Hlavné námestie (literally "Main Square") is one of the most well known squares in

Bratislava Bratislava (, also ; ; german: Preßburg/Pressburg ; hu, Pozsony) is the capital and largest city of Slovakia. Officially, the population of the city is about 475,000; however, it is estimated to be more than 660,000 — approximately 140% of ...

Slovakia Slovakia (; sk, Slovensko ), officially the Slovak Republic ( sk, Slovenská republika, links=no ), is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the ...

. It is located in the

Old Town In a city or town, the old town is its historic or original core. Although the city is usually larger in its present form, many cities have redesignated this part of the city to commemorate its origins after thorough renovations. There are ma ...

and it is often considered to be the center of the city. Some of the main landmarks found in the square are the

Old Town Hall Old or OLD may refer to: Places *Old, Baranya, Hungary *Old, Northamptonshire, England *Old Street station, a railway and tube station in London (station code OLD) *OLD, IATA code for Old Town Municipal Airport and Seaplane Base, Old Town, Mai ...

and Roland Fountain.

Name

During the Second World War, this square was named in honor of

Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Germany from 1933 until his death in 1945. He rose to power as the leader of the Nazi Party, becoming the chancellor in 1933 and the ...

. During the

communist Communism (from Latin la, communis, lit=common, universal, label=none) is a far-left sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology and current within the socialist movement whose goal is the establishment of a communist society, ...

period (1948–1989), the square was named ''Námestie 4. apríla'' (literally ''4 April Square'', April 4 having been the day when Bratislava was liberated by the

Red Army The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army (Russian language, Russian: Рабо́че-крестья́нская Кра́сная армия),) often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist R ...

at the end of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

). Earlier names were sk,

Hitler Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Nazi Germany, Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his death in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the le ...

ovo namestie (1939–1945), sk, Masarykovo namestie, hu, Ferenc József tér (1914), hu, Fő tér, german: Hauptplatz (1879), german: Franz Joseph-Platz (1850), la, Forum civitatis (1668), german: Ring (1434), german: Markcht (1404), la, Forum (1373).

Gallery

File:Bratislava - Hlavné námestie (radnica).jpg,

File:Rudolf von Alt - Der Hauptplatz in Pressburg - 1843.jpeg, The square in 1843 File:Palác Uhorskej eskontnej a zmenárenskej banky.jpg, Palace of the Hungarian exchange bank (''Uhorská eskontná a zmenárenská banka'') File:Slovakia Bratislava 81.jpg, Christmas fair takes place each year on the square from the end of November until the end of December File:Bratislava Palugyayov palác 03.jpg, Palugyay Palace,

Viktor Rumpelmayer Viktor Rumpelmayer (7 November 1830 – 14 June 1885, in Vienna) was a 19th-century Austro-Hungarian architect, whose style was a combination of French and Italian influences and the Viennese trends characteristic for the period. He is regarded as ...

, 1882-1883 File:Japanese Embassy in Bratislava (Pressburg, Pozsony).JPG, Japanese Embassy at Hlavné námestie File:French Embassy Bratislava 6250544.JPG, French Embassy at Hlavné námestie

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hlavne Namestie (Bratislava) Squares in Bratislava