The nucleus for Bratislava's history, festivals and chic cafe culture is Hlavné nám (Main Sq). There's architectural finery in almost every direction, notably the Stará Radnica (Old Town Hall), a complex of attractive 14th- and 15th-century Gothic buildings, and Palugyayov Palác, a neobaroque former palace.

　　Roland's Fountain, at the square's heart, is thought to have been built in 1572 as a public water supply. According to legend, its statue bows once a year...visible only to the most good-hearted Bratislavans, of course.