STUDY ABROAD_Poland: Bratislava + Brno
After leaving Vienna, we spent time in two cities before continuing our travels in Prague. We arrived in Bratislava first and stayed there for a day, and stopped by Brno for an afternoon exploration.
Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia, sits on the Danube River, near the borders of Austria and Hungary. The more modern areas of the city are fun, but the old town captured my interests, primarily for its architectural history. My favorite building being the Bratislava Castle, perched on a hill and overlooking the old city, which is typical of many medieval castles. The site was originally settled by locals, but was later taken as part of the Roman Empire. It was conquered by the Slavs, who built a small castle and added to it over time. In the Middle Ages, the structure was destroyed and rebuilt as a larger stone castle in the Romanesque style. As an important city in the Kingdom of Hungary and later the Austrian-Hungarian Empire, the castle has had many owners and was altered by a variety of styles over its timespan, including Romanesque, Gothic, Renaissance [it was completely rebuilt for this particular change], Baroque, and Rococo. However, it was appointed for use by the Hungarian military in 1802, and was heavily damaged when Napoleon’s troops attacked, as was much of the surrounding town. By 1957, the castle was restored and partially rebuilt, primarily in the Baroque style, but with elements of its previous styles to be found. Its inner courtyard and four large corner towers give it a unique presence in the city.
We spent the night in a very distinctive hotel – a boat docked near the city. Thankfully the Danube River is gentle, and there was no rocking or swaying during the night – thus no seasickness. While we spent most of our time in the boat-hotel (the "boatel") sleeping, we enjoyed the experience immensely.
It only took a few hours to drive to Brno, Czech Republic where we spent four hours exploring the “old city” area of the now larger and more recently constructed city. The buildings are primarily medieval, and have simple but appealing facades. A plethora of shops selling local and hand-made products lined the maze-like streets. The main square, Lower Market Square, was my favorite location in the city. The long triangular square was hemmed with buildings from a variety of time periods, adding visual intrigue to the overall façade. A strange, almost bullet-shaped statue stood prominently near the center, and we learned that it is essentially a series of individual parts stacked on top of one another. Each piece represents a different unit of time, and rotates at a different rate. It was fun watching the piece that represented seconds move quickly, and the one representing minutes move steadily, but the one representing hours was a little more boring.
The best part of our time in Brno, though, was visiting Mies van der Rohe’s Villa Tugendhat, designed and built between 1928 and 1930 for the wealthy Fritz and Greta Tugendhat. The house is typical of van der Rohe’s style, with cruciform columns and flexible open spaces. However, the owners moved away when World War II began, and the house was used primarily as housing for soldiers, and later for animals. The home was in bad shape after the war, with its large glass windows blasted away and its expensive materials stolen or heavily damaged. However, in 2010, reconstruction and restoration began, and the house was restored to its original state and is now open for tours.
Visiting these two cities was a fun and speedy two days, and all of us enjoyed our time in both places. However, we were eager to finish our trip in Prague, and once again boarded the bus with excitement.
Allison’s Recommendations for Bratislava
Try more Goulash. It just gets better in every city.
Visit the castle. You’ll have to climb a large hill, but the views and the castle itself are astounding and well worth the trek.
Staying in the boat hotel was really fun, so if you’re looking for something different, give that a try.
Visit a few of the shops selling handmade local goods. It’s a great way to see the region’s culture, and you might find some nice souvenirs, too.
Visit a pizzeria and try a pizza with black olives and corn on it. I have no idea why these ingredients are combined on a pizza, but I actually enjoyed it.
As always, wander the streets. You never know what you’ll find.
Allison’s Recommendations for Brno:
Go to Villa Tugendhat and see one of Mies van der Rohe’s few family residences.
Travel the streets of the old city. It won’t take long, as the area’s fairly small.
Like Bratislava, there are many shops selling handmade local goods.