Built on the site of a Roman frontier fortification, it has been reconstructed more than once and rose from the ruins 🫅 Hungarian kings and queens were crowned here and the constitution of the Slovak Republic was signed in 1992.
Bratislava Castle (Bratislavský hrad) has become an important symbol not only of Bratislava itself but also of Slovakia.
📜 It is believed that the first predecessor of the Bratislava Castle arose around the 3rd millennium BC. But it became most famous in Celtic times. And in the period of the Roman Empire, there was a Roman frontier fortification.
One of the oldest written records of the Bratislava Castle dates back to 907. The Salzburg Chronicles described a battle between Bavarian and Hungarian troops near the castle with the name Bresalauspurh (the first name of the castle) 🏰
Less than a hundred years later, the area was incorporated into the Kingdom of Hungary and became a link in a network of watch castles and fortresses on the country’s western border.
The castle was reconstructed many times. The last major rebuilding with the change of the castle’s status from a fortification to a residence of the Habsburg royal court took place in 1750-1760.
In 1811 there was a big fire, which destroyed all the buildings. And for a long time, there were ruins instead of the castle. Only in 1953-1968, the Bratislava Castle was restored to the look it had at the end of the 18th century.
Now there is a museum, and the castle is a favorite tourist destination.
