Few European capitals have had so many names. The first written mention dating 907 AD calls the fortified settlement on the hill overlooking the Danube Brezalauspurc. On the local coins featuring Hungarian King Stephen II it is Preslava. In the middle of the 12th century the Arabian geographer Al-Idrisi, refers to the town of Bassana. Its German inhabitants gave it the name of Pressburg, in Latin it was Posonium, the Hungarians called it Pozsony, the Slovaks Prešpurok and in 1918 it was for a short time known as Wilsonov (in honour of the then American President, W. Wilson). After the break-up of the Austro-Hungarian monarchy and the formation of Czechoslovakia in 1918 Bratislava appeared on the map. This provincial town became an administrative, economic and cultural centre and the capital of the Slovak part of the state. Since 1st January, 1993 Bratislava has been the capital of the independent Slovak Republic.

The territory of what is now Bratislava was an important crossroads even in ancient times. The Amber Route connecting the Adriatic with places beside the Baltic Sea passed this way. The ford across the wide River Danube and the high ground of the Little Carpathians gave the area strategic importance. Evidence of settlements is to be seen in Bratislava's museums in the form of pottery from the early Stone Age, axes from the early Bronze Age, Celtic coins, bricks stamped with the signs of two Roman legions and other finds. In the 9th century a fortified settlement was established on the hill overlooking the Danube, at the foot of which communities of craftsmen appeared. A Christian basilica was built on the castle hill and it is the largest religious building to have been discovered in Slovakia from the time of the Great Moravian Empire, the first state of the Old Slavs. The castle was extended and rebuilt a number of times and in 1541 it become the residence of the Habsburgs, as rulers of the Hungarian Empire. The centuries have changed its purpose and its appearance. It has been a fortress, a general seminary for the Hungarian clergy and barracks for Austrian and Italian armies, until it was burned down in 1811. Following a number of failed attempts, it was finally reconstructed in 1962 as the seat of the Slovak Parliament. To this day it is the town's dominating landmark and a national cultural monument. It also houses the most precious collections of the Slovak National Museum reflecting the history of the Slovak nation.

In 1291 the settlement received its charter, giving it all the privileges of a town. Trade routes ran through it to the Czech lands, Poland, Austria and Dalmatia. The town sold cattle and foodstuffs and it became rich through the wine trade, which enabled it to buy textiles and luxury goods. Bratislava was a town with an ethnically mixed population. The medieval patrician class was mainly made up of German merchants and wine-growers and the middle class of craftsmen and traders was predominantly German, too. However, other languages were to be heard in the town, these being Slovak, Hungarian, Czech and even Italian, while there was a large Jewish community as well. When the Osman Empire occupied a large part of the Hungarian Empire, Bratislava become the capital city of Hungary in 1536 and the Hungarian Diet moved here from Buda (remaining here until 1848), as well as the vice-regent's council and the Hungarian royal chamber. Eleven Hungarian kings and nine queens, including Maria Theresa, were crowned in St.Martin's Cathedral and the Franciscan church between 1563 and 1830. On account of its strategic position important peace talks have been held here on a number of occasions.

A walk through the historical town centre between the Danube and what remains of the town walls and through the oldest suburbs will introduce the visitor to the building of the Academia Istropolitana, where the first university on the territory of Slovakia was founded in 1465, the Baroque Grassalkovich Palace, now the seat of Slovakia's President, the 14th century Michael's Gate (Michalská brána), the Old Town Hall (Stará radnica), numerous churches, noblemen's palaces, grand burghers' mansions, the Slovak National Theatre as well as other Gothic, Baroque and Renaissance buildings. Inside you will find art galleries, historical or cultural museums, some with specialised collections (for example of viticulture, pharmacy or historical clocks), but also cosy old coffee bars and restaurants. Some of the restored historical buildings are now used by foreign embassies.

Following the foundation of Czechoslovakia, Bratislava gradually changed from a provincial trilingual town with a population of 72 thousand in the first decade of the 20th century to become the economic, political, educational, scientific and cultural centre of Slovakia. Its population has grown rapidly since the Second World War and at present it has almost half a million inhabitants. Its position in the triangle of Vienna, Budapest and Bratislava gives the Slovak capital new, undreamed of prospects for development in a future united Europe. The Slovak capital is becoming not only an interesting destination, but also a welcome stopover for transit guests, or for visitors to Vienna, only about 60 kilometres away, Budapest (200 km), or Prague (350 km). The town also offers visitors sports facilities, tennis courts, including indoor halls, as well as horse riding. Nature lovers will welcome the abundance of greenery around the town, the wooded parkland and forests, suitable for long walks and rambles, as well as cycling trips.