The train chugged into Bratislava Hlavna station [hlavna just means ‘main’] and we disgorged onto the platform and out to the taxi rank. The train station isn’t exactly the most modern and ornate building I’ve ever seen and it could use a bit of TLC. Same with the immediate area outside, I presume the street cleaners must have been off that day, or that week. As first impressions go this could do with a bit more thought. An older lady whose strength belied her small stature heaved our suitcases into her old estate car and set off for the Sheraton on Pribinova 12 giving us a running commentary in Slovakian. It might have been quite interesting, or the weather, or the football results. The hotel was only a couple of km from the station and she heaved the bags out with equal agility. The fare was less than €5, I gave her a fiver and told her to keep the change.
Located right on the banks of the Danube, the Sheraton is situated between Apollo Bridge and Starý Most [old bridge in English] is only a 5 minute stroll from the town and is a perfect location for your stay in Bratislava. Like all Sheratons I’ve experienced, the check-in, the room and the food were all excellent. It was set just back from the river with a sloping wide grass verge running down to the water, it was already full of couples and families picnicking by the river.
The only drawback to the location is its proximity to Eurovea shopping mall – I knew that was a mistake!
Whilst the Long-Haired Admiral spent some time doing girl things, I hit the pavement for a walk into town to see what was nearby. The answer there was easy, there was a lot of old fashioned and very quaint typical European architecture with street cafés and street musicians. As it was a boiling hot summers day, someone thoughtful had set up a small archway spraying cold refreshing water so you could walk through to cool off without getting soaking wet.
Roland Fountain and Old Town Hall
Hlavné Námestie which translates literally as ‘Main Square’ is one of the most well known town squares in Bratislava. It is situated in the old town or Staré Mesto and is, unsurprisingly considered to be the centre of the city. The Roland Fountainis the most famous fountain in the country and is considered one of the most important landmarks in the city. It is located in the main square of the old town, in front of the old town hall. The fountain dates from the 16th century and was originally constructed as a means of providing a public water supply.
The town hall behind the fountain is the oldest city hall in the country and is a complex of three buildings which date from the 14th century. It now houses the Bratislava City Museum and is believed to be one of the oldest stone buildings in the city today with ‘Michaels Gate’ being the only gate still preserved from medieval times. The narrowest house in Europe is apparently nearby. It was obviously that narrow that I couldn’t find it.
I don’t think I’ve ever been in a city with so many narrow cobbled stoned streets [except maybe Prague – unsurprisingly].
I was half expecting a convoy of Peugeot police cars with old-fashioned two-tone sirens to screech round corners in pursuit of bad guys all clad in black leather on motorbikes. Quite the contrary, Bratislava is very quiet and peaceful but it would still make a great setting for a ‘Bond’ movie or ‘Taken IV’ with Liam Nelson.
The city has many museums, art galleries, theatres and a myriad of other buildings of cultural significance. I wasn’t really in the mood for an avalanche of centuries old culture so I just visually time warped and imagined folks in period costume wandering around admiring baroque architecture. I whiled away the afternoon at various streetside cafés enjoying the warm afternoon and cool beers and then meandered back to the hotel.
Bratislava is right on the frontiers of Slovakia, Hungary and Austria, which makes it the only national capital that borders two other countries. It is only 18km from the border with Hungary and Vienna is just 60km west up the Danube, making the two cities the two closest capitals in the world.
In order to see a bit of the country the following day, we selected a guided tour from the hotel. We wanted a personal tour not a huge bus of dozens and someone droning anonymously into a microphone, so we took a recommendation from the hotel of a particular guide for a good full days tour. It turned out to be exactly the right thing to do on all counts.
Boleslaw turned up in a new and clean 4WD at exactly 9am as agreed and gave us a full explanation of the itinerary for the day. I asked for a map for no other reason than I like studying my route and directions and he produced one and pointed out all the intended locations and approximate timings. We headed north east out of Bratislava and picked up the main motorway [D1] and en route Boleslaw gave us a running commentary on the main points of the history of the country, it’s a fascinating place. The scenery is beautiful and the road was good and people drive in a civilised manner. If you live in a country where virtually all road rules and signs are ignored, it’s amazing how much you miss civilised driving! The one thing that did surprise me was to see the headframe of a mine shaft which was all closed in because apparently the temperature gets down to –5°. He was amazed when I told him we lived in –40°!
Bojnice Castle
There is a long history of owners from the original King Ladislaus V of Hungary through the next few centuries up to the 17th century when it passed to the Palfy / Pálffy family. The last of the titled and aristocratic owners was Count John Francis Palfy or János Ferenc Pálffy depending on which translation you use. He decided to re-build it in the romantic style of the chateaus in the Loire valley. He was a bit of a talented bloke as he was also the architect and graphic designer. His love of the arts was also demonstrated by his collections of sculptures, paintings, tapestries, antiques etc. Unfortunately his family didn’t share his loves and after his death and many family arguments about what to do with the castle and its contents they sold everything just before WWII. When the war finished the castle was confiscated by the then Czech government.
There are now many festivals held at the castle including the Festival of Ghosts and Spirits, it is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Slovakia. There is a zoo in the grounds [somewhere – we didn’t go].
Čičmany
After Bojnice we headed north to the village of Čičmany in Žilina which was about 40 minutes along some winding pretty country roads. If going direct, Čičmany is about 140km from Bratislava. The village is in the southern part of the valley Rajecká dolina and is surrounded by the Strazovske hills and the Mala Fatra national park.
The village itself really takes some describing to do it justice but I’d feel confident in saying it’s probably unlike anything you’ve ever seen before. The houses are all black log cabins adorned with geometrical patterns, they reminded me of the ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics I saw at the Pyramids of Giza.
From a distance they all look like little gingerbread houses decorated with white icing, it was like walking round a Hans Christian Andersen fairytale. The ornamental decorations date back to the 19th century and originally the village was built on a swamp and the area became very humid which could damage the houses so they were painted with lime to protect the logs against sunrays and other adverse conditions. The designs were later inspired by the embroidery used on tablecloths and clothes. As the buildings progressed from wood to stone there was no longer any need to paint the houses to protect them but the village residents liked them so they kept them. The designs symbolise harmony, stability and fertility and the same designs can be seen on a Slovak dress called a ‘kroj.’
The village has 136 houses with a population of about 200 and the whole area was declared an open air museum and historical preservation site in 1977. Locally the area is well known as a folk reservation and provides a glimpse of life for the Slovaks in the 1800’s. The name is derived from a Slovak word for lumberjack ‘čičman’. Some of the houses are still occupied so it isn’t just a museum but a living village with country folk going about their daily toil just like any other. There are others which now serve as hotels [up to 30 people used to live in some of these houses] so you can have a really unique experience and spend a night in one of the houses. I would definitely do that next time.
Rajecká Lesná
Leaving behind fairytale village we headed off for a very rare religious experience. About 15km and 15 minutes south west there is another village called Rajecká Lesná which has been a place of pilgrimage since the 15th century.
The reason for this is a huge wooden carving of Bethlehem. When I say huge it measures 8.5 metres wide, 3 meters high and 2.5 metres deep. I didn’t personally measure it, I was told this, I believe it. There are something like 200 figures of people and more than 100 of animals and many of them actually move.
The sculptor / woodcarver Jozef Pekara took 15 – yes fifteen years to carve this. It would have to be one of the most, if not the most unique pieces of art I’ve ever seen carved. It is truly amazing.
The display is not solely about nativity but also a depiction of Slovak daily life, history, traditions and also features a number of castles.
The village is bigger than Čičmany with more than 1200 residents. One of the most dominating buildings in the village is the Church of Mary’s birth which dates from circa 1866.
About 500 metres from the church, the Chapel of Lourdes was built and apparently these is a spring below the chapel containing calcium and magnesium. The legend is that anyone who comes here in good faith will gain health for the body, mind and soul here. I didn’t try it as I’m not sure what the medical effects of ingesting calcium and magnesium are.
Trenčiansky Hrad (Trenčian Castle)
About 40km away from Rajecká Lesná is the town of Trenčian. Throughout Slovakia there seems to be a castle or chateau in every hamlet or village no matter how big or small. Trenčian being a town / city is no exception. No matter which direction you’re approaching from, you can’t fail to spot the castle perched atop the rocks overlooking the town. It’s the third largest in the country and is an impressive fortification and is perfectly preserved in almost original state with bastions, entrance gates and many other buildings.
The castle has had many owners over its 700 year life. The most famous was Matus Cak Trenciansky who was one of the first real estate barons in Europe as it is rumoured he also about another 50 [fifty not five] castles!
The castle history goes back to when the Roman empire was known to have been here. In the 1800’s an inscription was uncovered carved into the wall about a victory of a Roman legion at ‘Laugaricio’ [The Roman name for the town] in the year 179AD. The inscription was ordered the the legion commander Maximianus The Legate who commanded the II Auxiliary Legion.
As we lived in Mongolia whilst we visited, of particular interest to us was that this castle was one of the few that managed to resist the invasion of the Mongols in the 13th century. Boleslaw was fascinated about Mongolia and why we lived there.
Hotel Elisabeth
We had lunch at the historic hotel Elisabeth directly below the castle.
The hotel dates from 1902 but the inside is stylish, the service perfect and the wait staff immaculately turned out. We ate in the café Sissi bit of an art nouveau style and asked Boleslaw to order some Slovak dishes which were delicious. Nothing cost more than €20 which we thought was very reasonable.
Pieces Square
After lunch we took a walk through the city’s man square, I couldn’t find out why it is called ‘Pieces’ [not Peace]. It runs from the Hotel Elisabeth with the lower gate and the city tower. It is clean and modern yet retains it’s historical flavour and is tastefully populated with designer boutiques, bars, restaurants, cafes and even an ice cream parlour where we stopped for some of Slovakia’s finest ice cream.
To round off the day we stopped off a vineyard and sampled a few wines overlooking the rolling green fields and sleepy villages.
Then we headed for the final stop for the day a big old chateau / stately home. I don’t know the name of it because I drank too much wine at the vineyard and fell asleep in the car on the way there.
We headed back to Bratislava after that. It had been a long but full and fascinating day.
If you’re fortunate to get to Slovakia, we would definitely recommend a trip round the countryside. It is beautiful and plenty of it looks like it has been untouched for centuries and retained it’s old world charm.
Slovakia – a top place well worth visiting.