Our series about sights in Bratislava continues, this time with center of power in the Slovak Republic – the Episcopal Summer Palace.
The building we are writing about today is older than the republic itself. The Episcopal Summer Palace is known as Letný Arcibiskupský Palác in Slovak. It is the former residence of the archbishop of Esztergom. The palace was constructed in the 17th century. After housing several inhabitants and other uses it is today the home to the government of Slovakia.
Episcopal Summer Palace: A Bit of History
The Episcopal Summer Palace was originally a summer residence for the archbishop of Esztergom from the 17th to the 19th century. The seat of the archbishop of Esztergom moved to Bratislava after the Ottoman Empire occupied the city. The town used to be the capital of Hungary and it still is the seat of the prímás of the Roman Catholic Church in Hungary. The basilica in Esztergom is the largest church and the tallest building in Hungary. We have written about Esztergom here!
Let’s return to Bratislava! Reconstructed many times, the palace has also been used as a military hospital during the Napoleonic Wars. In fact, it remained a hospital until the 1930s. After the Velvet Revolution and the amicable split of Czechoslovakia, the palace has been housing the government building by the Slovak Republic.
The English garden is supposedly very beautiful. However, a few visitors have had the chance to visit it in more recent times.
Episcopal Summer Palace: How to Get There?
The Episcopal Summer Palace is a short walk up north from the old town of Bratislava. It lies just next to Námestie Slobody. The residence of the president of Slovakia, the Grassalkovich palace, is also nearby. The closest tram stop is Slovenská technická univerzita (STU). Trams will connect you with most of Bratislava.
The palace and its garden are not open to the public most of the year. You might have to be happy with peeping through the fence.
Do you want to know more about Bratislava? Check out our Bratislava Guide here!
The Episcopal Summer Palace looks like a place I’d like to explore. 30 years ago when I lived in Romania I would have loved to go visit Bratislava and many other European cities, but in Socialist Romania that was impossible. Very few people were allowed outside the country borders. Now I’ll have to cross the world to get there, but I think it’s worth going back and seeing some of these European gems.
I can imagine that Central/Eastern Europe was very different 30 years ago. Nowadays it’s so easy to travel between the countries in the region – and there are so many fascinating places to see!
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