The Slovak National Uprising Bridge (SNP Bridge) is a unique architectural and engineering masterpiece that has received numerous awards in the fields of architecture and construction (including Building of the Century in Slovakia, 2001). In 2018, it gained the status of a national cultural monument, registered in the Central List of Monuments of the Monuments Board of the Slovak Republic. Construction of the bridge and its associated structures and roads had a significant impact on the historic built environment, however, cutting through the Old Town as well as part of Petržalka. After the Old Bridge, the SNP Bridge is Bratislava’s second-oldest bridge across the Danube, and became known as the New Bridge (it was officially renamed as such from 1993 to 2012). The bridge has been an important transport artery for more than half a century.
The commemorative plaque marking the bridge’s construction was mounted on a pier in the Old Town section of the bridge. It was ceremoniously unveiled at the bridge’s opening on 26 August 1972, shortly before the 28th anniversary of the Slovak National Uprising. The artist, sculptor K. Lacko, conceived the work as a sculpture rather than a traditional rectangular plaque. The central motif of the work – three flames – references partisan bonfires as a symbol of the Slovak National Uprising. The flames are carved from dark grey granite, and their front surfaces feature engraved inscriptions. The inscription on the left acknowledges the team of bridge designers from Dopravoprojekt Bratislava and the Slovak University of Technology. Listed on the right are the construction contractors Doprastav Bratislava, Vítkovické železárny, and Hutní montáže Ostrava, as well as the date of the outbreak of the Slovak National Uprising: 29 August 1944. The inscription on the central flame reads: IN AUGUST 1944, THE SLOVAK PEOPLE ROSE UP IN ARMS AGAINST FASCISM TO RESTORE THE UNITED STATE OF THE CZECHS AND SLOVAKS. THIS REVOLUTIONARY ACT SEALED OUR FRIENDSHIP AND BROTHERHOOD WITH THE PEOPLE OF THE SOVIET UNION; MAY THESE GLORIOUS HISTORICAL DAYS REMAIN VIVIDLY IN THE MEMORY OF ALL FUTURE GENERATIONS. SLOVAK NATIONAL UPRISING BRIDGE.
Paradoxically, the plaques bear the names of the design and construction firms of the time, but not of the bridge’s designers. Several years elapsed between the design competition and construction of the bridge, during which time the entry of Soviet troops into Czechoslovakia changed the political situation. The subsequent political vetting proved particularly fateful for the head of the team, Prof. Jozef Lacko, who was forced to leave the then Faculty of Architecture at the Slovak University of Technology and to step down as president of the Union of Slovak Architects; officially, he was not even allowed to attend the bridge’s ceremonial opening. Similarly, the names of other designers were rarely mentioned during the socialist era, and were generally known only to specialists.
The bridge pier is currently covered in graffiti – permitted, but of questionable quality. The entire area beneath the bridge has long been a focus of interest for the city authorities, architects, and civic groups seeking to improve that environment. Revitalisation of the area could include cleaning of the pillar and adding the names of the bridge’s designers to the commemorative plaque: Jozef Lacko, Ladislav Kušnír, Ivan Slameň, Arpád Tesár, and Jozef Zvara.
ZD
Research status as of 30. 04. 2024.
