Bratislava, Slovakia » City Info » History

The earliest settlers in Bratislava's were called neolithic, dating back 5000 years BC. The Celtic empire came 100 years BC and took dwellings by the Danube region. From the start of the 1st century to the 11th century, when Bratislava (Pressburg) became the border fortress for the Hungarian Kingdom, the region had changed hands from various tribes and empires. The Roman, Samo, and Moravian Empires took control of the area over nine centuries, from the 1st to the 9th century.

During the middle of the 10th century, King Henrich III took a seat in the castle and ruled the city. The city Seal first became public in the 13th century, and the City's Coat of Arms was formed when the city was given its royal free rights. Ferdinand I. Habsburg was appointed king in 1526, and Bratislava has then declared the capital of the Hungarian Kingdom. During the 1600s, Stefan Bockay led an uprising against the Habsburgs and besieged the city. In 1783, the city ceased to be the capital of the Hungarian Kingdom.

Napoleon visited the city in 1809, and his soldiers burnt the Bratislava Castle in 1811. Bratislava's industrialisation began in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Bridges, railways, trains, and tram lines were built. The city also progressed in terms of social institutions with the construction of theatres and universities. Communication phones, radios, and electricity were adopted, and the city became wired to other cities and the world.

It was 1939 when Bratislava became the capital of the Slovak state. Several villages also became parts of the city like Devin, Dubravka, Lamac, Prievoz, Petrzalka, Raca, and Vajnory. The communists took executive power in 1948, and years after, many vital institutions were formed. The Slovak Philharmony, Slovak National Gallery, and the Slovak Academy of Sciences were founded, whilst the reconstruction of Bratislava Castle began afterwards.

The Czech and Slovak Republic split after the second elections in the middle of 1992. Later that year, the constitution of the Independent Slovak Republic was voted by the Slovak Parliament.