Bratislava plans reconstruction of destroyed Maria Theresa monument

Following on from the wieninternational.at series on monuments in Vienna, we are now turning our gaze eastwards to consider the monuments in Bratislava, particularly those connected with the former Habsburg monarchy and the imperial seat in Vienna.

Central Europe saw a veritable boom in monument erection at the end of the nineteenth century. One of the notable monuments was a statue in Bratislava – or Pressburg as it was called at the time – of “empress” Maria Theresa in recognition of the prosperity that she had brought to the city. The monument was destroyed after the First World War and is now to be rebuilt in accordance with the old plans.

Pressburg and Hungary safeguard Maria Theresa’s hegemony

It was in part thanks to Pressburg that Maria Theresa’s historical fortunes took a turn for the better. The archduchess of Austria was born in Vienna in 1717 and on the death of her father, Charles VI, in 1740 she became the first female head of the Austrian Habsburg line. This set off a vigorous power struggle in Europe. Historical rivals like Bavaria and Prussia did not recognise her at first; they claimed the throne and their armies advanced dangerously on Vienna.



In this critical situation, the young regent turned to Pressburg and Hungary. Pressburg (Hungarian: Pozsony, Slovak: Prešporok) was the capital of the kingdom of Hungary on and off from 1536 to 1784. From 1526 the Habsburg archdukes of Austria or their sons were also kings of Hungary. They were crowned in St. Martin’s cathedral. Maria Theresa’s coronation was on 25 June 1741. Her formal title was not “Regina” (queen) but “Rex Hungariae” (king of Hungary).

The Hungarians had fought hard to bring about this coronation. They originally demanded a large number of concessions, but a compromise was ultimately agreed on. According to contemporary sources, the Hungarians were particularly fond of the fresh young regent and her temperamental style. At the celebratory dinner, for example, she took off her Hungarian crown and put it down in front of her on the table. Eye witnesses were also delighted at her appearance in Hungarian national costume on the coronation hill with the sword of St. Stephan, patron saint of Hungary, which she waved to the four points of the compass, symbolising her promise to defend the kingdom against enemies from all sides. The Hungarians also supported Maria Theresa by providing armed forces, which were of vital importance in consolidating her power in Europe.

Throughout her life Maria Theresa had a special fondness for Pressburg/Pozsony/Prešporok. The city flourished economically and culturally during her reign from 1740 to 1780. In 1745, four years after her coronation in Pressburg, her husband Franz Stephan of Lorraine, was elected Holy Roman King and Emperor in Frankfurt am Main and crowned in great ceremony in the presence of his wife. She also bore the honorary title of empress as a result, but was never officially crowned as such.

Maria Theresa equestrian statue of 1897

A large monument was erected to her in Pressburg/Pozsony/Prešporok towards the end of the nineteenth century on the occasion of the Hungarian millennium celebration in 1896. The Hungarian government provided funding for the erection of ten monuments in Pressburg/Pozsony/Prešporok, including one to Maria Theresa. In June 1892 a monument committee was formed under the leadership of municipal archivist Jan Batka. The contract for design of the monument was awarded to the Pressburg-based artist Ján Fadrusz. He was commissioned to create a statue that would symbolise the coronation ceremony for Hungarian kings in Pressburg/Pozsony/Prešporok. The monument was some eleven metres high and showed the horseback ruler of the Danube monarch with her retinue. The white marble came from Carrara in Italy.

Monument destroyed for fear of restoration of the monarchy

This equestrian statue of empress Maria Theresa has a turbulent history. It was unveiled on 16 May on the coronation hill, as it is called, an artificial mound built next to the Danube and dismantled in 1873. Years later, in 1921 to be precise, when Pressburg/Pozsony/Prešporok had already been renamed Bratislava, returnees from the First World War and citizens of the newly founded state of Czechoslovakia destroyed the statue for fear that it might be used by supporters of a restoration of the monarchy. Only fragments of the original statue survived and are now in the Magyar Nemzeti Galéria (Hungarian national gallery) in Budapest and in private ownership in Bratislava. The former regent no longer has a street, square or bridge named after her.

Štefánik statue – co-founder of Czechoslovakia

The Maria Theresa monument on the former coronation hill was later replaced by a statue of Milan Rastislav Štefánik, one of the founding fathers of Czechoslovakia. Štefánik had been minister of war in Czechoslovakia since 1918 and is thought to have been shot down unintentionally by his own anti-aircraft batteries over Bratislava shortly before the new state was proclaimed. A statue was erected in his honour in 1938. Adolf Hitler took an early dislike to the heraldic lion representing Czechoslovakia standing on a high pylon next to the statue. Before he ever visited Bratislava, he had seen the statue from over the river in Petržalka/Engerau in November 1938 and on being told of its significance is said to have muttered: “Get rid of the cat!”. Seven months later the pylon and the lion were removed. Today it can be seen again prominently further downstream in front of the new Slovak National Theatre next to the re-erected statue of general Štefánik.

Monument to language reformer Ľudovít Velislav Štúr

The Štefánik statue did not survive long either, being removed in the mid-fifties by the Communists. The general was not popular with the new Communist regime after the Second World War. The monument was replaced by a group of stone figures with Ľudovít Štúr, a nineteenth-century Slovak philologist, writer and politician. During the 1848 revolution he had already been a leader of the Slovak national revival. His monument also survived the fall of Communism in 1989 not least as its size (11 metres) and complicated construction make it difficult to move.

Intellectuals call for restoration of the Maria Theresa monument

Most recently, Slovak intellectuals and artists have come out in favour of the restoration of the Maria Theresa monument in accordance with the original plans. Although no decision has yet been made at the political level, the voices calling for the restoration carry some weight. The sculptor Tibor Bártfay, for example, one of the designers of the Štúr monument, would ideally like to see the statue of Maria Theresa put back on its original site. It would fit in well with the building there and would offer a worthy memorial to the empress and her contribution to the city’s development. Bártfay admits, however, that because of difficulties in relocating the Štúr monument, it would not be feasible to put it there. Bratislava city architect Štefan Šlachta agrees, saying that the time has come to make a clear statement in support of Maria Theresa and to pay due homage to her contribution to the city.

A suitable site has still to be chosen and the financing required for a new statue has not yet been worked out. Neither the city of Bratislava nor the Slovak government have made any statements in this regard to date.

For the time being the only monument to the former ruler Maria Theresa in Bratislava is a small stone statue in the grounds of Grassalkovich Palace, the presidential residence.