Old Town, Bratislava

Old Town

*Staré Mesto*
*Óváros*
*Altstadt*
Old Town Staré Mesto; Óváros; Altstadt
Borough
	Bratislava's main square
	Flag Coat of arms
	Area of Staré Mesto in Bratislava
	Old Town Location of Staré Mesto in Slovakia
	Coordinates: 48°08′36″N 17°06′27″E / 48.14333°N 17.10750°E
Country	Slovakia
Region	Bratislava Region
District	Bratislava I
First mentioned	907
Government
• Mayor	Matej Vagač
Area
• Total	9.59 km2 (3.70 sq mi)
Elevation	138 m (453 ft)
Population (2024)
• Total	47,635
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code	811 0X
Area code	+421-2
Website	www.staremesto.sk

The Old Town of Bratislava (Slovak: Staré Mesto, Hungarian: Óváros, German: Altstadt) 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. It contains the small, but preserved medieval city center, Bratislava Castle and other important landmarks. Bratislava's Old Town is known for its many churches, the Bratislava Riverfront and cultural institutions, it is also the location of most of the foreign states embassies and important Slovak institutions including the National Council of the Slovak Republic; the Summer Archbishop's Palace, seat of the Government of Slovakia; and Grassalkovich Palace, seat of the President of Slovakia.

Location

The Old Town is bordered by the river Danube to the west, Karlova Ves to the north, the New Town to the north and east, and Ružinov to the east and south.

The municipality lies at an altitude of 138 metres (453 ft)^[3] and covers an area of 9.59 km² (3.70 sq mi) (2024).^[4]

Division

The Old Town is divided into several local parts: the historical center, Vydrica, Zukermandel, Blumentál, and others. Some of the local parts were demolished by the Communist government after World War II, including Vydrica and Zukermandel.

Characteristics

As its name suggests, the district houses many historic monuments and Bratislava's central institutions. It also contains many Slovak governmental offices and 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 (technically part of the Small Carpathians mountain range) featuring Bratislava Castle, 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 Sofer Memorial and the Bratislava Castle hill, and in the west at the D2 Motorway. This part of Bratislava is more quiet than the other parts of the city's Old Town and, apart from the castle, it is seldom visited by tourists.

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 ('Stone Square'), Obchodná ulica ('Shop Street' equivalent to High Street), Pharmacy Salvator, Zochova Street from the 14th century and many other old churches and palaces. There are still some remnants of the medieval Bratislava city walls, although not open to the public for the time being.

Population

Population statistic (10 years)^[5]
Year	1994	2004	2014	2024
Count	48,036	42,858	38,988	47,635
Difference		−10.77%	−9.02%	+22.17%

Population statistic^[5]
Year	2023	2024
Count	47,375	47,635
Difference		+0.54%

It has a population of 47,635 people (31 December 2024).^[6]

Ethnicity

Census 2021 (1+ %)^[7]^[8]
Ethnicity	Number	Fraction
Slovak	37,280	80.9%
Not found out	5982	12.98%
Hungarian	1283	2.78%
Czech	1014	2.2%
Other	999	2.16%
Total	46,080

In year 2021 was 46,080 people by ethnicity 37,280 as Slovak, 5982 as Not found out, 1283 as Hungarian, 1014 as Czech, 999 as Other, 417 as German, 245 as Ukrainian, 232 as Russian, 228 as Jewish, 196 as Rusyn, 161 as Italian, 158 as French, 102 as Romani, 97 as Bulgarian, 87 as Polish, 82 as Austrian, 71 as Greek, 55 as Moravian, 55 as Croatian, 50 as Serbian, 41 as Romanian, 40 as English, 33 as Albanian, 25 as Vietnamese, 25 as Canadian, 22 as Turkish, 21 as Iranian, 17 as Irish, 17 as Korean, 9 as Chinese and 1 as Silesian.

Note on population: The difference between the population numbers above and in the census (here and below) is that the population numbers above are mostly made up of permanent residents, etc.; and the census should indicate the place where people actually mainly live.
For example, a student is a citizen of a village because they have permanent residence there (they lived there as a child and has parents), but most of the time he studies at a university in the city.