Primatial Palace (Primaciálny Palác)

Bratislava’s finest Neo-classical palace is tucked behind the Old Town Hall on Primaciálne námestie in the Old Town, and even today its majestic façade still glows with shades of pink and honey. It was built by Melchior Hefele as a residence suitable for powerful Hungarian Archbishop József Batthyány in 1781 and is situated around a courtyard filled with classical statues, plus a fountain depicting St George slaying the dragon. Batthyány’s coat of arms appears above the ornate pediment over the palace’s main entrance.
Today parts of the palace are given over to the city’s mayoral office but several sumptuous apartments are open to the public, including a gallery containing a few nondescript paintings plus a truly exceptional selection of fine English tapestries dating from the 1630s, with their mythological subject matter singing out in bright, jewel-like colors. The palace’s most famous room, the Hall of Mirrors, is on the first floor and is where, in 1805, the Treaty of Pressburg was signed with Napoleon after the Battle of Austerlitz, which brought about the end of the Holy Roman Empire.

Practical Info

The Primatial Palace is open Tuesday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and admission costs €1.30.