During socialism, the accommodation facility at Bôrik served as a principal hotel for the party apparatus, high-ranking Communist Party officials, and foreign delegations. Today, it is best known as a government hotel and, although now open to the public, is primarily intended for use by government officials and their foreign visitors. The project was originally designed in 1967 by the three architects Štefan Svetko, Štefan Ďurkovič, and Stanislav Talaš. Construction was eventually carried out between 1969 and 1973 in accordance with a modified version by Štefan Svetko and Štefan Ďurkovič. 

The authors positioned the hotel and adjacent site atop hilly terrain surrounded by a pine forest, its southern aspect descending into a small valley that formed a rest or recreation area. The architecture and location provide magnificent views of Bratislava. For security reasons, the hotel was, and remains, protected by a high wall. Behind the wall, to the side of the car park, lies a composition of ceramic objects by Jozef Sušienka. The objects are set loosely on the pebble base of the area of garden nearest the building, gradually spreading out to the rear (the current arrangement of the pebble garden is not original). The remaining area of garden is planted with grass, and features ornamental shrubs against a high wall. The ceramic objects are finished with various, mostly natural, finely textured or smooth glazes. Their disparate shapes are not replicated; each piece is original. Inspired by river-rounded stones and puffballs, the objects have either solid forms or are decorated with circular perforations. Sušienka drew not only upon the organic and inorganic world, but also upon the Japanese tradition of dry gardens, seeking to create a space for meditation, relaxation, and contemplation. Beyond this focal zone, ceramic objects are scattered like mushrooms in other areas of the exterior, along the terraces, and in the hotel’s interior. 

The garden is closed to the public; hotel guests can only access it via the lobby. 

VB

Research status as of 31 December 2023.