The Kozics dynasty created a unique photo record of Bratislava

The 2019 calendar offers a selection of historical images taken by the Kozics Studio.

The historical photo of the Kozics Studio on today’s Hviezdoslavovo Square.The historical photo of the Kozics Studio on today’s Hviezdoslavovo Square. (Source: Courtesy of Bratislavské Rožky)

The Kozics Studio (1854-1926/1929) operated in then Pressburg, today’s Bratislava, for seven decades. During this period, the Kozics dynasty took a huge number of portraits of inhabitants and photos of the city. Portraits of composer Franz Liszt, the national awakener Jozef Miloslav Hurban and the aristocratic family of Ostrolucký were photographed in their studio. Thanks to this studio, it’s known how the city looked one hundred years ago and how it was devastated by fire and floods. Today, photos of the Kozics Studio portray the changing faces of the city.

SkryťTurn off ads
Article continues after video advertisement
SkryťTurn off ads
Article continues after video advertisement

SkryťTurn off ads

Bratislavské Rožky, the civic association dedicated to promoting Bratislava’s history, has decided to make a selection of these rare historical photographs available to the public. In cooperation with the Bratislava City Museum (MMB), it has published a calendar with Kozics Studio’s photographs for the year 2019.

“Following the success of last year’s calendar with photos by Karol Körper, it was clear to us that in the next calendar, we want to use photos from this legendary studio,” Sándor Papp of Bratislavské Rožky told The Slovak Spectator.

For the calendar images, they have picked easy-to-identify spots, like Beblavého Street below the castle, where the U Čerta pub is located today, the view from the castle over the city and the city view from Petržalska’s embankment of the Danube River.

SkryťTurn off ads

Lovers of the city’s history will enjoy the lesser known period shots. Among them is a photo from 1885, which was taken on the site of today’s Trnavské Mýto, where the live-stock market used to be, and the unique photograph of Zámocká Street with the now demolished Orthodox Synagogue, dating back to 1870.

Those interested can buy the calendar at the Christmas market stand of Bratislavské Rožky on Františkánske Square.

Kozics Studio

The founder of the legendary studio, the first major photographic studio in Pressburg, was Eduard Nepomuk Kozics. This native from Dubnica nad Váhom probably came to the city at the end of the 1840s. Data on the beginnings of his photography business differs slightly, but in general, the beginning of the Kozics Studio is considered to be 1854.

He first had a studio on Kozia Street, which was the city’s periphery at that time. Some years later, he moved to what is today’s Hviezdoslavovo Square. This building does not exist anymore since the Park Inn hotel was later built. Then he moved to the originally two-storey house next to the Zelený strom Hotel. Today, this house is part of the US Embassy’s building.

The rest of this article is premium content at Spectator.sk
Subscribe now for full access

I already have subscription - Sign in

Subscription provides you with:
  • Immediate access to all locked articles (premium content) on Spectator.sk
  • Special weekly news summary + an audio recording with a weekly news summary to listen to at your convenience (received on a weekly basis directly to your e-mail)
  • PDF version of the latest issue of our newspaper, The Slovak Spectator, emailed directly to you
  • Access to all premium content on Sme.sk and Korzar.sk

Top stories

Foreigners' Police Department on Regrútska 4, Bratislava-Vajnory.

News digest: 20 questions for Foreigners' Police

New Zealand citizen assaulted in Bratislava, ex-interior minister taken to court, and another 'History Talks' edition.


10 h
Volkswagen will make all-electric versions of the Porsche Cayenne luxury SUV.

News Digest: Volkswagen Slovakia to produce all-electric luxury SUV

LGBT+ minority could face new difficulties, a suspect is charged in the Daniel Tupý murder case.


24. mar
Filip Toška holding chard in the hydroponic Hausnatura farm.

How a Mayan doomsday prophecy took a Slovak to hi-tech agriculture

Hydroponic farm run out of former telephone exchange.


9. mar
Bratislava Foreigners' Police department.

FAQ: How to interact with the Foreigners’ Police

Some officers are good – but some, even the police admit, are ‘a disgrace to the force’.


14 h
SkryťClose ad