Bratislava
The capital of Slovakia is located near the state borders with Hungary and Austria, and it is only 60 km far from Vienna. Numerous monuments and historical sites are located in the old part of the city, from where we started our sightseeing tour.
Our first stop was Bratislava Castle, which stands on the hill that commands a spectacular view of the city, primarily of the New Bridge and the unusual UFO restaurant. We walked to Main Square, where the Roland’s Fountain drew our attention. It used to be called Maximilian’s Fountain, after the King of Hungary Maximilian II, member of the House of Habsburg, who built it after his coronation. Later it was named after Roland, a knight and protector of Bratislava. According to a legend, this knight moves his head every year on New Year’s Eve, thus bowing to the people who used to defend the city in the past.
There is also the statue of Napoleon’s Army Soldier. It is not the only one. You can see the statues of Paparazzi, a smiling man with a top-hat and by far the most famous Cumil, who will make your wish come true if you rub his hat.
Milica Jokić 4/2-2
Petrović Milica 4/2-2
Žilina
University of Žilina
The first thing we noticed upon our arrival to the University of Žilina was that all the buildings were grouped in a separate part of the city. We were told that there was a student campus too.
The University vice-rector informed us about the university history, curricula and other issues that are important for students at both undergraduate and graduate studies. We learned that the University of Žilina was established as the Railway College in 1953 by separation from the Czech Technical University in Prague. It has gone through numerous changes during its history. Finally, it was moved to Žilina and renamed from the University of Transport and Communications to the University of Žilina. Our hosts told us that today the university consisted of seven faculties: