Old Town Hall (Bratislava)

Old Town Hall
Stará radnica
Old Town Hall in Bratislava, Slovakia
Former names	Régi városháza
General information
Type	Town hall
Architectural style	originally Gothic, now baroque, neo-renaissance and neo-gothic
Location	Main square, Bratislava, Slovakia
Current tenants	City museum
Construction started	13th century
Completed	1599
Renovated	18th century, 20th century

Old Town Hall (Slovak: Stará radnica, Hungarian: Régi városháza) in Bratislava is one of the oldest stone buildings in the historical Old Town and the oldest city hall in Slovakia, with the tower being built approximately in 1370. The town hall was created in the 15th century by connecting three townhouses, and then went through several reconstructions in the course of the centuries.

It houses the oldest museum in Bratislava, the Bratislava City Museum, founded in 1868, featuring an exhibit of torture devices.^[1] The outlook from the top of the Old Town Hall tower offers a round view of Bratislava Old Town and its environs.^[2]

Construction history

Finished in the Gothic style in the 15th century, it resulted from the joining several buildings (Slovak: Pawerov dom, Ungerov dom, Aponiho palác, Hungarian: Pawer ház, Unger ház, Apponyi palota). The principal building adjacent to the tower was built by the city mayor Jakab in the 14th century, while the tower (originally Gothic) was erected in the late 13th century. Towers made of stone were part of some medieval townhouses in order to provide safety in case of war or protection of wealth in case of fire. Although exact date cannot be specified, details of the gothic windows suggest it was built approximately in 1370. The tower's ground floor was one meter lower than today's street level. The tower was reinforced and modified several times over the next centuries, at one point it contained mechanical clock, a large sphere depicting the current phases of the moon and above that there were bells.

Later, the Old Town Hall underwent many transformations and enhancements, namely a Renaissance style reconstruction in 1599 following earthquake damage, Baroque restyling to the tower after a fire in the 18th century, and the addition of a Neorenaissance/Neogothic wing built in 1912.

Current state

Despite some reconstruction efforts, the structure is in need of renovating some outside parts.

Location

The Old Town Hall is located in the heart of the city center, between the Main Square and the Primate's square, next to the Greek and Japanese embassies. It is easily recognizable by its colorful tiled roof. Location: 48°08′38.0″N 17°06′32.8″E / 48.14389°N 17.109111°E / 48.14389; 17.109111

Use

Concert in front of the Old Town Hall

The building was used as a town hall from the 15th century through the late 19th century. At times during that period, however, it also served other purposes, including housing a prison and mint, and being place of trade and celebrations. It was also used as the city's arsenal depository and municipal archive.

Today it hosts the Bratislava City Museum, displaying exhibitions of Pressburg's history. Exhibited items include torture instruments, the old town dungeons, antique weapons and armour, paintings and miniatures. One of its curiosities is a cannonball embedded in the tower wall, shot by Napoleon's soldiers in 1809 during bombardment of the city from Petržalka. During the summer its courtyard hosts concerts.

See also

• Mayor of Bratislava

References

1. ^ http://www.slovakia.org/bratislava.htm
2. ^ http://en.infoglobe.cz/tips-for-trips/svk-bratislava-old-town-hall-is-beautiful-again-as-in-past/

Notes

• [1] PhDr. Štefan Holčík, CSc., article "Radnicu upravili z mestianskeho domu", p. 11, Bratislavske Noviny 38/2010.

External links

• The Old Town Hall; official site

Gallery

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  Old Town Hall in Bratislava

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  Detail of the building

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  Detail of the building

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  View from the courtyard