Námestie Slobody (Freedom Square) is one of the best known squares in Bratislava, Slovakia. It is situated in the central part of the Staré Mesto district.
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 which was built there. It currently houses the Slovakian government. 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, whose statue was included. The Post Office palace (the biggest post office in the world[1]) and buildings of Slovak Technical University were built there during the 1940s and 1950s, closing the square in from all sides. The biggest fountain 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 in 1989.
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