Námestie Slobody'' ( en, Freedom Square)'', locally referred to as Gottko, is a major city square 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 ...
of
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 ...
, the capital 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 situated in the wider city center, close to Kollárovo square and in front of the
Summer Archbishop's Palace.
History
The location of the current square was covered with vineyards during medieval times. It probably originated in the 17th century, with the
Summer Archbishop's Palace which was built there. It currently houses the
Slovak government. Later it was rebuilt as a grass area, which was divided by an alley of trees. It was called Kniežacie or ''Fürstenallee'' and ''Hercegfasor''. The Slovak expression Firšnál originated from Fürstenallee.
The square was called ''Gottwaldovo'' during socialism in honor of the first
Czechoslovak communist president Klement Gottwald
Klement Gottwald (; 23 November 1896 – 14 March 1953) was a Czech communist politician, who was the leader of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia from 1929 until his death in 1953–titled as general secretary until 1945 and as chairman fro ...
, whose statue was included. The Post Office palace (the biggest post office in the world) and buildings of
Slovak Technical University were built there during the 1940s and 1950s, closing the square in from all sides. The biggest
fountain
A fountain, from the Latin "fons" (genitive "fontis"), meaning source or spring, is a decorative reservoir used for discharging water. It is also a structure that jets water into the air for a decorative or dramatic effect.
Fountains were ori ...
in Bratislava stands there, which was built in 1980. It was one of the first squares in Bratislava that was renamed after the
Velvet Revolution
The Velvet Revolution ( cs, Sametová revoluce) or Gentle Revolution ( sk, Nežná revolúcia) was a non-violent transition of power in what was then Czechoslovakia, occurring from 17 November to 28 November 1989. Popular demonstrations agains ...
in 1989.
Fountain of Union
The square's centerpiece is the Fountain of Union ( sk, Fontána Družby), built from 1979 to 1980 by sculptors Juraj Hovorka, Tibor Bártfay, Karol Lacko and architects Virgil Droppa and Juraj Hlavica. It is the biggest fountain in Bratislava and in the whole Slovak Republic. The fountain consists of a basin and a 9 meters tall sculpture of a linden flower weighing 12 tons.
The fountain features a tunnel and a relatively large machine room, located underneath the fountain. Due to water continually entering the underground control spaces because of lack of maintenance after the
fall of Communism
The Revolutions of 1989, also known as the Fall of Communism, was a revolutionary wave that resulted in the end of most communist states in the world. Sometimes this revolutionary wave is also called the Fall of Nations or the Autumn of Nat ...
in 1989, the technological and electrical parts of the fountain are severely damaged. The hydroisolation of the basin is damaged as well.
Since 2007, the fountain is out of order, its restoration would cost an estimated 1 million
euro
The euro ( symbol: €; code: EUR) is the official currency of 19 out of the member states of the European Union (EU). This group of states is known as the eurozone or, officially, the euro area, and includes about 340 million citizens . ...
s. Since 2010, when plans to reconstruct the whole square emerged, the Fountain of Union is not included in any of these plans. The only institution to publicly declare its support to include the fountain in the future is ''Paming'' a municipal company that is in the process of ceasing operation.
See also
*
History of Bratislava
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Namestie Slobody
Squares in Bratislava