Bratislava, Slovakia 2012

Bratislava has had a sort of "castle" here since 3500 B.C.  The fortifications have been built and rebuilt many times.  A stone castle was started in the 10th century, but never finished.  In the 12th century it became a Romanesque palace of stone and became the definitive seat of the Kingdom of Hungary.  The town nearby was called Pressburg (today: Bratislava) and became the capital in 1536.  The 18th century saw the Kingdom of Hungary abolished and everything moved to Budapest.  Napoleonic troops bombarded the castle and set it afire in 1811.  It sat deteriorating until opening to the public in 1946 as ruins.  The restorations seen today began in 1953 and were completed in 1968 when it began to house the Slovak National Museum.