Bratislava, Slovakia

By | November 17, 2021

According to abbreviationfinder, Bratislava is a beautiful city located on the banks of the Danube River, approximately 60 km from Vienna the capital of Austria and near the border with Hungary, it is the capital and largest city of Slovakia, from it rise the famous Carpathian mountains.

The current name of Bratislava has its origin in 1837, when the Slavist Pavel Josef Šafárik reconstructed a variant of this name, Břetislaw, from ancient names, believing that these were derived from the name of the ruler Bretislaus I of Bohemia. This name was first used by members of the Slovak movement in 1844 as Bratislav and the official name of the city was established in March 1919, after the city became part of Czechoslovakia.

It is considered that the city has the highest population density in Central Europe with approximately 446,819 residents and is the seat of the Slovak parliament and government The city preserves very well some areas of historical and cultural interest such as the picturesque area of ​​the Old Town and it has a very busy river port.

Geography

Bratislava is located in the center of Europe and in the south-west of Slovakia. It has borders with Austria in the west and with Hungary in the south, it is the only capital of a country in the world that has borders with two countries. It has a total area of 367.58 km², making it the second largest city in Slovakia by area only surpassed by the city of Vysoké Tatry. The Danube River crosses the city from the west to the southeast. The Carpathian mountain range originate from the city whose area includes the popular Bratislava Forest Park which is part of the Little Carpathian protected landscape area which is how this part of the mountain range is called.

With only 126 meters above mean sea level The city is the lowest point on the surface of the Danube and the highest point is Devínska Kobyla which consists of 514 meters.

Climate

Bratislava has a continental climate with a marked variation between hot summers and cold, wet winters, making it one of the hottest and driest cities in Slovakia. Currently the fall and spring periods are short due to a rapid transition from summer to winter and from winter to summer. Snow is less frequent as the last few years have passed. Average annual temperature: 10 ° C.

Population

Until the 19th century, ethnic Germans were the dominant group in the city despite belonging to the Kingdom of Hungary, but from the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of 1867 a notable increase in the Hungarian population began, and after the First World War both populations they were almost on a par but with the Slovaks as the largest minority. With the creation of the Czechoslovak Republic in 1918, the city remained multi-ethnic, but the proportion of Slovaks and Czechs increased, while the proportion of Germans and Hungarians fell. By 1938, 59% of the population were Czechs or Slovaks, while Germans represented 22% and Hungarians 13% of the population. The creation of the First Slovak Republic in 1939 It brought about the expulsion of many Czechs and Jews, however in 1945, when the Second World War ended and Czechoslovakia was restored, most of the Germans were expelled or displaced from the city along with the Hungarians accused of collaborating with the Nazis, thus the city lost its multicultural and multi-ethnic character. It is then that from the integration of Czechoslovakia into the socialist camp in the 1950s, Slovaks established themselves as the dominant ethnic group in the city, and currently constitute 90% of the population. See population of Slovakia.

The city had 428,672 residents according to the 2001 census, among which Slovaks predominated with 391,767 residents, thus representing 91.37% of the population, followed by Hungarians with 16,541 for 3.84% and Czechs with 7,972 for 1, 86%, the remaining population was made up of. Germans, Moravians, Croats], Ruthenians, Ukrainians, Roma and Poles.

The city had for that date an average population density of 1,157 residents / km² and according to 2005 estimates, the average age of its residents was 38.7 years.

The most populous district is Bratislava V with 121,259 residents, followed by Bratislava II with 108,139, Bratislava IV with 93,058, Bratislava III with 61,418 and Bratislava I with 44,798.

Economy

The economy of the entire Bratislava Region is the richest and most prosperous in Slovakia despite being the smallest region both in size and population and its gross domestic product (GDP) is the second highest, only surpassed by Prague in terms of It includes all the regions of the EU that belong to the new Member States, mostly from the former socialist camp and within it are the headquarters of many government institutions and private companies.

The sphere of services is the most important economic activity, which absorbs more than 75% of the workers of Bratislava, highlighting in it commerce, banking, tourism and telecommunications.

Many international companies such as Volkswagen, IBM, Dell, Lenovo, AT&T, SAP, and Accenture, have established factories and service centers in the city.

Bratislava, Slovakia