The Decline of the Communist Regime
Slovakia is a country that has recovered a lot after leaving the communist regime.. With the events that took place in Czechoslovakia on November 17-December 29, 1989, the Communist administration was bloodlessly overthrown.
The outbreak of the Velvet Revolution A peaceful student uprising in Prague. Although this event was suppressed by the police, it triggered other riots and 500,000 people rioted on 20 November.. Finally, on November 27, the Communist regime was overthrown as a result of a 2-hour uprising in which all Czechoslovak citizens participated.. Large-scale economic reforms were made in both countries.. However, this request to leave came not from Slovaks, but from Czechs.. According to our guide, Slovaks are not very happy with this separation.. As the reason, “We were already living happily within ourselves.. There was no need for such a separation.. For example, my wife is a citizen of the Czech Republic, I am Slovak. I don’t want to comment on why such a separation was needed.
But they are very happy to leave communism.. “There is nothing sadder than living on earth without communication with the earth,” he says.. “Everything is the same model, everything is similar.. We realized this only after the communist regime was overthrown.. Previously, all we knew was just what we saw.”
Slovakia joined NATO on March 29, 2004, and the European Union on May 1, 2004.. They switch to the Euro on January 1, 2009.. But our guide points out that the purchasing power has decreased with the transition to the Euro.
Viewing the City from the Castle
Bratislava Castle is built on a hill. What I noticed very clearly on the way to the castle; was that the new and modern buildings looked as if they were attached next to the old historical buildings. Almost all of the city’s structuring was done by the Germans.. In my opinion, the best place to see Bratislava from the top is in my opinion.
The meaning of the castle is “Hrad” here, and the castle is called “Grad” in Latvia and Lithuania.. When we go up to the castle, a 55-60 year old female guide accompanies us.. When we got to the castle, we couldn’t get into the castle, the renovation has been going on since 2008.. The castle was to be reopened to tourism in 2011.
The first construction of the castle was in the 11th century.. In 1811, the whole of the castle was burned by a great fire.. being redone. It is being destroyed again after communism and rebuilt in 1955.. However, in 2008 it is undergoing renovation again.. The area at the entrance of this large rectangular castle in Gothic style is currently used as a gallery.
Although the castle cannot be visited, you can watch Bratislava from here to the fullest.. On the other side of the river, a white building will catch your eye. The rest of this white building is Austria, and when you look in the other direction, there is Hungary 8 km away.. Bratislava is one of the 2 cities in the world that borders 2 countries.
The bridges over the river will draw your attention. The most important of these are Novy Most and Stari Most.
There is a revolving restaurant above Novy Most. A nice alternative for those who want to watch Bratislava at night. It also connects the new settlement with the old city.. The other feature is that besides being a round bridge, the circle on it is made of a single piece of silver.. Although it doesn’t seem very convincing to me, they describe it as a technical miracle.
When you look at the opposite side of the river from the castle, you will see a very high statue of a Soviet soldier.. This soldier is holding a flag and. Made after WWII. 2nd. This monument, erected in memory of 6,845 Soviet soldiers who were martyred in World War II, is 39.5 meters high.
