Slovak Parliament Buildings, Premises and Works of Art
National Council of the Slovak Republic exteriors and interiors
Old and New Building of the Slovak Parliament
In the first one and a half years after the birth of the Slovak Republic in 1993 the National Council was seated in the Zhupa house on Župné square in the centre of Bratislava. Temporary arrangements in the Zhupa house, which was the seat for Slovak Parliaments from the year 1939, ended by moving the National Council to the current building on Dubček square, on the Castle Hill in 1994.
Zhupa house in Bratislava The Slovak Parliament
In the Zhupa house, MPs adopted the Constitution of the Slovak Republic in September 1992.
Hall of Constitution in Zhupa house The Slovak Parliament
To commemorate the adoption of the basic Act, Plenary hall in Zhupa house was named as the Hall of Constitution.
Ceremonial plenary sessions of the legislature are held in this hall to celebrate particularly important milestones in Slovak history.
Thanks to the representativeness, the premises of Zhupa house actually serve as a venue for special events and festivities of the NC SR and other associated institutions, as well as a conference center.
Zhupa house, foyer The Slovak Parliament
Zhupa house, atrium The Slovak Parliament
Actual Seat of the Slovak Parliament
The construction of the new Parliament building began in June 1986 according to the project of Ľudovít Jendreják, Peter Puškár and Ján Šilinger. After 1989, a further use of the building under construction was debated. Eventually, it was decided to retain the originally intended purpose of the building. The architectural project originally envisaged a reign of one political party only, thus had to change during construction.
Front of the Parliament building The Slovak Parliament
Members of the Parliament were officially handed over to use their first flagship building on 25 May 1994.
Entrance hall The Slovak Parliament
Main building of the National Council; interiors.
Hurban´s volunteers – Guard of honor in vestibule (Hurban´s hall) of today´s Parliament building The Slovak Parliament
Collection of seven images painted on walnut woods by Albín Brunovský The Slovak Parliament
Slovak Parliament and the Bratislava Castle
The current Parliament building was built just nearby the Bratislava Castle. Capacitively, the building still does not fully meet the actual needs, therefore Slovak Parliament uses also the premises in the Zhupa house, in the Bratislava Castle and in its area (bastions, ramparts, walls). The Slovak Presidency of the Council of the EU in 2016 was preceded by the radical reconstruction of the Bratislava Castle as a venue of many significant events.
View of Bratislava from SNP bridge The Slovak Parliament
Old visage of Bratislava Castle at the end of the 20th century.
Panorama view on Parliament building with Bratislava Castle The Slovak Parliament
In first 15 years of the 21th century, Bratislava Castle and its area were rebuilt in baroque style according to the times of famous Habsburg emperor Maria Theresia, Queen of Hungary.
Bratislava Castle, courtyard with Svätopluk statue The Slovak Parliament
Castle wall with other Parliament offices The Slovak Parliament
Bratislava Castle with conference house Hippodrome and baroque garden The Slovak Parliament
Baroque garden, Castle wall with other Parliament offices The Slovak Parliament
Castle interior, Great Chamber The Slovak Parliament
The southern representation wing of the Castle consists of the Reception Hall, Great Chamber, Mirror Hall, and Porcelain Cabinet.
Castle, Gerat Chamber, conference room for Slovak Presidency in EU The Slovak Parliament
Castle, Grand Chamber, conference room with painting of Maria Theresia of Hungary and Bohemia The Slovak Parliament
Copies of paintings of Francis I, Holy Roman Emperor and his wife Maria Theresia, Hungary and Bohemia, Empress Consort of the Holy Roman Empire in Hungarian coronation robes by Daniel Schmiddeli
Castle interior, Mirror Hall The Slovak Parliament
The Mirror Hall has the most spectacular gold-plated embellishments, complemented by huge mirrors with richly decorated golden frames.
Castle interior, Mirror Hall The Slovak Parliament
The Mirror Hall of the Bratislava Castle serves as a venue for the most significant protocol events.
Castle interior, Porcelain Cabinet The Slovak Parliament
Porcelain Cabinet with renaissance oriel is, from an art-historical perspective, the most valuable site in the parliamentary representative areas thanks to its unique stucco decor and its frescoes from the 16th century.
Castle, detail of interior The Slovak Parliament
Renaissance oriel
Castle, detail of ceiling The Slovak Parliament
Details of the ceiling.
Castle, staircase The Slovak Parliament
Knights Hall, highest state awards ceremony The Slovak Parliament
The eastern wing of Castle contains the Knights Hall, where the Constitution of the Slovak Republic was ceremonially signed on 3 September 1992. Slovak president awards personalities with highest state awards in the beginning of every year on the occasion of establishment of the Slovak Republic, in this Hall.
Working Premises of the National Council
Besides the Plenary hall, session rooms for committees and the Speaker and Deputy-Speakers tracts, there are also several another working rooms in main building. These are places for rich Parliament activities. In the Castle area, there are MPs offices, Infocentre with exhibition hall, premises of Parliamentary institute with its analytical and educational services, and with the Parliamentary library and Parliamentary archive.
Plenary hall, overview The Slovak Parliament
Plenary hall with balcony The Slovak Parliament
Central Lustre in Plenary hall by Askold Žáčko The Slovak Parliament
Parliament library in Castle area The Slovak Parliament
Exibition hall in Castle area The Slovak Parliament
The exhibition was prepared by the employees of Chancellery of the National Council of the Slovak Republic.
Elaborated by Natália Petranská Rolková
Collaboration Vladislav Ivančík
Photos: Matúš Zajac, Pavol Urbánek, Vladislav Ivančík, TASR
Parliamentary Institute, Chancellery of NC SR
July 2017
You are all set!
Your first Culture Weekly will arrive this week.
