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Friday, February 28, 2014

Castles and communism in the Slovak capital


It looks like something out of a science fiction movie, perhaps the War of the Worlds or a long-forgotten1980s television series called The Tripods.Bratislava's UFO Tower, which sits on a bridge that spans the Danube, is nothing if not attention grabbing.
With a circular restaurant at the top that is like a metal head, its windows acting as the beady eyes, the whole structure resembles a giant metal insect. The 95-meter tower, which opened in 1972, must rank as the most off-beat of the many communist-era buildings that survive in the Slovak capital.
The views from the restaurant are no less breathtaking than the exterior, and on one side at least, are considerably more pleasing aesthetically. Looking across the river toward the Old Town, the blindingly white castle takes center stage, sitting above St Martin's Cathedral, where more than 10 Hungarian monarchs were crowned Panelaky