Old Town Hall (Stará radnica) (source: Courtesy of Spectacular Slovakia)
Lost in Bratislava? Impossible with this City Guide! (source: Spectacular Slovakia)
This article was published in Bratislava City Guide. With this detailed, pocket-sized guide, it is impossible to get lost in the Slovak capital.
The Old Town Hall, which dominates Bratislava’s Hlavné námestie (Main Square), is a complex of historical buildings dating back to the 13th century. Its current appearance is the result of development spanning centuries.
The oldest section is the early gothic edifice belonging to Jacobus’ House, which served as a town hall in the 14th century. The city council gradually bought neighbouring buildings and re-developed and extended the complex in Renaissance, baroque and neo-gothic styles. The complex has formerly housed mayoral offices, accommodation for town guards, an armoury and a prison.
Nowadays, the Old Town Hall, with preserved historical architecture and decoration, is square-shaped and contains a courtyard in which various cultural events are held. The tower affords a view over the Main Square and all of Old Town.
The town hall houses the Bratislava City Museum, which opened in 1868 and is the oldest continually-operating museum in Slovakia. Today, it is spread across the Old Town Hall and the adjoining Apponyi Palace, the former home of Count Apponyi, which was built in 1761-62.
The museum houses three permanent exhibitions, focusing on city history, viticulture and a Period Rooms Museum, which provides an insight into the lives of Bratislavan aristocracy from the 18th-19th centuries. The cellar of the Apponyi Palace houses the National Collection of Slovak Wine, a collection of 100 of the country’s best vintage wines of any given year. The museum presents a history of Bratislava’s wine-growing culture, from the vineyards through production, to the bottle. Several wine-tasting programmes are available.
Opening hours:
Museum of the city history:
Tue-Fri: 10:00-16:30
Sat-Sun: 11:00-17:30
Museum of viticulture:
Tue-Fri: 10:00-18:00
Sat: 11:00-18:00
Ticket prices:
Museum of the city history:
Admission for adults: €5
Reduced price (children from 6-14 years, seniors, students): €2.50
For more pricing options, see the website of the Old Town Hall.
Wine-tasting:
Two wines: €5
Four wines: €9
Six wines (high quality wines): €19
Eight wines: €12
72 wines in 100 minutes: €23
Old Town Hall (Stará radnica)
(Museum) Address: Primaciálne námestie 3 / Hlavné námestie, Bratislava; Phone: +421 (0)2 5910-0847; Website: www.muzeum.bratislava.sk
(Wine-tasting) Address: Radničná 1, Bratislava; Phone: +421 (0)2 4552-9967; Website: www.salonvin.sk
