Summer Archbishop's Palace
| Episcopal Summer Palace | |
|---|---|
| Letný arcibiskupský palác | |
 |
|
| General information | |
| Type | Palace |
| Architectural style | Baroque |
| Location | Bratislava, Slovakia |
| Address | Námestie slobody 1, Bratislava |
| Current tenants | Office of the government of the Slovak Republic |
| Construction started | 1642-1666 first palace |
| Completed | enlarged and reconstructed in 1761-1765 |
| Renovated | 1940-1941 |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect | Franz Anton Hillebrandt |
| Renovating team | |
| Architect | Emil Belluš |
The Episcopal Summer Palace (Slovak: Letný arcibiskupský palác, Hungarian: érseki nyári palota) is the former residence of the archbishop of Bratislava.
The palace was originally in the 17th century a Renaissance summer seat for the archbishops of Esztergom (since Esztergom had been occupied by the Ottoman Empire in 1543, the archbishops were based in Bratislava). The baroque sculptor Georg Rafael Donner had a studio in the palace garden for almost 10 years. The palace now houses the government of Slovakia.
When the Turks occupied Asia minor and started invading Europe, Hungarian nobility started fleeing north, into present-day Slovakia. Bratislava (at that time Pozsony / Pressburg) became the capital city of Hungary. After the city of Esztergom was captured, the seat of the Esztergom archbishop (highest ranking Hungarian church official at that time) had to be moved. At first, he lived in the building of his predecessors at the place of today's Primate's Palace in the city center. The old gothic residence, however, despite its many reconstructions failed to provide the comfort the archbishop was accustomed to. In spite of Hungary being decimated by the Turks, the nobility started to emulate the foreign custom of building summer palaces in the countryside.
The land for the Summer Archbishop's Palace, just behind the second ring of city defences, was at that time considered to be countryside. It was acquired at the beginning of the 17th century by archbishop Ferenc Forgách (who was archbishop from 1607 to 1615) and a garden was established there. The archbishop's summer residence was built probably in 1614.
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