Directory :: Attractions and History

Bratislava Timeline

5000BC
It’s The Stone Age and settlers arrive in Bratislava. Archaeological evidence of wine making at this time suggests the concerns of locals were much the same then as now.

100BC
The Celts build settlements at Devin and Bratislava.

0(ish)
The Romans settle in Bratislava. Even in those days it was location, location, location with Bratislava boasting excellent trade opportunities and the ideal spot to protect the edge of their empire.

5th & 6th C
The Slavs come to town.

623
The first Slavic State, Samo's Empire, is formed and rules the area for 35 years.

907
The first written record of Bratislava Castle appears.

10th C
Magyar tribes invade the country and form Greater Hungary under King Stephen.

12th & 13th C
Hungarians settle in the growing settlements below the castle, joining the Slovak inhabitants.

1241/2
The Mongols have a pop at taking over the castle, failing but causing a lot of damage to the nearby settlements. Subsequently, German colonists take a shine to the town. The new Slovak/Hungarian/German ethnic split will continue to characterise the city until the end of the 19th C.

1291
Bratislava granted royal privileges by Hungarian King Andrew III.

14th C
Bratislava gets passed around like an unwanted Christmas present. Andrew III’s widow gives it to the Habsburgs in 1301 and it becomes a part of Austria. The Habsburgs’ can make up their mind about their true feelings toward the city, returning it to Hungary in 1322, only to take it over again. In 1338 Hungary becomes aware of its affections and takes the city back for good.

1526
Hungarian King Louis II killed in battle by Turks.

1536
Bratislava becomes the capital of Hungary after the Ottoman capture of Buda (11 kings and queens will be crowned at St Martin's Cathedral between 1536 and 1830).

1740-1780
The reign of Maria-Theresa (the last Habsburg) brings greater prosperity to the city, which she has a great affection for. The town walls are demolished to allow expansion of the city, improvements are made to the castle and municipal buildings are built including the Reduta Building (now home to the Slovak Philharmonic) and Pálffy Palace. These factors of affluence mean an influx of residents of from the Habsburg Empire’s upper crust, with the population tripling between 1720 and 1780.

1762
A six year old Mozart gives a concert at the Pálffy Palace.

1783
Prosperity and status dip under the reign of Joseph II. He doesn’t share his mother’s fondness for the city so the crown jewels are taken to Vienna and many central offices moved to Buda. Many flaky nobles make the same journey.

1805
With the Napoleonic Wars in full swing, the Battle of Austerlitz ends in a humiliating defeat for the Austro Russian Alliance. On Dec 4, the 4th Peace of Pressburg is signed in the Mirror hall of the Primacial Palace to call a truce between France and Austria.

1809
The pesky French are back, flaunting the treaty by shelling the city from across the Danube.

1811
With the castle being used as army barracks, careless Austrian and Italian soldiers set fire to the castle. The damage sustained means the castle remains a ruin until restoration begins in 1953.

1843
Ludevít Velislav Štúr stand up for Slovak national identity, which was being oppressed by the Austrians, codifying Slovak literary language.

1848
Not a good year from our City. The last Hungarian assembly is dissolved by Emperor Ferdinand V and the signing of the Acts of March in the Mirror Hall of the Primacial Palace moves the political seat of Hungary to Pest.

1891
Our citys gets its first bridge ‘stary most’.

1895
The first tram runs in the City, linking it with Vienna.

1918
The Great War ends with Bratislava having suffered little structural damage but a big loss in population. Czechoslovakia is formed and approved at The Paris Peace Conference in Jan 1919. Proposal to change the city name to "Wilson's Town" doesn’t pass, but Bratislava sticks (see note below).

1939
Slovakia becomes independent following Hitler’s invasion of Czechoslovakia. It operates as a Nazi puppet state under Tiso until the end of the war.

1945
Czechoslovakia liberated by the red army on April 4.

1948
Communists seize control of power. Bratislava becomes the closest city to the iron curtain.

1968
Soviet occupation of Czechoslovakia begins in response to Alexander Dubček’s plans to reform the Communist party and enforce a less dictatorial regime.

1972
Bratislava’s second bridge, novy most, is completed, improving links with Petržalka. While many are impressed with its distinctive asymmetrical cable-stayed structure, residents of our city still a rueful that a large amount of the historical centre, including most of the Jewish Quarter, were bulldozed to make for it.

1977
The mass building of panelaks begins across the river from Bratislava in Petržalka, a village which has previously been part of Germany and Hungary. A few years later, the population of this district reached over 100,000, making it the largest suburb of Bratislava and the most densely populated area in Central Europe.

1989
As the velvet revolution sweeps through Europe, democracy is restored to Czechoslovakia on Nov 27.

1993
Slovakia is formed after an amicable split between the Czech and Slovak republics on Jan 1st (often referred to as ‘The Velvet Divorce’). Bratislava is once again a capital city after a break of 210 years.

2000
Slovakia is invited to join the OECD and is formally invited by the European Union to begin the lengthy accession process.

2004
March 3, Slovakia joins NATO, along with Slovenia, Bulgaria and Romania.
May 1, Slovakia joins the EU, along with Malta, Cyprus, Slovenia, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, the Czech Republic, and Hungary.

2008
BratVegas launches.

A note
We’ve referred to the city as Bratislava throughout this (hopefully!) fascinating timeline so as not to get too confusing. If we were being more historically accurate, we’d have use a range of names:
Up to the 13th C Bratislava was known by many names such as Preburch, Bosania, Prespurch, Bresbruch, Prespuerch, Brespurg, Posonia, Possen. Poson and Posonium stuck for a few hundred years before Istropolis (Greek for Danube Town) was introduced in 1465. This name lasted for about half a century before the Hungarian Pozsony or the German Pressburg were used. Since 1919, Bratislava has been the name of choice.