Hviezdoslavovo námestie ('Hviezdoslav Square') is a town square in

Bratislava Bratislava (, also ; ; german: Preßburg/Pressburg ; hu, Pozsony) is the Capital city, 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 — approxim ...

. 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 ...

, between the New Bridge and the Slovak National Theater. The square is named after

Pavol Országh Hviezdoslav Pavol Országh Hviezdoslav (2 February 1849 - 8 November 1921) was a Slovak poet, dramatist, translator, and for a short time, member of the Czechoslovak parliament. Originally, he wrote in a traditional style, but later became influenced by pa ...

History

Previous names of the square include: ( hu, Kossuth Lajos tér-german: Kossuth Lajos platz, hu, Radetzky tér-german: Radetzky platz, hu, Séta tér-german: Promenade) Many medieval houses were built there. The northern part contains the houses Kőszeghy, Eszterházy, Széchenyi, Stáhl, Záborszky, Pálffy, Sulkovszky Maldeghem, Malatinszky, and Werner. The southern part holds the houses Spineger, Gervay, Löw-Palugyay, Kozics, Wigand, Adler, Pollák, and Sprinzl. The most notable buildings are the Cathédrale Notre Dame Cloister and Slovak National Theater, which can be found in the eastern part. Earlier, the most important noblemen sent their daughters to learn in this cloister, for example, Pálffy, Forgách, Harrach and Lichtenstein. On March 17, 1848, Hungarian national leader

Lajos Kossuth Lajos Kossuth de Udvard et Kossuthfalva (, hu, udvardi és kossuthfalvi Kossuth Lajos, sk, Ľudovít Košút, anglicised as Louis Kossuth; 19 September 1802 – 20 March 1894) was a Hungarian nobleman, lawyer, journalist, poli ...

proclaimed from Hotel Zöldfa to the assembling mass because

Ferdinand V Ferdinand V is the name of: * Ferdinand II of Aragon, Ferdinand V of Castile, ''the Catholic'' king of Castile, Aragon and Naples *Ferdinand I of Austria en, Ferdinand Charles Leopold Joseph Francis Marcelin , image = Kaiser Ferdinand I.j ...

signed March laws at the

Primate's Palace The Primate's Palace ( sk, Primaciálny palác) is a neoclassical palace in the Old Town of Bratislava the capital of Slovakia. It was built from 1778 to 1781 for Archbishop József Batthyány, after the design of architect Melchior Hefele. I ...

last day. The first Hungarian fencing school's practicing hall was there. Lajos Kossuth,

Franz Joseph Franz Joseph I or Francis Joseph I (german: Franz Joseph Karl, hu, Ferenc József Károly, 18 August 1830 – 21 November 1916) was Emperor of Austria, King of Hungary, and the other states of the Habsburg monarchy from 2 December 1848 until his ...

Albert Einstein Albert Einstein ( ; ; 14 March 1879 – 18 April 1955) was a German-born theoretical physicist, widely acknowledged to be one of the greatest and most influential physicists of all time. Einstein is best known for developing the theory ...

, and

Alfred Nobel Alfred Bernhard Nobel ( , ; 21 October 1833 – 10 December 1896) was a Swedes, Swedish chemist, engineer, inventor, businessman, and Philanthropy, philanthropist. He is best known for having bequeathed his fortune to establish the Nobel ...

stayed at this hotel. This hotel was today's HotelCarlton's place. In 1911,

Sándor Petőfi Sándor Petőfi ( []; né Petrovics; sk, Alexander Petrovič; sr, Александар Петровић; 1 January 1823 – most likely 31 July 1849) was a Hungarian poet of Serbian origin and liberal revolutionary. He is considered Hungary's ...

's sculpture was erected opposite what became Slovak National Theater. It was unsuccessfully attacked with

dynamite Dynamite is an explosive made of nitroglycerin, sorbents (such as powdered shells or clay), and Stabilizer (chemistry), stabilizers. It was invented by the Swedish people, Swedish chemist and engineer Alfred Nobel in Geesthacht, Northern Germa ...

after the

Czechoslovak army The Czechoslovak Army (Czech and Slovak: Československá armáda) was the name of the armed forces of Czechoslovakia. It was established in 1918 following Czechoslovakia's declaration of independence from Austria-Hungary. History In the fi ...

occupied the city in 1918. After this event, the sculpture was boarded over until its removal. The square underwent major reconstruction at the end of the 20th century. Before reconstruction, it looked like a small city park; now it looks like a city promenade. On February 24, 2005, US President

George W. Bush George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Republican Party, Bush family, and son of the 41st president George H. W. Bush, he ...

gave a public speech in Hviezdoslav Square during his visit to Bratislava for the Slovakia Summit 2005 with Russian President

Vladimir Putin Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin; (born 7 October 1952) is a Russian politician and former intelligence officer who holds the office of president of Russia. Putin has served continuously as president or prime minister since 1999: as prime min ...

Configuration

The square is primarily a pedestrian zone with a lot of green. A podium occupies the central part for cultural events, and two parallel fountains run along the square. Close to the theater is the larger than life-sized statue of Hviezdoslav.

Important buildings

One building in the square is the old headquarters of the Slovak National Theater (opera). On the southern side are the Radisson Blu Carlton Hotel, as well as the German and American embassies. On the northern side are many bars and restaurants.

References

Bibliography

* * * {{coord, 48, 08, 30, N, 17, 06, 30, E, display=title, region:SK-BL_type:landmark_source:dewiki Squares in Bratislava Old Town, Bratislava