2023Bratislava - Philatelic Document - Collectibles

In the heart of Europe, Bratislava, capital of Slovakia since 1993, close to Austria, Hungary and the Czech Republic, is a border town open to the outside world. A historic crossroads of ancient trade routes, it has always been at the center of many cultures and the Danube, a river that it shares with a dozen countries, has contributed to the circulation of ideas and influences from elsewhere. Celts, Romans, Slavs left their mark. For three centuries, the kings and queens of Hungary reigned there, including Maria Theresa of Austria (1717-1780), and it was in Bratislava, then known as Pressburg, that they were crowned between 1563 and 1830, in Saint Martin's Cathedral.