Napoleon's Army Soldier Statue, Bratislava

Bratislava is famous for the unusual statues scattered through its historic center, where whimsical figures appear on squares, street corners, and even from beneath the pavement. One of the best known is the Napoleon’s Army Soldier, a life-size bronze figure leaning casually over the back of a bench on the western side of Main Square. Its pose makes it especially popular with visitors, who can sit on the bench and have their picture taken beside the soldier.

The sculpture was created by Slovak artist Juraj Meliš and unveiled on July 26, 1997, during celebrations marking the renovation of Bratislava’s Old Town pedestrian zone. Despite sometimes being called a statue of Napoleon, the figure does not represent Napoleon himself. His coat, boots, and distinctive bicorne identify him simply as a soldier of the Napoleonic army.

The sculpture recalls two important encounters between Pressburg, as Bratislava was then commonly known, and French forces. Napoleonic troops were present in the city in 1805, when the Peace of Pressburg was signed following Napoleon’s victory at Austerlitz. In 1809, French forces returned, besieging and repeatedly bombarding the city. A cannonball preserved in the wall of the Old Town Hall still recalls these attacks.