WorldTravelGate.net® - The History of Bratislava,Slovakia

BASIC HISTORICAL INFORMATION

Bratislava is a city with a rich history dating back to the Early Stone Age when hunter settlements were established in the area. People in the Late Stone Age, 3500 B. C., also recognized the advantages of this area and established several settlements in areas of strategic importance. Since this period the Bratislava region has been continuously settled.
The Romans played an important role in the history of our town in the early part of the last millennium, when the Danube River became the frontier of the Roman Empire. Close to the river the Romans built a fortified military camp with watchtowers and civic buildings, which were part of the defensive boundary Limes Romanus. By the end of the migration of nations, in the 5th century, the Slavs had arrived in the Bratislava region. By the end of the 8th and beginning of the 9th century, definite boundaries between the Slav and German worlds began to be defined. The development of crafts among the Slavs, increasing social stratification, the establishment of tribal principalities and their mutual struggles led to the establishment of the first independent state, Great Moravia, in the first third of the 9th century. On Bratislava castle hill and at Devin important castle settlements were built.

907	-	The first preserved written reference to Bratislava
10th-11th century	-	The castle becomes a border fortification of Hungary, seat of district administration and the Church Chapter
12th century	-	On the foundations of an earlier castle settlement an early medieval Romanesque town is built
1291	-	Hungarian ruler Andrew III (Ondrej III) grants municipal privileges to Bratislava
1405	-	Sigismund of Luxembourg declares Bratislava to be a free royal town
1430	-	Establishment of a mint in Bratislava
r.1436	-	In 1436 King Sigismond gave Bratislava a coat of arms patent and privileged its use (Picture)
1465	-	Matthias Corvinus founds Academia Istropolitana - the first university in Slovakia
1526	-	After the Battle of Mohac, the Hungarian Assembly elects Ferdinand I of Habsburg to be the hereditary king of Hungary
1536	-	Consequent to the occupation of lower Hungary by the Turks, Bratislava becomes the capital of Hungary, the seat of the parliament and central bodies and the coronation town of Hungarian kings
1563 - 1830	-	Coronation of 11 kings and 8 royal wives
1606	-	Establishment of Evangelical Lyceum
1626	-	On the invitation of Archbishop Peter Pazman, the Jesuits come to Bratislava to strengthen Catholic influence in the town
1710 - 1711	-	The Great Plague
1721 - 1722	-	The first newspaper "Nowa Posoniensia" appears
1775	-	Empress Maria Theresa issues a decree ordering the destruction of the town walls
1776	-	Opening of the first professional theatre
1783	-	Bratislava ceases to be the capital of Hungary
1787	-	First attempt to codify the Slovak language
1805	-	Peace treaty between Austria and France, known as the Bratislava Peace was signed in the Primate´s Palace
1809	-	Town besieged by French army under Napoleon
1811	-	Bratislava Castle burns down
1830	-	Begining of regular ship transport of people and cargo along the Danube
1843	-	Codification of the Slovak language
1848	-	In the Hall of Mirrors of the Primate´s Palace, Emperor Ferdinand I signs acts abolishing serfdom
1848	-	The first steam train on the Bratislava-Vienna line
1884	-	Lighting of the town by electricity commences and establishment of the telephone system
1891	-	Opening of the first bridge over the Danube River
1945	-	Liberation of the city by the Soviet army
1968	-	Occupation of Czechoslovakia by troops of the Warsaw Pact nations. Soviet tanks in the streets of Bratislava
1968	-	The Act of Czechoslovak Federation signed in Bratislava Castle. Bratislava gains the status of capital of the Slovak Socialist Republic
1993	-	Bratislava is capital of the independent Slovak Republic
2004		May 1st :Slovakia becomes a full member of the European Union