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With its wealth of cultural attractions, fine shops, and gourmet restaurants, cafés and wine bars, the Slovak capital is an ideal city for a relaxing − but also stimulating − weekend getaway. And, given its good flight connections and hotel facilities, it’s also the perfect venue to host a conference or incentive event.

Outshone for decades by nearby Prague and Vienna, Bratislava has truly come alive in recent years. Its jewel-like Old Town is a charming and beautifully restored complex of narrow cobbled streets, spacious squares and pastel-colored Baroque palaces that is far more manageable than Prague, and also far less crowded and commercialized. Located at the point where the Carpathians meet the Danube, and dominated by a looming hilltop castle, Bratislava has a long and tumultuous history. For centuries, it was the capital of Hungary, and many of the Old Town’s most splendid palaces were the residences of Hungarian noble families. Between 1563 and 1830, eleven Hungarian kings and eight royal consorts were crowned in the Old Town’s St. Martin’s Cathedral. The city boasted a typically cosmopolitan Central European mix of cultures, too. German, Hungarian and Slovak were all spoken by local residents − and the city went by three names: Bratislava in Slovak, Pressburg in German, and Pozsony in Hungarian. There was also a substantial Jewish population.

Musical traditions were strong here, and many Old Town palaces bear plaques noting where Mozart, Liszt, Haydn, Bartok, Rubinstein and other famed composers and artists lived or performed. The nineteenth century composer Johann Nepomuk Hummel was born here, and a memorial museum now occupies his childhood home. Fine classical musical traditions still live on, and Bratislava today has an excellent opera and philharmonic hall − but there are plenty of rock, jazz and folk concerts throughout the year as well. The city boasts a score of museums and galleries that range from the Slovak National Gallery, with its excellent collection of Gothic art from remote Carpathian churches, to many specialized collections focusing on such varied topics as historical weapons, feudal justice, winemaking, antique clocks and Jewish history and culture. One insider tip is the Arthur Fleischmann Museum, a fascinating collection that pays tribute to a sculptor who was born in Bratislava but lived for forty years in London.

Bratislava’s shops feature souvenirs and other items to suit every taste. The city’s large, modern shopping malls are open seven days a week, and the Old Town’s specialty shops and boutiques offer exquisite local glassware, famous Modra ceramics, excellent leather products, and fine bottles of local fruit brandy and vintage wine from the Small Carpathian region. Tired of shopping and sightseeing? No problem. The city’s dozens of restaurants, bars and cafes offer tempting food and drink in a wide range of comfortable surroundings.