31 - Friedrich II comes to power in Prussia upon the death of his father, Friedrich Wilhelm I. October 20 - Maria Theresia of Austria inherits the Habsburg hereditary dominions (Austria, Bohemia, Hungary and present-day Belgium). ... Francis I Silver coin of Francis I, dated 1754. ... 1757 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ...

Major changes inside the castle (in the rococo style) were begun in 1760. The new chief designer between 1761 and 1762 was Franz Anton Hillebrandt. A new single floor building for the kitchen, servants and horses was added to the western wall of the castle. Because the water supply for the castle was not sufficient, Maria Theresa had Johann Wolfgang von Kempelen build a special water pipe drawing water from a tank in the town at the Danube bank using pumps. The stairs throughout the castle were rebuilt with a lower gradient, on Maria Theresa's request, to enable her to ride her horse upon them. The result of these changes, as for the exterior of the palace itself and the site gates, was more or less the Bratislava Castle as we know it today. North side of the Catherine Palace in Tsarskoye Selo - carriage courtyard: all the stucco details sparkled with gold until 1773, when Catherine II had gilding replaced with olive drab paint. ... 1760 was a leap year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... 1761 was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... 1762 was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... Farkas Kempelen(Wolfgang von (de Pámánd) Kempelen) (born 23 January 1734 in Pozsony(Preßburg), died 26 March 1804 in Vienna) was an author and inventor of Hungarian origin who became most famous for his construction of the Mechanical Turk, which was a first-class hoax, and a...

Due to disputes with Hungarian nobles, Maria Theresa did not appoint a palatine, who used to represent the nobles, and instead in 1765 appointed a governor for the Kingdom of Hungary, who obeyed the queen. Bratislava Castle became his seat and the office of the county head left the castle. The second governor was Albert of Saxe-Teschen since 1765, the queen's son-in-law – the husband of queen's favorite daughter, Marie Christine of Austria. Albert and Maria Christine moved to the castle in 1766. Since both of them were promoters of culture and science, the castle and the town became a place of frequent events and visits in the sphere of culture and science. The palatine (Latin: comes palatii, comes palatinus, later: palatinus (regni), Hungarian: nádorispán/ nádor, Slovak: nádvorný župan/ nádvorný Å¡pán, later: palatín / nádvorník, German: Palatin) was the highest dignitary in the Kingdom of Hungary after the king (a kind of powerful prime minister... 1765 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... Albert Casimir August of Saxony, Duke of Teschen (11 July 1738 in the Moritzburg near Dresden - 10 February 1822 in Vienna) was a famous art collector. ... 1765 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... Marie Christine Johanna Josephe Antonie of Austria (born Maria Christina Johanna Josepha Antonia) (3 May 1742 - 24 June 1798), (→Family Tree) called Mimi, was the second girl and fifth child of Maria Theresa of Austria and Francis I, Holy Roman Emperor. ... 1766 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ...

Because the governor did not have enough space, a new palace (later called the Theresianum) was built at the eastern wall of the castle building in 1767 - 1770. It had been designed by Hillebrandt in the classic style. Its furnishings were very expensive and precious and included hundreds of objects of art. The first floor was home to a family gallery, which later became the basis of today's Albertina Gallery in Vienna. 1767 was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... Battle of Chesma, by Ivan Aivazovsky. ... Classicism door in Olomouc, The Czech Republic Teatr Wielki in Warsaw Church La Madeleine in Paris Classicism, in the arts, refers generally to a high regard for classical antiquity, as setting standards for taste which the classicist seeks to emulate. ... The Albertina is a famous art museum in Vienna, Austria. ...

In addition, a winter riding school was added at the northern end of the castle site, a summer riding school was situated directly in the castle yard, both castle gardens were adapted (in the Schönbrunn style), and night lighting using oil lanterns was introduced on the access road to the castle for the first time in history. In 1770, Maria Theresa herself ordered further valuable paintings and furniture to be provided to both the main castle and the Theresianum, and the governor moved into the completed Theresianum. Maria Theresa visited them frequently there, however mostly unofficially. Schönbrunn can refer to Schönbrunn Palace in Vienna, Austria the municipality Schönbrunn (Baden) in the Rhein-Neckar district, Baden-Württemberg, Germany the municipality Schönbrunn (Steigerwald) in the district Bamberg, Bavaria, Germany Schönbrunn (Fichtelgebirge) , part of Wunsiedel in the district of Fichtegelberge A part of... Battle of Chesma, by Ivan Aivazovsky. ...

Loss of importance and destruction (1783 – 1811)

The office of governor of the Kingdom of Hungary was re-abolished in 1781 by the new king Joseph II , and Albert of Sachsen-Teschen left the castle and took many parts of the equipment away. The (present-day Albertina Gallery) art collection went partly to Vienna, partly to Belgium, where Albert became a new governor. Other objects moved mostly to Vienna. In 1783, Bratislava ceased to be the seat of central authorities of the kingdom. They were moved to Buda (now Budapest). The crown jewels of the Kingdom of Hungary were moved to the Hofburg in Vienna. Holy Roman Emperor Joseph II Joseph II (Joseph Benedict August Johannes Anton Michel Adam) (March 13, 1741 – February 20, 1790) was Holy Roman Emperor from 1765 to 1790 and ruler of the Habsburg lands from 1780 to 1790. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Hofburg Neue Burg section, seen from Heldenplatz. ...

In 1784, the Theresianum, some other secondary buildings of the site, and the gardens were adapted, because the castle became a "general seminary", which was a type of state school for Catholic priests introduced by Joseph II. The general seminary of the Bratislava Castle played an important role in Slovakia's history, because it has educated many important Slovak intellectuals, for example Anton Bernolák, the author of the first successful codification of a Slovak standard language (see History of the Slovak language). Anton Bernolák (1762-1813) was the author of the first Slovak language standard (in the 1780s), which he based off western Slovak dialects. ... This is a tabular history of the Slovak language. ...

In 1802, the general seminary moved to another place, and the castle was assigned to the military as barracks. This was the beginning of the end of the castle. The rococo interiors of the castle were adapted in order to house some 1500 soldiers. In 1809, the Bratislava and the castle was bombarded by canons by Napoleon troops. On 28 May 1811, the castle burst into huge flames due to carelessness of Austrian and Italian soldiers in the castle. The fire even spread into parts of the town. For other uses, see Napoleon (disambiguation). ... May 28 is the 148th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (149th in leap years). ... 1811 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ...

Castle in ruins (1811 – 1953)

The destroyed castle gradually went to the dogs. The military sold parts of the main castle buildings to people as material buildings in the surroundings. Many parts of the site however continued to be used as barracks and adapted accordingly till 1946. In 1848, members of Slovak campaigns, which were campaigns supporting the imperial troops in their efforts to defeat the Magyars in the revolution of 1848, laid down their weapons in the Bratislava Castle. —Alexis de Tocqueville, Recollections The European Revolutions of 1848, in some countries known as the Spring of Nations, were the bloody consequences of a variety of changes that had been taking place in Europe in the first half of the 19th century. ...

In 1946, the ruin was opened to the public. Two years later, the town constructed an amphitheater in the northern part of the castle site. The amphitheater was in use for some 15 years. The name amphitheatre (alternatively amphitheater) is given to a public building of the Classical period (being particularly associated with ancient Rome) which was used for spectator sports, games and displays. ...

Restoration and modern history (after 1953)

Finally it was decided to restore the castle. Archaeological and architectonic research started in 1953 and long restoration works began in 1957. The restoration was done to the last (Baroque) state of the main building, but at many places older (Gothic, Renaissance) preserved elements or parts have been restored. The Theresianum has not been restored and the Hillebrandt building of 1762 was restored only around the year 2000. The Slovak painter Janko Alexy gained recognition for the restoration of the castle. The finishing of the restoration in 1968 was interrupted in August 1968, when the castle was occupied by Warsaw Pact troops (see Prague Spring). On 28 October 1968, however, the Federation Law, turning the centralist state of Czechoslovakia into a federation of a Czech Socialist Republic (later called Czech Republic) and a Slovak Socialist Republic (later called Slovak Republic), was signed in the so-called Federation Hall of the castle. On 3 September 1992, the new constitution of independent Slovakia was signed in the Knights Hall of the castle. Janko Alexy (January 25, 1894 Liptovský Mikuláš - September 22, 1970 Bratislava) was a famous painter, writer, and publicist of Slovak origin. ... 1968 (MCMLXVIII) was a leap year starting on Monday. ... Unofficial Seal of the Warsaw Pact Distinguish from the Warsaw Convention, which is an agreement about airlines financial liability and the Treaty of Warsaw (1970) between West Germany and the Peoples Republic of Poland. ... People in a café watch Soviet tanks roll past The Prague Spring (Czech: Pražské jaro, Slovak: Pražská jar, Russian: пражская весна) was a period of political liberalization in Czechoslovakia starting January 5, 1968 when Alexander Dubček came to power, and running until August 20 of that year when the... This article is about the current constitution of Slovakia. ...

Since 1968, the castle has been housing expositions of the Slovak National Museum (Slovenské národné múzeum) and at the same time its rooms have been used by the Slovak National Council (today the National Council of the Slovak Republic) for presentation purposes. In 1992, the castle housed a branch-office of the Czechoslovak president temporarily and later in the 1990s the Slovak president temporarily. It still houses the museum and the presentation rooms for the National Council of the Slovak Republic and for the president. A new restoration has been planned for years, because since 1968 (except for adding the Hillebrandt building) only minor adaptations have been performed, such as in 1988 creation of the Treasure Chamber, in 1995 replacement of glass in the arcades of the solemn staircase, and in 1996-97 a complete repair of the roof. The last minor adaptations occurred on the occasion of the Bush-Putin Bratislava summit in February 2005. The National Council of the Slovak Republic (in Slovak: Národná rada Slovenskej republiky, often just: Národná rada) (NR SR) has been the name of the parliament of Slovakia since 1993 (more precisely since 1 October 1992). ... Warning: Value not specified for common_name Motto: Czech: Pravda vítÄ›zí (Truth prevails; 1918-1989) Latin: Veritas Vincit (Truth prevails; 1989-1992) Anthem: Kde domov můj and Nad Tatrou sa blýska Capital Prague Language(s) Czech, Slovak Government Republic President  - 1918-1935 Tomáš Masaryk  - 1989-1992 V... Slovakia Summit 2005 official logo Slovakia Summit 2005 commencement stamp Bratislava Castle, location of the Slovakia Summit 2005 Bush Putin Summit in Slovenia in 2001 The Slovakia Summit 2005 was a summit between George W. Bush, the president of the United States of America, and Vladimir Putin, the president of...

See also

History of Bratislava To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ...

External links

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