Romanesque and Gothic power
Strategically located at the heart of Europe, Slovakia has always been coveted by the greatest empires. So it's hardly surprising that the most important examples of the Romanesque and Gothic styles are military. Spiš Castle is one of Europe's most extensive groups of buildings dating from the 13th and 14th centuries. Now in ruins, it remains an imposing witness to Slovak history. While the fortifications are Romanesque, the basilica and chapels are Gothic. Not far away, the town of Levoča, a superb fortified city, is home to a Gothic gem: the Church of St. James. The town of Bardejov is a fine example of medieval urbanization, with a regular division of streets centered around a vast market square. Note the beautiful 15th-century mansions surrounding the square. And don't miss St. Egidius Church, a Gothic basilica with three naves that majestically closes the square. In Banská Štiavnica, a town founded in 1255 and nicknamed "the pearl of the Hron River", the Old Castle is an astonishing castle-church restored in Gothic style, but with a Romanesque three-nave basilica. In Skalica and Šivetice, you can admire sober, massive round churches, typical of the Romanesque period with their circular floor plans and domed bell towers. Another Romanesque gem is the Church of St. Giles in Ilija, with its beautiful stone portal. In Bratislava, don't miss the superb St. Martin's Cathedral, built in the late Gothic style between the 14th and 15th centuries. Note its three naves, its cross-shaped floor plan and, above all, its elegant 85 m tower. Another fine example of late Gothic is the Church of St. Nicholas in Trnava, with its majestic three-aisled nave and superb bell towers reaching for the sky. Generally speaking, the shift from Romanesque to Gothic military architecture can be seen in the passage from austere, purely defensive architecture to buildings that are certainly fortified, but leave more room for decoration. In religious architecture, this transition is illustrated by the shift from massive edifices to lighter, more vertical and luminous structures.
From Renaissance to Rococo
The Town Hall in the center of Bardejov Square is one of the few examples of a building designed entirely in Renaissance style. On the other hand, the contribution of the Renaissance can be seen in certain buildings from earlier periods, such as the chapel at Bratislava Castle, or the Kammerhof in Banská Štiavnica, an astonishing grouping of different buildings that came together in the 16th century to form a single powerful building where gold and silver ores were weighed and valued. The Baroque period left more buildings, starting with Trnava's beautiful Cathedral of St. John the Baptist. Its large nave-hall and imposing towers are typical of the style used by the Counter-Reformation to edify the faithful. Examples of late Baroque include the Grassalkovitch Palace in Bratislava, the largest building of this style in Slovakia. But perhaps the most astonishing of all Baroque buildings is the manor house in the village of Sankt Anton. Built in 1744, it features four entrances symbolizing the seasons, seven arcades, twelve fireplaces, fifty-two rooms and three hundred and sixty-five windows... Baroque theatricality in all its splendor. Rococo, with its curves and arabesques, follows Baroque and can be seen in the stuccowork of Bratislava's superb Mirbach Palace, whose monumental staircase with its chiselled decorations, like stone lace, can also be admired.
Wooden architecture
Rich in superb forests, the country was quick to use this resource to build its edifices, particularly in rural and mountainous areas. Sturdy beech, spruce and larch are the preferred species. For some houses, the wood is cut in the form of logs, large, thick planks of wood that are then stacked to form a wall. Perforations are made to accommodate doors and windows. The logs are assembled using a system of mortise and tenon joints, enabling the various pieces to fit together securely. The difficulty is greater in houses built with logs, which cannot be assembled as easily at the corners. The edges of the house are thus designed by criss-crossing the logs. To protect the wood from weathering and insect attack, it is often coated with a clay-based plaster and then painted with white lime, ochre or bluish tones. To ensure perfect insulation of the house, any gaps between pieces of wood are filled with vegetable moss, cut wood or braided hemp rope. The floor is usually covered with a wooden floor, but can also be left as a rammed earth floor. As for the roof, it was originally made of tree bark, with the addition of flat rocks and moss or grass. Later, roofs were covered with wooden tiles. In some regions, roofs may be covered with reeds or straw. Some houses have a stone base. This is particularly the case in mountainous regions, where the base helps to compensate for uneven terrain. The finest examples of this vernacular architecture can be found in the village of Vlkolínec, a UNESCO World Heritage site since 2003. In addition to 43 superb houses, the village boasts a belfry, church and school. In Čičmany, you can admire beautiful houses adorned with geometric motifs painted in white and creating a superb contrast with the dark brown of the wood. Wooden churches and their history can also be found in the thematic dossier dedicated to them.
Eclecticism and Art Nouveau
By the end of the 18th century, a number of architects had rejected the exuberance of the Baroque in favor of the rigor of the Neoclassical style. This style is often used for official buildings to illustrate the power of the nation. Such is the case with Bratislava's Primate's Palace, the country's largest neoclassical building. It was in its superb Hall of Mirrors that Napoleon signed the Treaty of Presburg after Austerlitz. In the 19th century, Slovakia became eclectic, especially in Bratislava. Among the finest achievements of the period were the Slovak National Theatre and the Palugyay Palace, both built in a majestic neo-Renaissance style.
At the turn of the 20th century, a wind of modernity blew over the country and its capital in particular. Slovakia was very close to Austria and Hungary, which were experiencing a major artistic revolution with the advent of Art Nouveau, also known as the Secession. The Hungarian architect Ödön Lechner, famous for his curvaceous, voluptuous designs, created the flagship Art Nouveau building in Bratislava: St. Elisabeth's Church, nicknamed the "little blue church" because of its blue mosaic and earthenware cladding with silver motifs. The oval floor plan and barrel vaults give the building a soft, flowing feel. Other examples of Art Nouveau in the capital include the Hotel Tulipan, with its facade adorned with gilded friezes and wrought-iron balconies; the Café Roland, with its yellow-and-gold facade adorned with atlatls; and the University, whose decisive, severe lines are reminiscent of the style of Otto Wagner, another master of the Secession.
Soviet influence
When it comes to architecture, the Soviet era can be divided into two eras. Before 1968, the party allowed architects relative freedom. Their original and innovative creations were intended to illustrate the modernity of the party. After the 1968 movements, supported by many Slovak architects, the party entered an authoritarian phase, halting all creative impulses and demanding monumental buildings as symbols of its all-powerful rule. Bratislava is home to the greatest examples of Soviet architecture: Istropolis, the Union House of Culture, built between 1956 and 1981, is made of Cuban marble (donated by a certain Fidel Castro); Freedom Park is a typical example of Soviet urbanization, with imposing, impersonal buildings surrounding a square with a monumental fountain at its center, built between 1967 and 1973, the Slovak National Uprising Bridge (which obviously didn't bear that name in the Soviet era) is another example of a time when little regard was paid to the city's historical heritage. To build this 430 m-long behemoth, a third of the historic center was razed to the ground, and today St. Martin's Cathedral is endangered by the vibrations created by the incessant passage of cars. Finally, in 1983, the city acquired a strange inverted pyramid: the Maison de la Radio, which is often listed as one of the world's ugliest buildings... a modernity not always enlightened!
Contemporary Slovakia
Like many European capitals, Bratislava is no exception to the construction frenzy, and in recent years has seen the emergence of imposing skyscrapers whose silhouettes of glass and steel crush the historic center. Among the most famous towers are Tower 115 (115 m, 28 floors), Aupark Tower (96 m) and Panorama City. By 2022, they will all have been surpassed by the tower of the already gigantic Eurovea shopping complex. Planned height: 168 m... a project not without controversy. Another major project, the first phase of which is due for completion in late 2019, is the redevelopment of the Podhradie industrial district. A vast working-class district that has fallen into disuse in recent years, Podhradie is to be reborn under the impetus of star architect Zaha Hadid. The district, renamed Sky Park, will feature hundreds of apartments, almost 55,000 m² of office and retail space, and a large urban park. Incorporating the Boiler House, built in 1941 by Dušan Jurkovič and listed as a national monument, the project is intended as a link between history and modernity... but for many, it signals the end of a popular neighborhood and culture. Alongside these large, controversial projects, a number of Slovak architects are turning to a more minimalist and sober approach, designing elegant homes with a focus on sustainable development. These new creations give pride of place to noble materials and light. A new kind of responsible architecture that we hope will stand up to the onslaught of developers and financiers.
