Bratislava curiosities

Man at work (Čumil)

A bronze figure situated at the junction of Rybárska brána and Panská and Laurinská streets. The sculpture was created by painter Viktor Hulík. Already at its unveiling in July 1997, it captured the hearts of both locals and foreign tourists alike. Today, Čumil is probably one of the most-photographed "Bratislavians".

Schöne Náci

A short way from Čumil stands the cast-iron figure of Schöne Náci, the Bratislava dandy Ignác Lamár, who was an essential part of the local flavour on the promenade in the middle of the last century. Ignác Lamár was born in 1897 in Petržalka and died in the State Tuberculosis Hospital in Lehnice in 1967. Those who knew him remember him as a courteous, quiet and poor man. When he met a nice girl or young woman on the street, he would remove his hat and quietly flirt with her, saying “schöne, schöne” (“beautiful, beautiful”). From this stemmed his nickname, Schöne Náci. The statue is the work of sculptor prof. Juraj Meliš.

Napoleonic soldier

The Napoleonic Soldier leaning over a bench on Hlavné námestie (Main Square) is also among the most popular statues with tourists. It depicts one of the solders involved in the bombardment of Bratislava from Petržalka in 1809. Sculptor prof. Juraj Meliš is also the creator of this bronze. To protect him from damage, the Soldier spends each winter in the city depository.

Paparazzi

On a corner of Laurinská street passers-by are drawn to this life-sized statue of a paparazzi. Holding a camera in his hands, he seems to have just photographed some member of Bratislava high society. The statue is the work of scupltor Radko Mačuha.

Hans Christian Andersen

The statue of Danish fairy-tale author Hans Christian Andersen complements the colour of Hviezdoslavovo square. It commemorates his visit to Bratislava in 1841. The bronze, larger-than-life statue is the work of sculptor Tibor Bartfay. Figures from Andersen's stories surround the statue.

Sentry box on the Main square

A symbolic reminder of the historic city sentry post which stood in the Main Square from the 17th century to the 1860s. The sentry box was created by painter Marián Prešnajder and architects Otto Grossmann and Juraj Šimek.

Narrowest house in Bratislava

The house can be found at 15 Michalská street, and with the narrowest frontage in Bratislava, it has an interesting story to tell. It came about due to the demolition of the city fortifications in the 17th century. These originally consisted of two walls, between which was an open space - commonly referred to as "cvinger". Over time, as armies began to use cannons, the justification for such fortifications gradually came to an end. The demolition of the walls between Michael's Gate and Michael's Tower created a gap of 130 cm. Originally, a passageway for sentries was here.

Crown on the spire of St. Martin´s Cathedral

This copy of the Hungarian Royal Crown was constructed on top of the spire of Bratislava's cathedral by local goldsmiths sometime around 1870.
The 300 kg crown is situated at a height of 85 m, and Bratislavans and visitors to the city have been able to admire it since 1902. The gilt crown with cross at the apex is 2.7 metres high, of which the crown itself measures 1.6 metres. The royal crown rests on a 2 metre square golden pillow.

Unique hat

The 180 cm diameter iron cardinal's hat weighing 150 kg is enthroned at the peak of the pediment of Primate's Palace above the stone coat of arms.