Bratislava will become Pressburg again
The Slovak metropolis will again be the capital of Hungary. Only for three days, but with even much fanfare
Let yourselves be immersed in the rich royal past during the Bratislava Coronation Days and enjoy ceremonies in honour of the coronation of Ferdinand IV of Habsburg.
Recall the ancient atmosphere of Pressburg in the main role with kings and queens as well as nobility, troubadours and a lot of curious spectators. Watch the royal past come to life and discover places breathtaking in their history that have witnessed the crowning of monarchs.
Only few cities can boast of having coronation ceremonies held there. The former Pressburg became the capital of the Kingdom of Hungary during the Turkish dangerousness and gained the privilege of the coronation city. This privilege was granted to Bratislava for 267 years, when the coronation of the Hungarian kings took place here.
Between 1563 and 1830, 10 kings, 1 queen and 7 royal consorts were crowned here, who were also Czech kings, German kings and also admired the imperial crown of the Holy Roman Empire of the German nation. In this way, they unified almost the entire Central European area and participated in determining the course of European and world events. And to commemorate these important circumstances, the coronation days are regularly held in Bratislava.
The glourious past of Bratislava will be commemorated this year with a series of events, lasting from July 29th to 31st. Residents and visitors to the city would therefore once again enjoy the coronation atmosphere. For these days, the City of Bratislava prepared varied coronation themed programme of different genres for diverse audiences with the coronation theme.
The most important part of the programme will take place on Saturday, 30 July. At 1 p.m., approximately 250 performers from Slovakia, Czechia, Hungary and Poland will set off on a journey in a ceremonial procession from Bratislava Castle.
The procession will end its tour in the Old Town’s core at the historic Main Square. Here, as part of the programme, between 2 p.m. and 3 p.m., there will be a ceremony of introducing the Golden Collector’s Euro Coin held to celebrate the 450th anniversary of the coronation of Emperor Rudolf II of Germany.
The festive moments will continue on Tyrš Embankment on the Petržalka bank of the Danube. From 4:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. you can look forward to a spectacular knight’s tournament and accompanying programme. The medieval knights’ tournament will be preceded by falconry performances, period dance demonstrations and fencing duels.
Those interested in finding out more about the history of the coronations can join free guided tours in Slovak, English, German, Hungarian or Ukrainian organized by the Bratislava Tourist Board’s Tourist Information Centre during all three days from Friday to Sunday.
The route will tour the most important sites associated with the ceremony of coronation of Hungarian rulers and their spouses. It will also be the opportunity to learn more about the places associated with the reign of Maria Theresa during which Bratislava went through an unprecedented economic and cultural boom.
Bratislava’s streets today have churches and buildings lining them where historical events have taken place and there are still houses along the coronation route and squares existing that have witnessed coronation ceremonies. Part of the original coronation procession route is today marked with brass crowns embedded in the pavement.
Follow in the footsteps of kings and walk the route of the original coronation procession to get involved directly in the ceremonies as they are reenacted by actors and enthusiasts wearing period costumes.
Come to recall the atmosphere of the past by period procession and knights’ tournament. Please yourselves with the rich history of the metropolis of Slovakia and enjoyable moments of being together.
