St. Martin's Cathedral, Bratislava (must see)

In the town's early history, worship took place at Bratislava Castle. But in the early 13th century, the King of Hungary requested permission from the pope to relocate the church. As the town grew, construction of a Gothic cathedral began in 1311. It was built on the site of an earlier Romanesque church dedicated to the Holy Saviour, and its tower was incorporated into the city's medieval fortifications.

It was not completed until 1452 due to financial difficulties and the Hussite Wars. Additions were made in the 18th and 19th centuries, including the Baroque Chapel of Saint John the Merciful. Inside, one of the cathedral's artistic highlights is a sculptural group of Saint Martin sharing his cloak with a beggar, created by prominent Baroque sculptor Georg Raphael Donner in 1734.

The building's present appearance has remained largely unchanged since 1877, when significant restoration work was completed after earthquakes, fires, and wars had damaged the cathedral.

The cathedral is most famous for serving as the coronation church of the Kingdom of Hungary from 1563 onward. Eleven kings and queens, as well as eight of their consorts, were crowned in the building.

In recognition of this honor, the cathedral tower is topped with a replica of the Crown of Saint Stephen. This replica of the Holy Crown of Hungary weighs 330 pounds and is gold-plated. The cathedral was built over a cemetery and stands above an extensive network of catacombs and crypts. The building is designated a national cultural monument, but it has unfortunately suffered damage from vibrations caused by traffic passing along the nearby New Bridge.