An 18th-century illustration of the Mechanical Turk, a chess-playing automaton created by Wolfgang von Kempelen. The image shows a figure dressed in Ottoman-style attire seated behind a chessboard, with an exposed cabinet below revealing gears and mechanisms. The design was an illusion concealing a human operator who controlled the machine's moves

5 Interesting facts about Bratislava

bct | 18. January 2025

Let’s browse with us 5 interesting facts about the Bratislava, the capital city of Slovakia. Did you know, that the ancient name of Bratislava was Prešpork (in Hungarian Posznony, in German Pressburg). Bratislava has a lot of to offer what you can discover with us during our walking tours or city tours.

1. Home to the very first AI

First from 5 interesting facts about Bratislava is surprisingly, that Bratislava is home to the very first AI. It was constructed by “the Edison of Pressburg” Johann Wolfgang Kempelen. He was born on 23 January 1734 in Bratislava, his father was a high ranking civil servant.

It was his chess machine that earned the inventor the greatest fame. It became a global hit that even inspired many film makers. Kempelen presented the machine to the Bratislava townsfolk in 1769. He gave it an appearance of a Turk with a pipe, seated by the chess board. The invention remains veiled in secret. When Kempelen died, the machine passed to his son Charles who had sold it to a technician Johan Nepomuk Maelzel who took it on European tour. The original machine no longer exist: it burned in a Philadelphia museum in the 20th century.

Photograph of a reconstructed Mechanical Turk, a chess-playing automaton from the 18th century. The figure, dressed in Ottoman-style attire, sits behind a chessboard with a long pointer. The wooden cabinet below has open doors, exposing a set of intricate gears and mechanisms, which were part of the illusion to hide the human operator controlling the machine

2. Bethoven’s Love

Second from 5 interesting facts about Bratislava is about the one of Beethoven’s loves Babetta von Keglevich. In 1796 in Keglevich Palace of Bratislava gave his concert Ludvik van Beethoven. He also afterwards gave the piano classes to young Babetta, to who dedicated also his famous Grand Sonata.

3. Multilingual City

One of the interesting facts about Bratislava is that it has always been a multilingual and multicultural city. During the 18th and 19th centuries, Bratislava’s population was a blend of Slovaks, Hungarians, Germans, and Jews.

According to one story, the people of Pressburg (as Bratislava was historically known) switched languages depending on the time of day. In the morning, they spoke Slovak, the language of the markets and ordinary people. At noon, they used Hungarian, the official language of administration and offices. By evening, they conversed in German, the language of art, theatre, and the nobility. Truly one of the 5 interesting facts of Bratislava.

Clients strolling in Bratislava in front of Old Bratislava Theatre Building during Transfer from Budapest to Vienna with Bratislava City Tour

4. The Bridge of SNP

The Bridge of SNP (Slovak National Uprising) was named the Slovak Construction of the 20th Century. As a unique feature of Bratislava, this bridge boasts an observation deck and a restaurant situated 84 meters above ground.

From the UFO Observation Deck, visitors can enjoy stunning views of Bratislava’s historical city center and the iconic Bratislava Castle. Truly an interesting fact of Bratislava among these 5.

the bridge of Slovak Nation Uprising in Bratislava with UFO Observation Deck and restaurant photo taken in a sunny day from Bratislava castle, 5 interesting facts about Bratislava

5. The Favorite wine of Maria Theresa

Maria Theresa loved visiting Bratislava, not only because her youngest and favorite child, Maria Christina, lived at Bratislava Castle. According to many legends, she was also fond of the famous Bratislava wine, Račianska Frankovka. Today, Rača is a district of Bratislava, but its winemaking heritage remains renowned.

One legend even claims that every time Maria Theresa drank Račianska Frankovka, she became pregnant. Given that she had 16 children in total, it seems she enjoyed quite a lot of this wine! 😊

the Slovaks hand crafted wines, 5 interesting facts about Bratislava

These are 5 interesting and hope also funny facts about Bratislava. Discover them all when having on of our regular city tours, or private tours.

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