Staré Mesto
Borough
Bratislava's main square.
Country	Slovakia
Region	Bratislava
District	Bratislava I
River	Danube
Elevation	130 m (427 ft)
Coordinates	48°08′36″N 17°06′27″E / 48.14333°N 17.1075°E / 48.14333; 17.1075
Area	9.59 km2 (3.703 sq mi)
Population	42,241 (2005)
Density	4,405 /km2 (11,409 /sq mi)
First mentioned	907
Postal code	81421
Area code	+421-02
Car plate	BA
Location of Staré Mesto in Slovakia
Website: www.staremesto.sk
Source[1]

The Old Town of Bratislava (Slovak: Staré Mesto) is the historic center and one of the boroughs of Bratislava, in the Bratislava Region of Slovakia. It is coextensive with the smallest Slovak administrative district by area, Bratislava I.

[edit] Characteristics

As its name suggests, the district houses many historic monuments and Bratislava's central institutions. It also contains many Slovak governmental institutions, such as the Ministry of Interior, the Ministry of Culture, and the Ministry of Justice.

The western part of the district is a hilly area featuring the Slavín monument, Horský park (literally Mountain(ous) Park), many detached houses, and most of the foreign embassies in Slovakia. The hilly area ends in the south at the Danube with the Chatam Sófer memorial and the Bratislava Castle hill, and in the west at the D2 Motorway.

The eastern section is the historical and administrative center. Notable buildings and spaces include the Grassalkovich Palace, Trinity Church, Bratislava's Town Hall, St. Martin's Cathedral, Michael's Gate, the Primate's Palace, Comenius University, the main railway station (Hlavná stanica), the Slovak National Theatre (both the old and new sites), SNP Square, the Main Square (Hlavné námestie), Hviezdoslav Square (Hviezdoslavovo námestie), Kamenné námestie ('Stony Square'), Obchodná ulica (a commercial street, an equivalent to the High Street), and many other old churches and palaces.

[edit] See also

• Eurovea; a new business, retail, and residential center in Bratislava, under construction near the Apollo bridge and Tower 115 building.
• River Park (Bratislava); an under construction mixed-use center on the riverbank.

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Official website (Slovak)

[edit] Gallery

Panorama of the early-morning sunshine over Bratislava. To the east lies the Old Town district; to the west, the New Town.

Panorama of the same area after a snowfall.

A typical paved street in Bratislava's Old Town district

Old Town from the castle hill

Old Town from the Nový Most bridge

v • d • e Boroughs of Bratislava by district     I Old Town II Podunajské Biskupice · Ružinov · Vrakuňa III Nové Mesto · Rača · Vajnory IV Devín · Devínska Nová Ves · Dúbravka · Karlova Ves · Lamač · Záhorská Bystrica V Čunovo · Jarovce · Petržalka · Rusovce