Public restrooms in Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia are called public toilets or public WC (Slovak: verejné WC). Compared with other capital cities in the region, Bratislava is known for having a very limited number of public restrooms and their appearance has changed little since the fall of communism. Unlike restrooms in modern shopping malls, gas stations, restaurants, pubs, etc., traditional public toilets are still operated by a washroom attendant. As a rule of thumb, public toilets in Bratislava are paid.
As of 2011, urinating or defecating in public in Slovakia is punishable by a fine of 33 €. Though not actively pursued by the police in the city, people do get fined for this offense. Contributing to the shortage of restrooms is the habit common in many (especially older) restaurants and pubs to lock their toilets and issue keys only upon demand by their customers. There are no plans to build any public restrooms in Bratislava in the future.[1]
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Under communism, the tradition of public toilets formed, which influences the city to this day. Public toilets were separated by sex, entrances being guarded by notoriously ill-tempered restroom ladies (Slovak: hajzelbaba).[2] The client would tell her whether he needed to urinate or defecate, and he would be charged accordingly, the latter costing more. Finally, the client was issued his limited share of toilet paper.
The following public toilets were cancelled in the past in Bratislava: Suche myto, Hurbanaovo namestie and metal toilets on Vajanskeho nabrezie (cancelled decades ago). In 2011, the Borough of Old Town decided to close half of its public toilets, claiming to use the money saved in this way for maintaining green areas and cleaning. According to Tomáš Halán, spokesperson of MČ Bratislava – Staré Mesto (Old Town), "in extreme cases one visitor cost 22 euro" to each citizen of the city borough, referring to their non-public research.[3]
The following is a list of public toilets in Bratislava. All toilets are inaccessible to the handicapped unless noted otherwise.
| Image | Location | Open? | Price | Ownership | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Šafárikovo Námestie (Old Town) | Open 8:00 - 19:00 | ? | The borough of Old Town | According to some sources it was supposed to stop operating on 01.04.2011 |
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| Námestie Eugena Suchoňa / Palackého Street (Old Town), in front of Reduta | Open 8:00 - 19:00 | ? | The borough of Old Town | The most visited public toilets in Old Town, reconstruction is scheduled in 2011 |
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| Inside Medic Garden (Old Town) | Open 8:00 - 19:00 | ? | The borough of Old Town | Partially reconstructed in 2007, later vandalised |
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| Inside Grassalkovich Palace Garden (Old Town) | Open 8:00 - 19:00 | ? | The borough of Old Town | The whole garden (including the public toilets) is guarded when open |
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| Kapucínska Street / Staromestska Street (Old Town) | Closed since 01.04.2011 | n/a | The borough of Old Town | Probably closed since 2006 |
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| Námestie SNP (Old Town) | Closed for years because of groundwater leakage | n/a | The borough of Old Town | Although located on Kamenne Namestie, for some reason Slovak media refer to this public restrooms as being on Namestie SNP |
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| Kollárovo Námestie (Old Town) | Closed since 01.04.2011 | n/a | The borough of Old Town | Opening hours used to be 8:00 - 19:00 |
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| 29. Augusta Street (Old Town) | Closed since 01.04.2011 | n/a | The borough of Old Town | Opening hours used to be 8:00 - 19:00 |
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| Americké Námestie (Old Town) | Closed since 01.03.2011 | n/a | The borough of Old Town | Opening hours used to be 8:00 - 19:00 |
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| Ursulinska Street, building of the Bratislava Magistrate (Old Town) | Open 9:00 - 21:00 | 30 cents | Bratislava city Magistrate | Built in 2008, allows access for the handicapped. The building is actually on Primate's Square but the toilets are hidden behind two corners |
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| Pedestrian underpass Trnavské mýto | Closed | n/a | Bratislava city Magistrate | Partially devastated |
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| Pedestrian underpass Hodžovo námestie (Old Town) | Open Mon-Fri 8:00 - 18:00, Sat 8:00 - 12:00 | ? | Bratislava city Magistrate | Reconstructed in 2008, accessible to the handicapped with effort |
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| Pedestrian underpass Patrónka (Old Town) | Open | ? | Bratislava city Magistrate | Accessible to the handicapped with effort |
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| Lake Kuchajda (New Town) | Open 9:00 - 22:00 | ? | The borough of New Town | 4 public toilets |
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| Nova Trznica building on Trnavské mýto (New Town) | Open Mon-Fri 6:00 - 18:00 Sat 06:00 - 14:00 | ? | The borough of New Town | 4 public toilets |
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| Public transport bus terminal near OD Slimak (New Town) | Open 06:00 - 22:00 | ? | The borough of New Town | 2x men's and 4x women's public toilets |
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| Inside Stara Trznica building (Old Town) | Closed | Paid | Unknown ownership | Toilets are on the first floor |
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| Karloveska Street (Karlova Ves) | Closed for some 15 years | n/a | The borough of Karlova Ves | Devastated |
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| Underneath Nový Most | Open 06:00 - 23:00 | ? | Unknown ownership | Poorly marked |
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| Lake Draždiak, Petržalka | Open 8:00 - 21:00 | ? | Unknown ownership | - |
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| Lake Zlaté piesky | Open non-stop | ? | Unknown ownership | 4x toilets, 2 of them open non-stop, serving also the nearby autocamping |