Bratislava’s Brutalist & Communist Architecture: Relics of a Concrete Era II.

The second article in the series explores Bratislava’s brutalism and Bratislava communist buildings. Here are eight more buildings worth checking out, but not all of them are built in the brutalist style. There is also one exception—a popular sculpture in a not-very-popular borough of Bratislava.

Slovak National Archive

Slovak National Archive is located on Drotárska Street in Old Town, and you can easily reach it from the city center from Hodžovo Square with tram number 44 (bus stop Slov. nár. archív). Its author is architect Vladimir Dedeček, and it was finished in 1983. Among the people who built it were some political prisoners. The structure is rigorous and refers to the structure of depository and storage spaces. The geometry and monumentality of the building underscores its serious and functional character.

UFO Statue

UFO statue is an iron state in the borough of Vrakuňa, part Medzi Jarkami. It is from the 70s, and its author is sculptor Juraj Hovorka. The statue slowly started decaying, but people reconstructed it in 2014. The statue is 460 cm high and 800 cm wide. If you happen to visit it, there is also a nearby controversial building called the Pentagon. The name is similar to the USA’s, but this one got its name because of the five buildings in this arc complex. In the past, the place used to attract drug dealers and people with an addiction, but in 2019, it underwent construction.

Tržnica

Tržnica, or Nová tržnica is on Trnavské Mýto and Ivan Matušík is its architect. Its main idea was a place with covered streets, passages, and galleries, a glass container object with exposed pipes.

Incheba

Incheba is a shortcut for International Chemical Bratislava. Its author is Vladimír Dedeček, and it is located in the Petržalka borough. It is the biggest complex in Bratislava on the river Danube and is easily reachable by buses from the center (80, 88, bus stop Einsteinova). The area consists of big multifunctional halls, an underground and overground parking lot, one high building, and the Hotel Incheba. People mainly use the place for cultural or sports events.

Družba

The last of Bratislava’s communist buildings is a boarding house and hotel in the borough of Karlová Ves. You can reach it by tram 4 or 9 (bus stop Botanical Garden). It has been in use since 1982. There are two blocks of flats with houses. In between is a polyfunctional building with a dining room and a congress center. So-called Swedish houses in the southern part near the botanical garden belong to it as well.

Almost all the original elements, from panels to light fixtures, have been preserved to this day. The congress hall stands out, remaining in its original state, along with numerous mosaics, sculptures, and tapestries throughout the complex.

Crematorium and Urn Grove

Bratislava has one crematorium and urn grove in Záhorská Bytsrica borough, Hodonínska Street 44, and you can reach it by bus 36 and 37 (bus stop Pri kremátoriu). Its architect is Ferdinand Milučký. The building is from 1962-63. It lies in the western part of Bratislava near the woods on a small hill surrounded by oak and pine trees. The building is minimalist and built in the modern style. Before you go up the hill, notice the totem plastics from Vladimír Kompánka. Other interesting features include a statue named Sorrow from Pavol Toth or the travertine fountain from Rudolf Uher.

Vrakuňa Cemetery

The list of Bratislava communist buildings continues with Vrakuňa cemetery, which lies at the beginning of the borough Vrakuňa, and you can reach it by trolleybus 71 from railway stations or trolleybus 72 from Kamenné square in the center. It is open daily, usually until 8 PM in the summer. In its close vicinity is the river Little Danube, city park Vrakuňský lesík a road for bikers called Modrý cyklomost.

The cemetery was opened to the public in 1980 when the first burials happened. Its author is Kamil Čečetka. The cemetery’s arrangement of graves in arcs, circles, or classic rows makes it unique. Also, the headstones are stunning. Alexander Bilkovič is the author and designer of around 35 types of tombstones. It is worth checking the Ceremonial House or Funeral Hall. The first is in the shape of two connected square cylinders; the bigger one has one part cut out and hosts a tower and entrance courtyard.

Kerametal

Kerametal, originally Biznis Centrum Kerametal, is located on Jačíková Street 2-6 in Ružinov borough near the DK Ružinov cultural center. You can easily reach it from the old city center by tram number 9 and get off at the bus stop at Súmračná. The complex consists of two separate buildings that, from a distance, look like one with interesting out in the middle. Both have big concrete towers on both sides. They finished the building in 1973. Its author is architect Ľudovít Jendreják.

If you haven’t yet, be sure to check out Part I of Bratislava’s Brutalist & Communist Architecture: Relics of a Concrete Era, where I delve into some of the most iconic structures that shaped the city’s skyline and daily life.