Slavin Monument is the biggest war memorial in Central Europe. It was built in the attractive district of Bratislava, on the Bratislava hills. The winning design by the sculptor Alexander Trizuljak from Varin, from where the owner of Bratislava City Tours, an incoming tour operator & DMC E-TRAVEL.SK is originally from and where still has a headquarters.

Slavin Monument History

The 2nd world war memorial Slavin was built between 1957 – 1960. A combined memorial and cemetery, Slavin is dedicated to the Soviet soldiers who fell during the liberation of Bratislava at the end of the 2nd World War. Given its location and size, Slavin is one of the most dominant features of Bratislava and it is visible from across city. The sight was named national cultural heritage in 1961. In the recent past it was visited by the Russian Presidents Vladimir Putin (2005) and Dmitri Medvedev (2010). On the Day of Liberation of Bratislava (4th April) and the Day of Victory over Nazism (8th May) tributes are paid annually to the fallen soldiers. The ceremony is traditionally attend by the President of Slovakia. The hill and terraced slopes of Slavin offer spectacular views of the city. Now Slavin Monument is popular place of youth for rendezvous.

Golden Star

The gold-plated star carried by the soldier on the pylon has been long believed to have been made of pure gold. In the early 1980s and adventurer turned up hoping to nick a bit of the gold. Whilst climbing the pylon, when about half-way through, he lost balance. He had to be rescued by fire brigade. The sculptor used as a model now a reputed Slovak doctor, at the time a medical student who was thus earning money to support his studies. Since he didn’t have “Russian Features” the sculptor Alexander Trizuljak used a Russian ballet dancer as model for the face.

Visit of Slavin Monument Bratislava is part of our Bratislava Grand City Tour, Bratislava Grand City Tour with Devin Castle and 1-hour Express tour of Bratislava.