Bratislava Castle is the main castle of Bratislava, the
capital of Slovakia. The massive rectangular building with four corner towers
stands on an isolated rocky hill of the Little Carpathians directly above the
Danube River in the middle of Bratislava, because of its size and location, it has been a dominant
feature city for centuries. The location provides excellent views of
Bratislava, Austria and in clear weather parts of Hungary. Many legends are connected with the
history of the castle.
The castle buildings
include four towers and a courtyard with a 80 m water well. The largest and
tallest tower is the crown Tower on the southwest corner. The exterior walls
and inside corridors contain fragments of Old Gothic and renaissance
construction elements. The walled – up entrance gate from the 16th
century is still visible to the east of the main entrance. Behind the entrance
is an arcade corridor leading to a large Baroque Staircase which in turn leads
to the exhibitions of Slovak national Museum on the second floor. The west wing
of this floor houses the 4 halls of the treasure Chamber with a collection of
the most precious archaeological finds
and other objects of Slovakia including the prehistoric statue called the Venus
of Moravany. The third floor houses the exhibition on the history of Slovakia. The
first floor in the south wing of the building houses the rooms of Slovak
parliament, the National Council of the Slovak Republic including furnishings
from the 16th century. The northern wing of the building the former
Baroque Chapel houses the Music Hall in which concerts are held. The courtyard
includes the entrance to the Knights Hall.