CNN recommends Bratislava as “still fresh”

Bratislava is full of architectural gems that prompted the American broadcaster CNN to brand it a sci-fi city in its recent travel blog.

In the article that deems the Slovak capital a "Soviet city of the future that still feels fresh and new,” the author Miquel Ros guides potential visitors from the iconic upside-down pyramid in which Slovak Radio resides, through the streets of old town to another eye-catching structure, Bratislava’s UFO sitting atop Most SNP (Bridge of the Slovak National Uprising).

Other than the most known buildings, Bratislava offers more hidden architectural gems, some on the outskirts of the town, to the fountains and murals scattered across the city. One is located just near Slovak University of Technology on Námestie Slobody (Freedom Square) – a 1980s fountain resembling a flower. According to the author, such structures give off a strong sci-fi feeling.

Most of the buildings are works of brutalism and socialist-realist architecture, deemed “bolder” architectural statements by the author. However, despite Bratislava being an historically ancient city, it is also one of the youngest European capitals celebrating 30 years of existence as an independent republic. The city has outgrown its post-Soviet label. The old architecture melts into the new.