I Was Welcomed to Europe with Graffiti
But it got better
After flying all the way from Australia to Vienna and then bussing it to Bratislava, this was my welcome. I did not have high hopes for enjoying Bratislava. But as they say, don’t judge a book by its cover.
I loved Bratislava and if I’m being perfectly honest, I’d rather return to Bratislava than Prague. Prague is just too, you know, touristy. Charles Bridge is standing room only, day and night. I’m not one for crowds even before the pandemic.
The door to my apartment was not street art in my opinion. It’s just rubbish spoiling a perfectly good door.
There were some cool statues around town though. Sorry about the size of some of the photos. I have no idea why my iPhone did that!
This statue is Hviezdoslav is a very important figure in Slovak history. He was a successful writer, poet, lawyer, politician, translator, and one of the leading figures of cultural and literary life in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It is fitting that he dominate this cultural square. (námestie) He faces the National Theatre and to his right is the Slovak Philharmonic Concert Hall called the Reduta. My airbnb was just around the corner from here.
This one is Hans Christian Andersen — he’s Danish isn’t he — but he visited Bratislava in 1841 and they made a statue of him. They’re really into their statues. To read more about Bratislava’s statues, click here.
Here is a man peering out of a manhole cover ‘looking up skirts’. It’s fun to find these statues. There’s a lot I missed. Maybe I will go back to find the others. That would be fun.
This is Ignác Lamár (1897–1967) appears quite friendly and jolly on the statue, but his fiancée was deported to a Nazi concentration camp in World War II, where she died. I get a hint of his sadness from his facial expression.
Graffiti in the background but look at that van!
Outside a woollens shop, statues of a woman in a warm coat and a sheep.
And then there are some stunning wall murals! I’m sure they symbolise something but I’d only be guessing.
A red fox — what mischief is he up to?
I hope you enjoyed walking around Bratislava with me discovering some of its street art. Writing this had made me add it to my itinerary. I was going through the station anyway!
Kenny Minker finds some art on the border fence.
Jody Lynn McBrien writes about Paris’ street art and there’s a lot of it!