Bratislava is the capital city of the Slovak Republic. It is situated in the south-western part of Slovakia on the both banks of the River Danube. Bratislava is the country's political, economic and cultural centre, but also administrative, industrial and scientific centre. It is the seat of the President, the seat of the National Council of the Slovak Republic and the seat of the Government. Its population is about 500,000 inhabitants and it covers an area of 370 km2. It is the largest Slovak city with a rich history. Bratislava is the seat of universities (such as Comenius University, Slovak University of Technology, University of economy) as well as the seat of the embassies of foreign countries. Bratislava is located near the Austrian, Hungarian and Czech borders. History
The location of Bratislava is the centre of Europe; this area has been settled since 4000 BC. The first nations here were the Celtic and the Germanic tribes, then the Romans and finally Avars and Slavs. In the beginning of the 1st century AD the area of Bratislava was one of the important fortresses of Limes Romanus protecting Roman Empire against barbarians. The ruins of Roman fortress Gerulata are the oldest preserved buildings in Slovakia. Predecessors of the present-day inhabitants of Bratislava, the Slavs, came to this region in the 5th and 6th century. Today's city developed from a settlement below the current Bratislava castle. The first written record of its existence dates back to 907 AD. This first written mention of Bratislava (as Presalauspruch, from march 1919 called Bratislava) comes from the period of Great Moravia - the first state formation of Slavs in this region. The Great Moravian Empire was established by Moravian prince Mojmir. The Slavs living in the state of Great Moravia formed the most mature cultural society in central Europe. It is associated with christianisation - Cyril and Method (Methodias) created a special alphabet glagolistic and translated liturgical books for the Slavs. The state broke down as a result of nomadic ancient Hungarian invasions. In the Middle Ages Bratislava become a part of Hungarian Empire. As centuries passed, Bratislava had become an important city. In 1291 the city had received the privileges of the free Royal Town from the hands of the king Andrew III. (Bratislava was granted urban privileges of a free royal town/ royal privileges were granted).