Slovakia

Slovakia and Bratislava will be an interesting counterpoint to Austria and Vienna. They are both countries of the Austria-Hungarian empire, but, during the Cold War, developed under very different political regimes.

Bratislava

Bratislava is the capital of the Slovak Republic that split amicably from Czechoslovakia in 1993. The castle overlooks the city where one can take a walking tour. Bratislava is right on the Danube (Danau) River that flows from Vienna down to Budapest.

Previously known as Pressburg, Bratislava was for centuries part of the Austro-Hungarian empire. Ten kings and one queen were crowned here. The golden age was under Maria Theresia. Except for six years during World War II, Bratislava was part of Czechoslovakia from 1919 until 1993.

Here we will:

• See The Slovak National Theater
• See the Main Square, the heart of the historic center, with the Old Town Hall that contains the City Museum and the City Archives.
• See Maximilian's Fountain
• See the Archbishop's Palace
• See the Old Market Hall
• See Mirbach's Palace, a rococo building, which is today the City Gallery.
• See St. Martin's Cathedral, a Gothic structure with the chapel of St. John the Almoner, the coronation cathedral of Hungarian kings.
• See the Castle that overlooks the city. Its Siginmund gate is the best preserved Gothic structure. Maria Theresia is the only queen who lived here.

Note: Itinerary may change without notice. Adaptations are made from semester to semester.