 thumb|aerial view of the complex of bratislava castle thumb|bratislava castle 1|main entrance of the castle (before renovation) thumb|main entrance of the castle (after renovation) thumb|the palace courtyard (before reconstruction) bratislava castle (slovak: , , ) 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 of the 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 site== the castle site includes the following: ===castle building (the palace)=== the castle building includes 4 towers (one on each corner) and a courtyard with a  deep water well. the largest and tallest tower is the crown tower on the southwest corner. the  tower dates from the 13th century and for approximately 200 years beginning in the mid-1500s housed the crown jewels of hungary. 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 [[ba
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