Primate’s Palace in Bratislava
History
The Primate’s Palace in Bratislava was built between 1778 and 1781, according to designs by the court architect Menyhért Hefele, commissioned and financed by József Batthyány, the Archbishop of Esztergom. The palace replaced an older palace which the archbishopric had been forced to move into in 1543, when Esztergom was captured by the Turks. That earlier building burned down in 1590, but was restored and rebuilt, and among other additions a chapel dedicated to King Saint Ladislaus was included.
Later, Bratislava’s only printing press operated in that palace, but it no longer met the requirements for the archbishopric’s functions. The new palace until 1820 served as the seat of Hungarian prince-primates and became a site of major historical events.
In 1805, after the Battle of Austerlitz, the Peace of Bratislava was signed in the Hall of Mirrors on the first floor of the palace; the Upper House composed of magnates also held of the parliamentary assemblies during the Reform Era there; and there István Széchenyi offered the income of one year of his estates for the establishment of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences. On April 11, 1848, Ferdinand V, in the presence of all members of the Batthyány government, signed the April laws there. During the War of Independence the city’s occupying commanders (both Görgey and the Austrians) established their headquarters in this building, and after the suppression of the revolt, Haynau signed death sentences there. After the Parliament moved to Budapest, the premises of the palace were leased out.
It housed a Catholic casino, a military officer training institution, a trade school, and was used as a warehouse by the Catholic burial society. Between the two world wars literary performances and “writer’s evenings” were held in the Hall of Mirrors. On August 3, 1968, six socialist and communist “brother parties” signed there the joint statement under which, in the name of “internationalist assistance,” these “fraternal socialist countries” invaded Czechoslovakia 18 days later.Style
The façade of this Neoclassical building was once decorated by an allegorical fresco by Franz Anton Maulbertsch, referring to the Ten Commandments, but once it fell into irreparable condition it was replaced with a mosaic in patterned stone. During that process the Hungarian coat-of-arms originally painted there was replaced by the city coat-of-arms of Bratislava. From the three-bay entrance hall of the palace, decorated with portraits of Hungarian kings, a grand stairway leads up to the rooms on the upper floor.Famous residents
When in 1902 the city began the renovation of the building, Gobelins that had been bought by Archbishop József Batthyány and hidden from Napoleon’s troops were found, and which both the archbishopric and the city claimed a right to. By agreement, the Gobelins are not to be sold or removed from the palace, but made accessible to the public.Present day
It houses the office of the Mayor of Bratislava.
The palace’s large hall, especially the famous Hall of Mirrors, is used for representation events, concerts, and city council meetings.
The first floor of the palace is open to the general public as a museum / exhibition space, showing, for example, English Gobelins, portraits, and other historical artefacts.
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