Danube River Cruise #19: Slovakia: Russian Block Apartments, The Iron Curtain

bratislava communist architecture petrzalka. Credit: TheCrowdedPlanet

In this final blog of our visit to Bratislava, Slovakia, we're going to take a look at the Cold War Era Russian cement block housing that still exists there today. This style of building is called a "Panelak" and it's really awful and drab.To make it "more attractive," the property owners have painted these cement apartment buildings in yellow and green (It doesn't help). Here's the story about these buildings and the architecture and you'll learn about the "Iron Curtain": You'll also learn WHEN Slovakia became it's own country..>>>>



The Website called Thecrowdedplanet.com provided a great overview of the drab Soviet-era concrete apartment housing that still stands in Bratislava. It's in a neighborhood called "Petržalka."

PANELAKS - The name of the blocky, cement apartment buildings. 

Soviet block housing in neighborhood called "Petržalka"

The 1960 creative burst came to an end with the Prague Spring, when several architects fell from grace and the regime started promoting functionalist, bare-bones architecture. Looking southwards from the top of the UFO Bridge you’ll notice Petržalka, a neighborhood made up of square, blocky apartment buildings. These panelaks are the iconic Communist time accommodation for the new working classes.

THESE WERE BUILT BEHIND THE IRON CURTAIN - These Panelaks were true depictions of Communist life.  They depicted an existence divided between the factory, queuing for food and living in cramped flats on concrete high-rises (and the lift would never work). 

WHY BUILT?  The district was built in the 1970 to house workers of a nearby refinery, and it soon became the most densely state housing development this side of the Iron Curtain. Yet, it was one of the most innovative projects in the whole of Czechoslovakia – besides housing it included transport links, and it was supposed to be surrounded by a network of parks and canals. Needless to say, money ran out. Nowadays,Petržalka is still inhabited by over 100,000 people. 



WHAT IS THE IRON CURTAIN? 
The Iron Curtain is the political, military, and ideological barrier erected by the Soviet Union after World War II to seal off itself and its dependent eastern and central European allies from open contact with the West and other noncommunist areas.

Europe -Iron Curtain (red)divided East from West. Credit: Shutterstock.com.

SLOVAKIA NOT SLOVAKIA THEN - Slovakia was part of Czechloslovakia at the time of the "Iron Curtain" and it fell under Soviet rule.  

WHAT HAPPENED BEHIND THE IRON CURTAIN? -
The USSR strictly used the actual and ideological Iron Curtain boundary to keep its people within their preferred ideological control and physical area.
 
WHEN DID THE IRON CURTAIN FALL? - One by one, the Soviets embraced openness and economic restructuring which culminated in the 1989 Revolution in the Eastern Bloc. Poland led the way by electing anti-communist politicians that triggered peaceful anti-communist revolutions that led to the fall of communism.

WHEN DID SLOVAKIA BECOME ITS OWN COUNTRY? - The Dissolution of Czechoslovakia, which took effect on 1 January 1993, was an event that saw the self-determined split of the federal state of Czechoslovakia into the independent countries of the Czech Republic and Slovakia.

NEXT: ARRIVAL IN VIENNA, AUSTRIA 

Danube River Cruise #18: Bratislava's Korzo Stone and Sewer Man Statue

The sewer man of Bratislava

In this final blog about our trip through the city of Bratislava, Slovakia, we'll highlight two pieces of artwork in the city. The statue of a man coming out of a sewer and the famously photographed Korzo Stone. Read On!

The Korzo Stone

THE SEWER MAN - Apparently the city thought putting up a statue of a man crawling out of a sewer would garner a lot of attention. So, they did it and it worked. When we walked by the statue was surrounded by tourists about 5 people thick. We couldn't tell what they were looking at and getting a photograph with until it cleared out. It turned out that this is Bratislava's monument to working man. Rumor has it that if you rub his head, money will be yours forever.


THE KORZO STONE - The Korzo Stone

a busy main street in Bratislava

is a monument in the Old Town, carved out of granite. It is located at the intersection of Michalski and Sedlarskoy streets.
It is said to be popular with locals and tourists who like to dress up in their finest clothes and get their picture taken with it.  

FAST FACTS -
In 2017, Bratislava was ranked as the third richest region of the European Union by GDP (PPP) per capita (after Hamburg and Luxembourg City). GDP at purchasing power parity is about three times higher than in other Slovak regions.
Bratislava also receives around 1 million tourists every year

NEXT: RUSSIAN BLOCK APARTMENTS and THE IRON CURTAIN (and when Slovakia became it's own country!) 

Danube River Cruise #17: Bratislava's Executioner's House

Executioner's House

Michael's Tower

In today's blog about our Viking River Cruise along the Danube River, we're still in Slovakia's capital city of Bratislava and we'll tell you about the Executioner's House (and it's haunted!) and street.

EXECUTIONER'S HOUSE - Bastova Street (Baštová Ulica is Slovak) is a narrow street in the Old Town of Bratislava in the historic city center. Located between Kapucínská, Klariska and Michalská Street. It was built along the city walls. At the entrance of that street is a house where city executioners used to live. The last executioner was Augustín Spindler who executed people until 1849. The house is said to be one of the most haunted places in Bratislava.


EXECUTIONS IN PUBLIC - According to the Slovakian SKE Blog (Translated thanks to Google Translator)  Executions of the convicts were carried out not only at the execution site in front of Michael's Tower (Michalská brána). Another execution was on the Main Square. In 1772 the town built a brick gallows in the place where the Trnava toll is located today.

The main square - site of executions

1621 execution

IMAGE BELOW: In this drawing, a cannon shot at dawn on June 21, 1621 announces the start of executions of 27 Czech masters. Prague Cat Jan Mydlář begins to execute sentences against rebellious states.


NEXT: THE KORZO STONE AND MANHOLE STATUE

Danube River Cruise #16 Michael's Gate and the Walled city

Michael's Gate and a statue of St. Michael

In today's blog about our Viking River Cruise along the Danube River, we're still inSlovakia's capital city of Bratislava that was originally a walled city. It also had 4 gates, and now only one remains. We'll explain the history of Michael's Gate and the missing others.

ONCE A WALLED CITY WITH 4 GATES - In the medieval times the town was surrounded by fortified walls, and entry and exit was only possible through one of the four heavily fortified gates.

1) The LAURINC GATE- was on the east side of the tow and named after Saint Lawrence,

2) FISHERMAN'S GATE - was on the south side. It was the smallest gate of the four, used mainly by the fishermen entering the city with fish caught in the river Danube.

3) VYDRICA GATE - was on the west side. It was also called the Dark Gate or Black Gate, since it was like a tunnel—dark and long.

WHAT IS MICHAEL'S GATE? Michael's Gate is the only city gate out of 4 that has been preserved from Medieval fortifications. It's one of the oldest town buildings, and was about the year 1300. It was reconstructed in 1758 in baroque style and that's how it appears now. It is on the north part of the city and named for St. Michael. St. Michael church stood in front of it (outside the town wall).

WHAT'S ON TOP OF IT?  A statue of St. Michael and the Dragon was placed on its top in 1758.


NEXT: Executioner's Street and the Korzo Stone

Danube Cruise #15: Bratislava Castle's Baroque Garden

Rob and Tom in the garden

In today's blog about our Viking River Cruise along the Danube River, we're still in Slovakia's capital city of Bratislava. We'll walk you through the relatively new gardens that line the back of the Bratislava Castle.

NEW GARDEN A new baroque garden behind the castle was opened in June 2016 and entry is free of charge.

Bratislava Castle's Extensive Baroque Garden

WHAT IS A BAROQUE GARDEN? - The Baroque garden was a style of garden based upon symmetry and the principle of imposing order on nature.

STYLE STARTED - The style originated in the late-16th century in Italy, in the gardens of the Vatican and the Villa Borghese gardens in Rome and in the gardens of the Villa d'Este in Tivoli, and then spread to France, where it became known as the Jardin a la Français or French formal garden.

Bratislava Castle's Extensive Baroque Garden

VERSAILLES IS AN EXAMPLE - The grandest example is found in the Gardens of Versailles designed during the 17th century by the landscape architect André Le Nôtre for Louis XIV. In the 18th century, in imitation of Versailles, very ornate baroque gardens were built in other parts of Europe, including Germany, Austria, Spain, and in Saint-Petersburg, Russia. In the mid-18th century the style was replaced by the more less-geometric and more natural English landscape garden.


NEXT: St. Michael's Gate and the Famous Korzo Stone

Danube Cruise #14 Storming Bratislava Castle, Solvakia and Nosferatu

Bratislava Castle

In today's blog, the 14th about our vacation Viking cruise along the Danube River, we're still in Bratislava, Slovakia. Today we'll take you to Bratislava Castle (we didn't "storm" the castle, but it did STORM when we were there)!

ABOUT THE CASTLE-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 (mountains) directly above the Danube river in the middle of Bratislava.

SETTLEMENT DATES BACK TO THE STONE AGE - The castle is mentioned in the first written reference to the city, which appears in the Annals of Salzburg of 907, in association with a battle between Bavarians and Hungarians. 
  The castle hill area was populated long before that, as early as the late Stone Age; its first known inhabitants were the Celts, who founded a fortified settlement here called ‘Oppidum’.

LOTS OF HISTORY - 
1) For 400 YEARS -  The border of the Roman Empire, the ‘Limes Romanus’, ran through the area. 
2) 9th Century (appx 833 AD) - During the Great Moravian Empire, Slavs built a fortress that became a significant center.
3) 10th Century (900s AD) - Bratislava became an integral part of the growing Hungarian state; 
4) 11th Century (1000s) - A stone palace and the church of St Saviour and its chapter were built on the castle hill

Rob, Mary Margaret and Don

5) 15th century, in the reign of Sigismund of Luxembourg, a castle was built in Gothic style as an anti-Hussite fortress. During this period, a new entrance to the castle was built on the eastern side – Sigismund’s Gate. 7-meter-thick fortifications were constructed on the western side and a castle well dug in 1437.
6)  16th century, King Ferdinand ordered the rebuilding of the castle in the Renaissance style.

Castle view from the air

7) 17th century -the castle became the seat of hereditary provincial chief, Pálffy, it was rebuilt in the baroque style.
8) 18th century (1740 to 1780) - In the reign of Maria Theresa, the castle was arranged according to the needs of her son-in-law Albert, governor of Saxony and Tessen, who was a fervent art collector and who installed his works in the castle.

FILM FACT - The 1935 silent dracula movie "Nosferatu" was filmed in Slovakia!  
   (Although our tour guide said it was filmed in part at Bratislava Castle, it actually wasn't. It was Orava Castle. The exteriors of the film set in Transylvania were actually shot on location in northern Slovakia (we were in southern Slovakia), including the High Tatras, Vrátna Valley, Orava Castle, the Váh River, and Starhrad

ABOUT "NOSFERATU" -
Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror (German: Nosferatu, eine Symphonie des Grauens), or simply Nosferatu, is a 1922 German Expressionist horror film, directed by F. W. Murnau, starring Max Schreck as the vampire Count Orlok. The film, shot in 1921 and released in 1922, was an unauthorized adaptation of Bram Stoker's Dracula (1897) as The Stoker Estate held the books copyright & refused permission. Various names and other details were changed from the novel: for instance, "vampire" became "Nosferatu" and "Count Dracula" became "Count Orlok".

For more information, visit: https://www.visitbratislava.com/places/bratislava-castle/ 

NEXT: THE BEAUTIFUL GARDENS OF BRATISLAVA CASTLE 
 

 

Danube Cruise #13 About Bratislava, Slovakia and UFO Bridge

Bratislava Castle in the Distance

Today's blog about our Viking River cruise up the Danube River (#13) takes you to Bratislava, Slovakia! This is the second stop on our journey, and it was filled with interesting sights. In this blog you'll learn some facts about Slovakia and its Capital city, Bratislava, and the famous "UFO Bridge!"  Read on!

Slovakia is in the PINK!

ABOUT SLOVAKIA - Slovakia, officially the Slovak Republic, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the west, and the Czech Republic to the northwest. Solvakia  joined the European Union in 2004.Before 1993, Solvakia was part of Czechoslovakia. There now are 5 1/2 million residents,m 85% Catholic, 20% Protestant.

HOW BIG IS THE COUNTRY?- Slovakia's territory spans about 18,919 square miles (49,000 square kilometers) and is mostly mountainous. It's about; 4/5ths the Size of West Virginia in the U.S. (which is about 24,087 square miles);

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A Square in Bratislava

WHAT IS BRATISLAVA, THE CAPITAL CITY KNOWN FOR? - Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia, is set along the Danube River by the border with Austria and Hungary. It’s surrounded by vineyards and the Little Carpathian mountains, crisscrossed with forested hiking and cycling trails. The pedestrian-only, 18th-century old town is known for its lively bars and cafes. Perched atop a hill, the reconstructed Bratislava Castle overlooks old town and the Danube.

WHAT IS THE UFO BRIDGE?

UFO bridge up close

The UFO bridge, or "Most SNP," commonly referred to as Most Slovenského národného povstania Bridge is a road bridge over the Danube in Bratislava. 
WORLD'S LARGEST- It is the world's longest bridge to have one pylon and one cable-stayed plane!
COMMEMORATION - It was built in honor of the 1944 resistance movement against the Nazi forces. 
ABOUT THE "UFO" PART - The very retro-futuristic SNP Bridge was inspired by the optimistic futurism of the 1960s,

UFO bridge from a distance

evident from the flying saucer-shaped structure at the top of the bridge’s only pylon. The UFO structure actually houses a restaurant reached using an elevator and offers a beautiful panoramic view of Bratislava.
STATISTICS -
Height: 278′ 0″
Total length: 1,413′
Opened: August 26, 1972
Location: Bratislava
Construction started: 1967
Architects: Jozef Lacko, Ladislav Kušnír, Arpád Tesár, Ivan Slamen

A street in Bratislava

NEXT: STORMING BRATISLAVA CASTLE !