Hotels near Slavin War Memorial

Slavin War Memorial sits on the highest hill inside Bratislava and delivers the widest panorama of the city. The 39.5-metre white obelisk was completed in 1960 to commemorate the 6,845 Soviet soldiers who died liberating Bratislava from Nazi Germany between 30 March and 4 April 1945. Cemetery grounds hold six mass graves and 278 individual tombs, surrounded by lawns, cypress trees and neo-Classical statues of soldiers by Slovak sculptor Alexander Trizuljak.

The obelisk is topped by a 10-metre bronze statue of a Red Army soldier plunging a flag into a swastika. Beneath is a small crypt-chapel with 1945 battle maps and photographs. The memorial is set inside an embassy district (US, French and German ambassadors' residences are within 200 metres). Admission and access are free at all hours, but the crypt only opens for anniversary events. Trolleybus 203 from Hodzovo namestie in front of the Presidential Palace runs every 15 minutes to the Slavin terminal stop; the ride is 9 minutes.

Pro Tip: Come at 20:30 in summer for sunset over the castle, then walk down through the embassy district for 25 minutes back to the Old Town via Stara vinarska street. In winter check the wind forecast - Slavin is exposed and 5-8 degrees colder than the river-level Old Town.