Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All Slovakia Bratislava Bratislava Old Town Hall's Cannonball

Bratislava Old Town Hall's Cannonball

Launched by Napoleon's soldiers more than 200 years ago, a cannonball remains embedded in the tower wall.

Bratislava, Slovakia

Added By
Cal Whimsey
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
CAPTION
Bratislava Old Town Hall   Nigel Swales / CC BY 2.0
  Gryffindor/CC BY-SA 3.0
The napoleonic soldier, Old Town Hall and Roland Fountain   Jorge Lascar / CC BY 2.0
Bratislava Old Town Hall   Marcin Szala / CC BY-SA 3.0
Bratislava Old Town Hall tower   Nigel Swales / CC BY 2.0
  Dennis Jarvis / CC BY-SA 2.0
Bratislava Old Town Hall city coat of arms   Marcin Szala / CC BY-SA 3.0
June 2023   DMStephenson / Atlas Obscura User
  coljay72 / Atlas Obscura User
Close up of cannonball   feldmanlj2 / Atlas Obscura User
During the Christmas market   rawmper / Atlas Obscura User
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

That Bratislava's Old Town Hall is a striking historic building that is hard to miss, but what often goes unnoticed is a cannonball stuck in the tower wall. It has been there since 1809, when Bratislava (called Pressburg back then, and one of the major cities of Austrian Empire) was bombarded by Napoleon Bonaparte.

After the bloodbath of the Battle of Austerlitz (1805), Pressburg saw Napoleon sign a peace treaty with Austria. The peace did not last long and only four years later, the power-thirsty Napoleon was again pestering Pressburg with countless troops and cannons. His troops found a base on the left side of the river Danube, in today's suburbs called Petržalka. The cannonballs thus flew over the river over a mile's distance.

The siege lasted for a month, during which Bratislava suffered much damage. Yet, the siege was unsuccessful and Napoleon never managed to breach the city's defenses. Bratislava emerged victorious. More than 100 houses were damaged during the siege. Perhaps to commemorate the bittersweet victory, the inhabitants kept many of the cannonballs in the walls of their houses during subsequent repairs. They can still be found around Bratislava's historic city center.

Several legends surround the Napoleonic siege. One tells the story of an injured French soldier, Johann Evangelist Hubert, who was treated in a hospital in Bratislava. Nursed to health by the beautiful Paulina, he fell in love, got married and stayed. He opened a sparkling wine manufactured according to the French tradition. The brand Hubert still exists until this present day.

Another legend says that Napoleon sought advice from the famous Jewish thinker and rabbi Chatam Sofer, the founder of the Pressburg yeshiva. Back then, Bratislava was an important center of Orthodox Jewish teaching.

The town hall was built in the 14th century, while the tower is an older building from the 13th century. The complex was not only used as a town hall but also as a mint, occasionally a prison, a place of trade and celebrations, a depository of the city's arsenal, and a municipal archive. Enriched throughout the centuries with Renaissance and Baroque elements, the Town Hall still shows its original Gothic style and is one of the city's oldest stone buildings still standing. The building houses a permanent museum exhibition of Bratislava's history.

Related Tags

Weapons Towers Napoleon Bonaparte History

Know Before You Go

The cannonball is on the outside of the Town Hall, thus can be visited at any time. The museum inside the Town Hall is open 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. on every week day except Monday, and from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekends.

Community Contributors

Added By

CalWhimsey

Edited By

Michelle Cassidy, llmyers99, DMStephenson, feldmanlj2...

  • Michelle Cassidy
  • llmyers99
  • DMStephenson
  • feldmanlj2
  • coljay72
  • rawmper
  • Runawaydc

Published

April 5, 2022

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Bratislava Old Town Hall's Cannonball
Hlavné námestie 501/1
Bratislava, 811 01
Slovakia
48.143807, 17.108723
Visit Website
Get Directions

Nearby Places

Napoleon's Army Soldier

Bratislava, Slovakia

miles away

Schöner Náci

Bratislava, Slovakia

miles away

Cumil the Sewer Worker

Bratislava, Slovakia

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Bratislava

Bratislava

Slovakia

Places 26

Nearby Places

Napoleon's Army Soldier

Bratislava, Slovakia

miles away

Schöner Náci

Bratislava, Slovakia

miles away

Cumil the Sewer Worker

Bratislava, Slovakia

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Bratislava

Bratislava

Slovakia

Places 26

Related Stories and Lists

13 Places With Cannonballs Stuck in Them

List

By Roxanne Hoorn

Related Places

  • Shot Tower

    Dubuque, Iowa

    Dubuque Shot Tower

    This long unused shot tower on the Mississippi remains a point of pride for a small city in Iowa.

  • Only remnant of the El Polvorin complex

    San Juan, Philippines

    El Polvorin

    An attack on this gunpowder depot led to the start of the Philippine Revolution.

  • Napoleon’s Hat at Le Procope

    Paris, France

    Napoleon’s Hat at Le Procope

    The French leader's hat sits in a glass case at the oldest restaurant in Paris.

  • View of the Jumbo Tower from Balkerne Gate

    Colchester, England

    Jumbo Water Tower

    The largest Victorian water tower in Britain.

  • Torre Federici from across Piazza della Torre

    Sonico, Italy

    Torre Federici

    A family accused of witchcraft once called this medieval tower home.

  • Gardoš Tower

    Belgrade, Serbia

    Zemun Fortress

    Different sections of the Zemun Fortress were built in the 14th and 15th century as a response to the advance of the Ottoman Empire.

  • Statue of Napoleon Bonaparte.

    Laffrey, France

    Lieu de Rencontre (Field of the Encounter)

    On the shores of Lake Laffrey, a monument commemorating one of Napoleon Bonaparte's most compelling victories.

  • Naarden, Netherlands

    Grote Kerk Cannonballs

    The Siege of Naarden ended in 1814, but the cannonballs embedded in the town church remain.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.