Slovak Philharmonic Orchestra, Bratislava, Slovakia
Image by Billy Wilson Photography
"The building was built in the years 1913-1919 on the site of an old city granary, which ceased to be used at the end of the 19th century. The project was made by Budapest architects Dezider Jakab and Marcel Komor, who had previously won a competition announced by the city council in 1906. Due to the war, it took quite a long time, some decorative work was not done until 1919. At one time it was a place of entertainment, shows, artistic performances and various assemblies of Bratislava residents. Various associations were also based here, such as the Schlarafia association, and for many years the Reduta cinema was also located here. The building belonged to the city, after the Second World War it was nationalized and assigned to the Slovak Philharmonic, which is still based there today.
The building closes the building block with its mass. The longer side is oriented to the narrower Mostova street and the shorter side, which is richer in terms of expression towards the building of the Slovak National Theater. The facade facing towards Ľudovít Štúr Square, with its location, also allowed a richer architectural division. The Bratislava Redoubt is a monumental representative building with ceremonial halls, a concert and theater hall with the main entrance from Mostova Street, which leads to a monumental staircase and a spacious representative entrance space.
With its rich ornamentation, the building was compared to the Dresden Zwinger. In this historicist eclectic building we can find inspiration from classicizing Baroque, Rococo in ornamental decoration and Art Nouveau, for example in the floor plan shape and in organic wavy shambles on the courtyard facade, reminiscent of Lechnerian architecture.
On the facade and in the interior, there are richly decorated stucco floral-figural ornaments. The façade is divided by a columnar and pilaster row, graduated with risalits. The roof is decorated with turrets and gables. The building is covered with an intricate mansard roof.
The building has four floors above ground and one underground floor, where a restaurant, cafe and patisserie were planned. The building is quite complex, there is a large ballroom, a small hall, administrative service areas and facilities. Premises for a music school, federal organizations and apartments were also planned here. The interior and basement have been renovated several times.
The construction used the most modern construction technologies for the exposed parts, namely the reinforced concrete ceiling of the large hall and the construction of balconies, lodges and galleries from the company Pittel & Brausewetter.
Bratislava (/ˌbrætɪˈslɑːvə/, also US: /ˌbrɑːt-/, Slovak: [ˈbracislaʋa]; German: Pressburg, formerly Preßburg [ˈprɛsbʊrk]; Hungarian: Pozsony) is the capital and largest city of Slovakia. Officially, the population of the city is about 430,000, however, it is expected to be more than 660,000 – approximately 150% of the official figures. It is one of the smaller capitals of Europe but still the country’s largest city. Bratislava is in southwestern Slovakia, occupying both banks of the River Danube and the left bank of the River Morava. Bordering Austria and Hungary, it is the only national capital that borders two sovereign states.
The city’s history has been influenced by people of many nations and religions, including Austrians, Bulgarians, Croats, Czechs, Germans, Hungarians, Jews, Serbs and Slovaks. It was the coronation site and legislative center and capital of the Kingdom of Hungary from 1536 to 1783, and has been home to many Slovak, Hungarian and German historical figures.
Bratislava is the political, cultural and economic centre of Slovakia. It is the seat of the Slovak president, the parliament and the Slovak Executive. It has several universities, and many museums, theatres, galleries and other cultural and educational institutions. Many of Slovakia’s large businesses and financial institutions have headquarters there.
In 2017, Bratislava was ranked as the third richest region of the European Union by GDP (PPP) per capita (after Hamburg and Luxembourg City). GDP at purchasing power parity is about three times higher than in other Slovak regions. Bratislava receives around 1 million tourists every year." – info from Wikipedia.
Summer 2019 I did a solo cycling tour across Europe through 12 countries over the course of 3 months. I began my adventure in Edinburgh, Scotland and finished in Florence, Italy cycling 8,816 km. During my trip I took 47,000 photos.
Now on Instagram.
Become a patron to my photography on Patreon.
