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

Bratislava Bratislava (German: ''Pressburg'', Hungarian: ''Pozsony'') is the Capital city, capital and largest city of the Slovakia, Slovak Republic and the fourth largest of all List of cities and towns on the river Danube, cities on the river Danube. ...

Slovakia Slovakia, officially the Slovak Republic, 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 west, and the Czech Republic to the northwest. Slovakia's m ...

. 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. In some cases, newer developments on t ...

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 and Roland Fountain.

Name

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

Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler (20 April 1889 – 30 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was the dictator of Nazi Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his suicide in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the lea ...

. During the

communist Communism () is a sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology within the socialist movement, whose goal is the creation of a communist society, a socioeconomic order centered on common ownership of the means of production, di ...

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, often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Republic and, from 1922, the Soviet Union. The army was established in January 1918 by a decree of the Council of People ...

at the end of

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

). Earlier names were (1939–1945), , (1914), , (1879), (1850), (1668), (1434), (1404), (1373).

Gallery

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