Bratislava

Bratislava is the capital city of Slovakia. About 450,000 people live there. It used to be called Pressburg (German) or Pozsony (Hungarian) and by some other names. Bratislava is the seat of the national government, the presidency, and the parliament. It has several museums, galleries, and other educational, cultural, and economic institutions.
There is a small Old Town and a castle called Bratislavsky Hrad. The Danube river goes through Bratislava.
Etymology
Bratislava had many names through its history. Here are some of them:
German: Pressburg (now spelled Pressburg)
Slovak: Presporok, from German name
Hungarian: Pozsony (still used today by Hungarians)
Greek (medieval): Istropolis (meaning the Danube City)
Latin: Posonium
English: Pressburg(h)/Pressborough
and many others.
Geography
Bratislava is in the extreme southwest of Slovakia, on the borders with Austria and Hungary, and not far from the Czech Republic border. It is on the Morava and Danube rivers.
History
People have lived here since the Neolithic age. The Celts inhabited this area from 400 BC-50 BC. The Roman Empire set up border military camps near Bratislava from the 1st century until the 5th century, for example,"Gerulata." The Slavs started moving here in the 6th century. Bratislava was part of the Slavic empire called Great Moravia in the 9th century. From the second half of the 10th century until 1918, it was part of the Kingdom of Hungary, with some exceptions. It was even the capital of the Kingdom between 1524 and 1830/1848. After the World War I ended in 1918, it was part of newly founded Czechoslovakia until 1939, when it became the capital of World War II the Slovak Republic until 1945. After 1945, it was part of Czechoslovakia again, becoming the capital of Slovak Socialist Republic (which was still part of Czechoslovakia) in 1968. After the event called Velvet Divorce, when Czechoslovakia broke up, Bratislava became the capital of Slovakia.
Sightseeing
List of notable structures:
Bratislava Castle
St. Martin's Cathedral
Primate's Palace
Bratislava town hall
Michael's Gate
Grassalkovich Palace
Novy Most (New Bridge)
Kamzik TV Tower
Devin Castle
Economy
The economy of Bratislava is prosperous and based on the automobile industry, chemical industry, and services. Unemployment (people without work) is the lowest in Slovakia (around 2%, compared to the national average of 7%). Approximately 250,000 people from all over Slovakia travel to Bratislava for work.
Transport
The position of Bratislava made it a natural crossroads for international traffic. It is a motorway and rail junction with its own international airport. The international river traffic passes along the Danube through Bratislava, with its own river port.
Bratislava has its own public transport system, with buses, trams and trolleybuses.
Territorial division
Bratislava is divided into 5 national districts and 17 city parts:
District I: Stare mesto (Old Town)
District II: Ruzinov, Vrakuna, Podunajske Biskupice
District III: Raca, Nove mesto (New Town), Vajnory
District IV: Karlova Ves, Dubravka, Devin, Devinska Nova Ves, Zahorska
District V: Petrzalka, Jarovce, Rusovce, Cunovo''
Further it is divided into 20 cadastral areas, which are identical with the city parts with 2 exceptions:
Nove mesto = Nove mesto + Vinohrady
Ruzinov = Ruzinov + Nivy + Trnavka
Twin towns
Yerevan, Armenia
Vienna, Austria
Ruse, Bulgaria
Larnaka, Cyprus
Prague, Czech Republic
Alexandria, Egypt
Turku, Finland
Bremen, Germany
Ulm, Germany
Thessaloniki, Greece
Szekesfehervar, Hungary
Perugia, Italy
Rotterdam, Netherlands
Krakow, Poland
Ljubljana, Slovenia
Izmir, Turkey
Kiev, Ukraine
Cleveland, USA
Pictures
References
Other websites
Bratislava City Guide prepared by locals
SU SR - Statistical office of the Slovak Republic