The former building of the Allianz insurance company in Bratislava (centre). The yellow building on the left is used by DPB and will now remain. (source: Sme - Marko Erd)
The United States Embassy, which plans to relocate from its currrent site in Bratislava's old town to a new building near the Eurovea shopping centre, is no longer interested in acquiring city-owned land on Olejkárska Street currently occupied by the Bratislava Public Transport Company (DPB). Bratislava City spokesperson Peter Bubla and the embassy confirmed this to the Sme daily. As a result, DPB will continue to operate out of the Olejkárska Street site.
A year ago it was reported that the embassy wanted to consolidate the whole block between Dostojevského, Olejkárska, Pribinova and Krupkova Streets and was negotiating with the city to that end. It now seems to have decided to build only on the land it acquired in 2022, which is currently occupied by the former building of the Allianz insurance company.
The project for the new embassy’s building is awaiting plan and scope approval and its proposed architectural design is not yet known.
Building a new embassy
The embassy estimates that construction could begin six to eight years after the approval and planning phases are complete.
Not much is otherwise known about the project.
“It will be reviewed by the city as a standard planning authority,” said Bubla.
Problematic fence
The current US Embassy is located on Hviezdoslavovo Square in the city centre. It was surrounded by a security fence after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. This security area now takes up part of the square.
The US Embassy fence on Hviezdoslavovo Square. (source: Sme archive)
The three-metre high fence has been criticised by several local politicians because it does not fit the historical character of the square. It was even designated an illegal construction in the past. The embassy later rented the space. According to its 2019 contract, the embassy pays the city almost €500,000 a year for the fence.
“Moving the US Embassy to the area near Eurovea would allow us to provide a new, modern, 21st-century embassy that would better develop bilateral relations between the US and Slovakia,” the embassy said.
