Don't hate it just because Hostel took place there.

When visiting Europe, few make Bratislava a major stop along the journey. An analogy I've heard made is Bratislava is to Prague, as Detroit is to Chicago. Now I've never been to either American city (outside of the Detroit International Airport) so I can't really speak for how genuine this is, but I can see why the comparison would be drawn. Bratislava is, on first appearance, rather rundown, and industrial. A quick walk through the city center, however, should improve one's view of the town. I am biased though, I was having a terrible week, but then the visa lady at the Czech embassy was so polite and helpful, it really turned things around for me.

As for the city itself, nestled on the blue Danube, this capital is structured much like Prague. There is a castle, an old town, a new town, and long weaving cobblestone roads. The street names are even identical. The public transportation system is also very similar, and if I wasn't at all familiar with the area I wouldn't have even known that I had in fact left the Czech Republic. It's only been about sixteen years since Slovakia split off, so the differences in culture are minor. Despite having lived in the shadow of Prague for so long, Bratislava has a long and unique history, going back as far as the Neolithic Era. I'll let Wikipedia fill in the details for you there.


In order to recieve my work visa, I am required to go to a Czech Embassy, which can only be found in foreign countries, so I will, within the next two months, have made three trip to Bratislava. During this first trip I was only able to get a quick look around but here are my first impressions: Much like Prague, the city is full of statues. Some of famous Slovaks, some figurative symbols, and some frolicing nymphs. There are also many huge cathedrals, and some strangly colored goverment palaces, such as the Primate's Palace. This building, having nothing to do with monkeys, mind you, is a bright pink hue, and featured an interesting statue of St. George slaying him some dragon. As for Bratislava Castle, unfortunately it was undergoing some heavy reconstruction, so it was covered in scaffolding.

It was a good trip, albeit a bit long (four and half hours each way). Hopefully I'll be able to do more sightseeing next week, when I return to pick up my short term visa. And finally, as the title said, yes this is near where the horror film Hostel takes place, but interestingly enough, most of that film was filmed in Český Krumlov, which you should remember from my previous post.