Surprising Slovakia

Wednesday, March 18, 2026

Bratislava, Slovakia

Girl with an Olive Branch

Fun Facts about Slovakia and Bratislava

Slovakia

• Slovakia has more than 6000 caves! That’s right. This small country is a treasure trove of subterranean wonders, from the ice-filled depths of Dobšinská Ice Cave to the intricate dripstone formations of Demänovská Cave of Liberty

• Pop artist Andy Warhol’s parents came from Slovakia. His parents emigrated from the small village of Miková in the northeast of Slovakia to the United States.

• Slovakia is bordered by five countries: Austria, Hungary, Czech Republic, Ukraine, and Poland

• These world-famous people have Slovak parents or grandparents:

  • Angelina Jolie (grandfather from Kosice)

  • Audrey Hepburn (grandmother born in Kovarce)

  • Andy Warhol (mother from Mikova)

  • Paul Newman (mother from Pticie)

  • Jon Bon Jovi (grandmother)

  • Ivan Reitman (parents from Komarno)

Bratislava

• Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia, is the only national capital in the world that borders two independent countries: Austria and Hungary

• Quirky Statues: The Old Town is filled with bronze statues, the most famous being "Man at Work" which is a man peering out of a manhole.  (Picture in blog)

• The ruins of Devin Castle, located on the border with Austria, are said to be haunted by the ghost of a young woman who was betrayed by her lover.

A Brief History of Slovakia

 Slovakian history is also the history of Bratislova. The country and the city have changed countries frequently over time, including in the recent past.  Over the centuries, Bratislava has been part of the Kingdom of Hungary, the Austro-Hungarian Empire, Czechoslovakia, Nazi Germany (briefly), and finally Slovakia.

This picture shows remains of Roman walls from the area's early history.

Until 1918 the area that is now Slovakia was under rule of the Habsburgs and the Austria-Hungary dynasty. Then in 1918 following Austria-Hungary's collapse, Czechoslovakia was formed and thrived as a democracy until pre-WWII occupation by Germany. After WWII it fell under Soviet influence. They existed under strict communist rule until 1989 and the Velver Revolution which was a peaceful uprising that led to the collapse of the communist regime. Finally in January 1993 the Czechoslovakia split into two countries - the Czech Repbuplic and Slovakia. This was arranged by the prime ministers of the two countries with no input from, or vote by, the people of the those countries. (Imagine a leader making an important decision like that without input from the parliament or people...hmmm). At this point, Slovakia began creating their own country, including a new language.

This statue commemorates the three authors who helped form and define the new language, which is very similar to the language spoken in the Czech Republic.

The picture at the beginning of the blog shows a girl with an olive branch, and she is facing towards Russia to commemorate when the Red Army helped liberate the country in 1945, although it then fell under communist rule...

Interesting Art of Bratislava

Statue depicting Grimm Brothers Tale - Brother and Sister

Statue depicting Hans Christian Anderson is decorated with characters from his stories, including the Emperor with no clothes (on the back side view). Does the emperor remind you of anyone in politics today?????

Schone Naci - a statue depicting a favorite local street character

Napolean Army Soldier in front of the French Embassy

Man climbing up on to street through a manhole cover, and street sign warning about it, except the sign is covered with stickers.

Interesting Architecture of Bratislava

The Blue Church.

A Catholic Church known for its bright sky blue color and the oriental and mosaic decorations.

The UFO Bridge

You can climb to the top to see the view..

Maximillan's Fountain in Bratislava's Main Square was built in 1572. However, sometimes this fountain is referred to by the people as the "pee pee" fountain. If you are curious why, take a look at the four young boys depicted on the center piller of the fountain!

This is the tallest skyscraper in the country of Slovakia.

Dogs of Bratislava:

And finally - This is a picture of the American Embassy in Bratislava. We walked past at least 8-10 other embassies on our tour; yet, the US Embassy was the only one surrounded by a fence and security office. We will let you draw your own conclusions.

Tomorrow we arrive in Budapest, Hungary for a 2-day stay. We have visited this area before, but we weren't writing a blog then. At the very least, we won't be repeating information we have already shared!