| Maria Theresas City |
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In the 18th century Bratislava became not only the largest and most important city in Slovakia, but also of the whole of the Kingdom of Hungary. The century saw the construction of many splendid palaces of the Hungarian aristocracy, as well as numerous churches, monasteries and other clerical buildings. The castle was also extended and new streets appeared as the population of the city quadrupled. Here meetings of the Hungarian Diet were held, kings and queens were crowned, and the city pulsed with a thriving cultural and social life. The greatest boom experienced by the city occurred under the reign of Maria Theresa (1740-1780). Since she took up the throne she started directing construction development in the city building office of the chamber of the Kingdom of Hungary, which managed the building of government ordered buildings in particular (palace of the chamber of the Kingdom of Hungary, Water casern, etc.). Major construction work was also carried out on the castle, which became a representative royal seat (or the seat of the local royal governor) and the centre of social and political life at the highest level. The government of Joseph II spelled a decline for Bratislava. Bratislava lost its position as the capital of the Kingdom of Hungary. In 1783 Joseph ordered the governor’s council and other central authorities to relocate to Buda and on 13 May he took the royal crown, which till then had been guarded in Bratislava castle, to Vienna. The relocation of central authorities led to a mass exodus of nobility from the city. Bratislava went from being the capital of the country to a principality city once more. The Official Website of the City of Bratislava |