Michael's Gate
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In Bratislava, Slovakia, Michael's Gate is the only gate that has been preserved of the medieval fortifications and ranks among the oldest town buildings. Built about the year 1300, its present shape is the result of baroque reconstructions in 1758, when the statue of St. Michael and the Dragon was placed on its top. The tower houses the Exhibition of Weapons of Bratislava's City Museum.
In the medieval times the town was behind fortified walls that surrounded it and the entry and exit was only possible through one of the four heavily fortified gates. On the east side of the town, it was the Laurinc Gate, named after Saint Lawrence, in the south it was the Fish(ermen's) Gate (Rybná brána). This was the smallest gate of the four, used mainly by the fishermen entering the city with fish caught in the river Danube. On the west side it was the Vydrica Gate (Vydrická brána), also called the Dark Gate or Black Gate, since it was like a tunnel — dark and long. In the north, there was St. Michael's Gate named after St. Michael and the St. Michael church that stood in front of it (outside the town wall). Later on it was put down and materials gained from it were used in the building of additional town walls.
[edit] History
The history of St. Michael's gate dates back to the end of the 13th century and the first written document about its existence dates to 1411. The fortification in front of the St. Michael's gate was closed off by a drawbridge over a moat. Later it was rebuilt in stone. The entrance was closed by a drawn portcullis along with a wooden door.
During the coronation of 19 Hungarian kings (1563-1830) in Bratislava, the ruler would enter with his coronation entourage by the way of the Vydrica Gate, get crowned at St. Martin's Cathedral and one of the stops following the coronation during the procession through the town was the stop at St. Michael's Gate, where the new king would pledge his king's oath to the hands of the archbishop.
The tower of the gate was razed in 1529-1534 and then rebuilt in 1753-1758 in its present-day form. It was through this last reconstruction that a statute of St. Michael was placed on the top of the tower. The St. Michael's tower stands 56 yards (51 m).
Today, there is a museum of medieval fortification of Bratislava and arms located in the tower. Visitors will get familiar with the town's fortification beginnings, reconstructions and their final destruction in the 18th century as the fortified walls were preventing the city's growth. On the sixth floor of the tower there is a balcony that offers a magnificent view of the Old City, the Castle, and surrounding areas.
