Grassalkovich Palace

---

Zem - planéta mieru (Earth - planet of peace) by Tibor Bártfay, Pavel Mikšík, Karol Lacko, 1982
Grasalkovičov palác (Grassalkovich Palace)
Hodžovo námestie, Staré Mesto (Old Town)
Bratislava, September 2017

“During the 1939–1945 period, the palace was adapted by Emil Belluš and became the seat of the president of the First Slovak Republic (i.e. of Jozef Tiso). During the Communist era, it was first (after 1945) the seat of the Council of Commissioners (also styled Corps of Plenipotentiaries), which was a quasi-government of Slovakia within Czechoslovakia. In 1950, the building was turned into the ‘Klement Gottwald House of Pioneers and Youth’ (Dom pionierov a mládeže Klementa Gottwalda), which was an activity center for Bratislava's schoolchildren, all of whom were so-called pioneers at that time. The schoolchildren caused extensive damage to the palace, and the necessary restoration only became possible following the transition from Communism in late 1989 with the Velvet Revolution. The restoration of Grassalkovich Palace during the early 1990s was overseen by the inaugural First Lady of Slovakia, Emília Kováčová. Following its restoration, the palace became the residence of Slovakia's president on 30 September 1996. Its once-large gardens are now a public park, complete with a statue of Bratislava-born composer Jan Nepomuk Hummel.” (Grassalkovich Palace, Wikipedia)