The medieval city fortifications are the system of fortifications of the city of
Bratislava, the capital of
Slovakia, of which one gate and two sections of walls remain today. Most of the
medieval fortification system was demolished in the year 1775 by the order of Empress
Maria Theresa of Austria, the rest being torn down in the 18th and 19th centuries. The only remaining consistent stretch of Bratislava city walls running from the
St. Martin's Cathedral towards the intersection of Na vŕšku Street and Kapitulská Street is accessible to the public from 2020 again.
History Construction of the medieval fortifications in Bratislava (known as Pressburg / Pozsony for most of its history, when belonged to the
Kingdom of Hungary) started in the 13th century. By the end of the 14th century, there were three gates leading to the town: the
Michael's Gate (north), Vydrica Gate (west), and
Laurinc Gate (east). In the 15th century another smaller gate was added: the Fishermen's Gate (south, leading to the
Danube). The suburbs gradually grew around the fortification walls, which were fortified in the 15th century with embankments and dikes on the order of King
Sigismund, after a
Hussite invasion. The town's outer line had five gates: the Kozia Gate, and gates at Suché mýto, Špitálska, Dunajská, and Schöndorf (today's Obchodná) streets. Due to the
Turkish threat in the 16th century, the fortifications were reconstructed by Italian builders specializing in fortress building. Other changes were also planned in the 17th century, but only
castle fortresses were implemented. However, as the town's inner walls were slowing the town's growth,
Maria Theresa of Austria allowed the demolition of the fortifications in 1775. Demolition continued until 1778, the moats were filled and the town united with its suburbs. At the beginning of the 19th century, the outer walls were also demolished. Bastions were built more extensively comparatively late, only after
cannons improved, and especially after the
Battle of Mohács in 1526. However the bastions named Enemy of the Hungarians (Nepriateľ Uhrov), Lugisland, Bird's bastion (Vtáčia bašta), Bastion at the upper bath (Bašta pri hornom kúpeli), Gunpowder bastion (Prašná bašta), Bastion behind the cloister (Bašta Za kláštorom), Butchers' bastion (Mäsiarska bašta), Bakers' bastion (Pekárska bašta), and Shoemakers' bastion (Obuvnícka bašta) were all built before the year 1520. This is a list of named bastions running clockwise from
Michael's Gate towards
Laurinc Gate then Fishermen's Gate then Vydrica Gate and then back to
Michael's Gate. The south part of city walls was protected enough by the environment of the river
Danube creating an uninhabited system of small tree-less islands. The only two remaining bastions today are Gunpowder bastion (Prašná bašta) which was redesigned as a residential house at Zámočnícka Street No. 11 and the remains of Shoemakers' bastion (Obuvnícka bašta) were included into the house at
Hviezdoslavovo námestie No. 11, today it contains the coffeehouse
Korzo (not visible from the outside of the building).
Today Today, only Michael's Gate, a short stretch of former wall by it and a section by
St. Martin's Cathedral approximately 200 metres in length have survived. The section by St. Martin's Cathedral was renovated after a massive demolition in the area under the castle due to the construction of an access road to the
Nový Most bridge, and parts of fortifications were uncovered. The narrowest house in Europe is located on Michalská Street, near the
Michael's Gate. The city Bratislava owns this stretch of city walls from the year 1993. In the year 2000, the city rented the structure to an NGO
Tovarišstvo starých bojových umení a remesiel. In the year 2001, the city walls were declared inaccessible to the public and big metal fences were installed at the entry points. According to a statics expert, the structure remains intact and there is no danger of large pieces falling apart. On the other hand, small pieces of outer layers of the structure are peeling off and pose a hazard to pedestrians and cars passing down Staromestská street. Parts of the fortifications are covered by
scaffolding to strengthen it. For some reason, the scaffolding is owned by private companies which used it immediately to install oversized advertisements. In 2010, strong wind damaged the wooden observation deck near St. Martin's Cathedral so badly, that it had to be deconstructed. The Bratislava city company
Mestský investor pamiatkovej obnovy – spoločnosť Paming is planning the reconstruction of the longest fortification stretch at least since 2008, but as of 2011, no progress has been made. The city of Bratislava claims it does not even have the budget to apply for a grant from the Ministry of Culture because it requires mandatory co-financing. According to Jozef Hrabina, head of the Paming company, the estimated cost of reconstruction, including research and project documentation is 1.7 million
euro. This stretch of fortifications contains the only remaining tower – the Bax tower (
Baxova veža), although other sources claim it is the Bird tower (
Vtáčia veža). The unique city walls continue to be accessible to the public. == Bratislava Castle fortifications ==