Námestie Slobody is one of the best known squares in Bratislava

Bratislava

Bratislava is the capital of Slovakia and, with a population of about 431,000, also the country's largest city. Bratislava is in southwestern Slovakia on both banks of the Danube River. Bordering Austria and Hungary, it is the only national capital that borders two independent countries.Bratislava...

, Slovakia

Slovakia

The Slovak Republic is a landlocked state in Central Europe. It has a population of over five million and an area of about . Slovakia is bordered by the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south...

. It is situated in the central part of the Staré Mesto district

Old Town, Bratislava

The Old Town of Bratislava is the historic center and one of the boroughs of Bratislava, in the Bratislava Region of Slovakia. It is coextensive with the smallest Slovak administrative district by area, Bratislava I. It contains the small, but preserved medieval city center, Bratislava Castle and...

.

The location of the current square was covered with vineyards during medieval times. It probably originated in the 17th century, with the Summer Archbishop's Palace

Summer Archbishop's Palace

The Summer Archbishop's Palace or Summer Archiepiscopal Palace is a palace in Bratislava which houses the government of Slovakia...

 which was built there. It currently houses the Slovakian government

Politics of Slovakia

Politics of Slovakia takes place in a framework of a parliamentary representative democratic republic, with a multi-party system. Legislative power is vested in the parliament and it can be exerced in some cases also by the government or directly by citizens. Executive power is exercised by the...

. Later it was rebuilt as a grass area, which was divided by an alley of trees. It was called Kniežacie or Fürstenallee and Hercegfasor. The Slovak expression Firšnál originated from Fürstenallee.

The square was called Gottwaldovo during socialism in honor of the first Czechoslovakian communist president Klement Gottwald

Klement Gottwald

Klement Gottwald was a Czechoslovakian Communist politician, longtime leader of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia , prime minister and president of Czechoslovakia.-Early life:...

, whose statue was included. The Post Office palace (the biggest post office in the world) and buildings of Slovak Technical University

Slovak University of Technology in Bratislava

Slovak University of Technology in Bratislava is the most significant university of technology in Slovakia.- University structure :* Faculty of Civil Engineering* Faculty of Mechanical Engineering...

 were built there during the 1940s and 1950s, closing the square in from all sides. The biggest fountain

Fountain

A fountain is a piece of architecture which pours water into a basin or jets it into the air either to supply drinking water or for decorative or dramatic effect....

 in Bratislava stands there, which was built in 1980. It was one of the first squares in Bratislava that was renamed after the Velvet Revolution

Velvet Revolution

The Velvet Revolution or Gentle Revolution was a non-violent revolution in Czechoslovakia that took place from November 17 – December 29, 1989...

in 1989.