Primate's Palace, Bratislava

Designed for the Cardinal Joseph Bátthány, Archbishop of Esztergom and Primate of Hungary in 1781, this palace is one of the architectural jewels of Slovakia.

Its pale pink and white exterior is topped with various marble statues and a large cast iron cardinal’s hat. The hat is a symbol of the Archbishop, for whom the palace was built, and of the various cardinals who lived here throughout the years.

It was here on 26th December 1805, that Napoleon signed the Pressburg Peace Treaty.

Today, the palace houses part of the Municipal Museum, and has an excellent collection of English Tapestries, which were found hidden in the palace.

Tuesday to Sunday: 10:00 am to 5:00 pm

July 2007

The first Archbishop's residence stood on this place from 1614. It was something like a country house for Archbishop Forgac and later Archbishop Esterhazy rebuilt it to Palace. Well, actually he didn't make it, his peasants did. :) The present form of it is the work of Archbishop Barkoczy. There is a chapel built in 1740. Decorations and frescoes were painted by Galli-Bibiena. There are mixture of barocco and roccoco and all its masters would like to buolt a luxurious palace. But when the Archbishop's office moved to the Estergom there was no money for this luxury. (such as nowadays). In the revolutionary years (1848-49) it served like a hospital and this status was kept till 1938. Later it was completely restored and adapted for administrative purposes. Today it is the seat of the Office of the Government of the Slovak Republic.

The Primate’s Palace was built by the architect M. Hefele in 1778-1781. The Palace, also known as the Palace of Archbishop of Estergom, was the temporal residence of the president of the Slovak Republic till 1996. The Palace is also famous because in 1805 Napoleon Bonaparte and Francis I of Hapsburg signed the Pressburg Truce in 1805, in its Mirror Hall.

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One of the most beautiful squares of the Old town in Bratislava is the Primacialne namestie. There is a big, pink building there that dominates the entire area and it is the Primate's Palace (the Catholic Archbishop's palace). This Palace dates back to the end of the 18th century and the Treaty of Pressburg was signed between France and Austria after the Battle of Austerlitz in 1805 in this palace. There is a museum inside.
And yes, one important piece of information. If you are carrying your laptop on your trip to Bratislava, please be informed that you get free wireless network in this square and can access your emails and the internet for FREE here!!!

Comparatively young buildings surround Primaciálne námestie square (The Primatial square), with the oldest house not less than four hundred years. The Primatial Palace, occupies the whole southern side of the Primatial square, is considered the most beautiful in Bratislava. It was built in the years 1778-1781 on the site of an older Archbishops palace.

Between 1778 and 1781, it was building for the bishop of Estergom. This palace took its place in history when the Pressburg peace treaty was signed in it after Austria has lost the battle of Austerlitz. A couple of other important treaties and laws were signed here too, including the abolition of serfdom in Hungary. The palace is open to the public and beside the usual contemporary furniture, you will see some english tapestries from the mid-17th century. Today, Primate’s Palace is part of the city hall and a part of it is used as a place for official or cultural events.

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Whilst in Bratislava, you simply must see the Primate's Palace. It is a stunning pink neoclassical building, as you can see from the photo, with various statues set atop it. the main entrance gives onto an enclosed courtyard (see second photo).

The building was completed in 1781 as a resdidence for the Hungarian archbishop. At the time bratislava was called Pressburg and was part of the Hungary, although power was gradually being moved to Buda (Budapest) and so the building only sporadically housed the subsequent primates. It did, however, serve as a home for various members of royalty.

In 1903, the Church decided to sell the building for the large sum of 120,000 Hungarian crowns and the city bought it, primarily as a much needed "extension" to the town Hall. During renovation work, six English tapestries of fine quality dating from the 17th century depicting the legend of Hero and Leandro were discovered and are displayed. To this day, no-one knows how they came to be there.

From the moment you enter the Palace, everything exudes opulence. The grand staircases lead to the magnificent Mirror Hall, still used to host ceremonies. you then travel through a series of colour themed drawing rooms simply full of artistic treasures, notably the furniture. Look out for the huge ceramic "radiators" in every room as well as the wallpaper, which is actually taughtened fabric stretched over frames.

Next come a series of rooms with other objets d'art, including a room of Dutch Masters. I'm no expert, but I did spot a Brueghel.

Finally, you reach a balocny overlooking the wonderful Ladislaus Chapel. Take a look up at the wonderful ceiling.

All in all, well worth the small 50SKK entrance fee.

Houses a collection of Mortlake Tapestries, plus a collection of mostly horrid paintings. However, the building is worth a visit, as are the tapestries. You can also look down on the Ludwig (?) chapel. Entrance fee is equiavelent of 80p which is a bargain. The loos are terrific and for that alone are worth the entrance!

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The Primate Palace is an interesting building, On the top of the palace there is a black hat! The palace was built for the Archbishop of Esztergom in 1781.

When you go inside there are nice tapestries hanging, the Hall of Mirrors where a peace treaty was signed by Napoleon, a chapel and a few other rooms with the original furniture.

It is worth a quick stop but don't expect to be overly impressed.

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This nice pink big palace can't be overlooked. Greatest attractions include the Hall of Mirrors (where Napoleon's treaty with Austria was signed) and the collection of 17th century's English tapestry. While you're there, look up high in order to spot the primate's hat on top of the palace - isn't this funny? And peep into the inner yard for the statue of St. George killing the dragon - always peep into inner yards! :-)
The Primate's Palace dates back to the 18th century and was the seat of the Archbishops, and then the residence of Empress Maria Theresa who apparently loved it. The palace witnessed Napoleon signing the Peace Treaty with Austria in 1805, and it was also the residence of the Slovak President (until 1996) after Czechoslovakia split back into two separate republics. Now the palace is one of the buildings of the municipal authorities. That's a long story put short :-)