What is the capital of Slovakia?
Bratislava lies in south-western Slovakia at the foot of the Little Carpathians, on both banks of the Danube and the left bank of the Morava.
Bratislava is the capital and seat of government of Slovakia, a role it has held since 1 January 1993. Slovakia itself has an estimated population of 5,413,813 (2025).
Bratislava is also the largest city in Slovakia, which is the usual arrangement, though it is far from universal: see the countries where capital and largest city differ.
Bratislava at a glance
| City population | 479,000 (official estimate, city proper) |
|---|---|
| Metropolitan area | 1,300,000 (Bratislava and Trnava regions) |
| Country | 🇸🇰 Slovakia |
| Founded | 907 |
| Capital since | 1 January 1993 |
| Largest city in Slovakia | Bratislava |
| Time zone | UTC+01:00 (CET) |
| Currency | Euro (EUR) |
About Bratislava
The city appears in the record in 907 under the name Brezalauspurc, and was chartered as a royal free city on 2 December 1291.
Bratislava has been the capital of Slovakia since 1 January 1993, the day Slovakia became an independent republic after Czechoslovakia split.
Bratislava is the only national capital in the world that borders two other sovereign states, Austria and Hungary.
It sits so close to Vienna that the two form the closest pair of national capitals in Europe.
It is the fourth-largest of all the cities on the Danube.
The city is also known by its Hungarian name Pozsony and its German name Pressburg.
City facts sourced from Wikipedia: Bratislava.
Frequently asked questions
What is the capital of Slovakia?
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Capitals of neighbouring countries
See the full profile of Slovakia on its country page, or browse every capital city.
Capital and country data from open datasets; city and metropolitan populations are hand-curated per city and cited where they are shown. Populations of countries come from the World Bank (SP.POP.TOTL). Full sources and vintage on the data page. Last updated . Report a correction.