Bratislava is the capital and largest city and the administrative, cultural and economic centre of Slovakia. With a population of only around 450,000, it is a small city, but still the largest one in the country. It lies on both banks of the Danube River and the left bank of the Morava River and borders both Austria and Hungary.
The history of the city has been strongly influenced by people of different nations and religions and from 1536 to 1783 even served as the legislative center and coronation city of the Kingdom of Hungary. Bratislava has a small medieval inner city with narrow streets, a hill-top castle and many historic buildings. Since the city centre is very small, Bratislava is considered a walking city; you can easily walk from one side to the other.
Bratislava has plenty of small and some bigger museums. The Slovak National Museum has its headquarters here at the riverfront, along with the Natural History Museum. It is the largest cultural institution of Slovakia, and manages 16 specialised. The Bratislava City Museum is the oldest museum that is still in operation, offering displays in eight specialised museums.
