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Bratislava is the capital of Slovakia and the country's largest city, with a population of some 430,000. Bratislava lies on the River Danube, at Slovakia's borders with Austria and Hungary, and relatively close to the border with the Czech Republic. It is only 60 km (45-65 minutes by train) from Vienna. The city is the most densely populated in Central Europe. The Carpathian mountain range begins within the territory of the city with the Malé Karpaty (or Little Carpathians ) mountains (part of the Carpathians).
Bratislava is the seat of the Slovak presidency, parliament and government. The city is home to universities, a relatively large number of museums, and to theatres and other cultural institutions (for example, the famous Slovak Philharmonic Orchestra ).
Historically, the town has been influenced by several nations (among others, Austria, Hungary, and Slovakia). As is common for former cities of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, Bratislava had other names, which remained in common use until World War I: Pressburg, the German name, today still the official alternative German name, as well as Pozsony, its name in Hungarian or Prešporok, its old Slovak name.
1 Basic data
Location: on both banks of the Danube, at the foot of and in the Little Carpathians, directly at the Austrian and Hungarian borders
Climate: mild; annual mean temperature: 9.9 °C, annual hours of sunshine 1976.4, average annual rainfall 527.4 mm (1993)
2 History
for a more comprehensive history (as well as historic personalities and the ethnic structure of the town) see the article History of Bratislava
- NeolithicThe Neolithic (Greek neos new, lithos stone, or "New Stone Age") is traditionally the last part of the stone age. The name was invented by John Lubbock in 1865 as a refinement of the three-age system. It followed Pleistocene Epipalaeolithic and early Holo Age: permanent settlement begins with the Linear Ceramics Culture
- 400For alternate uses, see Number 400. Events First invasion of Italy by Alaric (probable date). The Vandals start their westward trek from Dacia and Hungary (approximate date). Construction (and therefore occupation) at Great Zimbabwe begins (approximate da- 50Alternate uses, see Number 50 Centuries: 1st century BC 1st century 2nd century Decades: 0s 10s 20s 30s 40s 50s 60s 70s 80s 90s 100s Years: 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 Events Londinium is founded by the Romans, taking over as capital of the local Rom B. C.: Celts ; from 125 B. C. on an important celtic oppidumTo the Romans, an oppidum was the main settlement in any administrative area. Julius Caesar described the larger Iron Age settlements he encountered in Gaul as oppida and the term is now used to describe the large pre-Roman towns that existed all across E (fortified town) with a mint
- 1st century1st century BC 1st century 2nd century other centuries) The 1st century was that century which lasted from 1 to 99. Events Beginning of Christianity Spread of the Roman Empire Masoretes adds vowel pointings to the text of the Tanakh Pompeii and Herculaneu – 5th century: the border of the Roman Empire (Limes Romanus) runs right through the middle of today's town; many Roman (e.g. "Gerulata") and Germanic settlements
- 6th century- 8th century: first Slavs (500 A.D.- today) and Avarians (560s - 8th century)
- 623- 658: part of King Samo's Empire
- 1536- 1784: capital of the Kingdom of Hungary (whose territory consisted until 1699 of today's Slovakia and parts of today's Western Hungary, because the Turks ruled Buda at that time); the Kingdom of Hungary was part of the Habsburg (i. e. Austrian) Monarchy from 1526 to 1918
- 1542- 1848: meeting place of the Hungarian Diet (with short interruptions)
- 1563- 1830: coronation town for Hungarian kings ( St. Martin's Cathedral (see the picture))
- since the 18th century: a center of the Slovak national movement
- 1969- 1992: the capital of the Federal State of Slovakia within Czechoslovakia
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