Grassalkovich Palace

The Grassalkovich (Slovak Grasalkovičov palác ), also known as the Presidential Palace ( Prezidentský palác ), is a building in Bratislava. In it there is the seat of the President of the Slovak Republic, and it is located north of the old town on the north side of Hodžovo námestie near the Archbishop's summer palace, the seat of the Government of the Slovak Republic.

History

The building is an impressive Rokoko-/spätbarockes summer palace with a French garden. It was built in 1760 for Count Antal Grassalkovich I, who was then president of the Hungarian Royal Chamber by Andreas Mayer Hoffer. Andreas Mayer Hoffer had already built for Count the Grassalkovich Castle in Gödöllő, which was the direct model for the new palace. For building has many good rooms, especially the Spanish Hall and the magnificent, richly decorated with sculptures staircase. The Stieg stages consist of the hard white stone from Kaiser Kaiser quarry in Burgenland.

The building was after its completion to the center of baroque music in Pressburg. Some premieres of works by Joseph Haydn took place at the Palais. Count Grassalkovich even had his own orchestra, and at the same time living Nicholas I. Joseph Prince Esterházy " lent " him often his conductor Joseph Haydn. As the Count was a favorite of Maria Theresa, the palace was also often used for various balls and festivities of the imperial court. For example, Joseph Haydn conducted the orchestra, as Marie Christine of Austria, a daughter of Maria Theresa, the Duke Albert of Saxe- Teschen, Governor of the Kingdom of Hungary in what was then Pressburg, married. Ľudovít Štúr say after he had confessed his love to Adela Ostrolúcka this for the first time at a meeting organized by archduke Stephen Francis Victor of Austria ball at the Palais. The last owner of the property before the end of the Austro -Hungarian monarchy in 1918 were Archduke Frederick of Austria -Teschen and his wife Isabella of Croy - Dülmen.

From 1939-1945, the palace was under Jozef Tiso first seat of the Slovak president. After 1945 it became the seat of the " Commissioned Council ", the executive body of Slovakia within Czechoslovakia. In 1950 it became the " House of Pioneers and Youth Klement Gottwald " (Dom pionierov a mládeže Klementa Gottwalda ), a kind of recreation center for the youth in Bratislava organized socialist form. Due to the concomitant neglect of the building of this damage was of it, so a restoration at the end of the communist regime in 1989 became urgent.

After its renovation in the early 1990s, it was on 30 September 1996, the seat of the President of the Slovak Republic. The associated large garden is now a public park, which also features a statue of Johann Nepomuk Hummel, composer from Bratislava heard.