GRASSALKOVICH PALACE

The Grassalkovich Palace (in Slovak Grasalkovičov palác) or the Presidential Palace (Prezidentský palác) is a palace in Bratislava and the seat of the President of Slovakia. It is situated next to the Summer Archbishop's Palace.

The building is a Rococo/late Baroque summer palace with a French garden. It was built in 1760 for Count Antal Grassalkovich, a Hungarian noble serving as the head of the Hungarian Chamber (a sort of ministry of economy and finance for the Kingdom of Hungary), by architect Anton Mayerhofer. It features many beautiful rooms and an impressive staircase. After its reconstruction in the early 1990s, on 30 September 1996 the palace became the residence of Slovakia's president. Its once-large gardens are now a public park, complete with a statue of Bratislava-born composer Jan Nepomuk Hummel.