Domov -> History

The space had several names in the past. Königsberg (in the Karlova Ves dialect Kinisperk), Spasinek, Pasienok (the Pasture). In recent times Kukuričák (the Cornfield), or King's Mountain (Kráľova hora). For many, today it is simply a meadow. The territory used to be a part of the Devín estate, owned by the Pálffy family since 1635. In 1780, Karol Hieronymus Pálffy founded the village of Carlsdorf- Karlova Ves in the nearby valley of the stream Suchá Vydrica.

Throughout of history, the gentle southern slope, the abundant springs in the surroundings and the relative proximity of the Danube, created good conditions for human use of this area. This is well documented by archaeological findings from the Neolithic period on Kráľova hora. It is not known from the available sources when was this originally forestal space turned into a free area, suitable, for example, cattle grazing or other activities. However, on the map of the surroundings of Bratislava from 1870, the part of Königsberg is no longer forested, but marked as Puzsta, that is, a grassy area.

In the period of the 1st World War, the famous "bunkers" (caverns) were built around the meadow. Together with other cavenrns above Dúbravka, Sitina and Kamzík, they were supposed to serve for the artillery defense of Bratislava, mainly the bridge over the river Danube. Kráľova hora with its view was a suitable place to build such military structures. Fortunately, however, the caverns were never used for fighting. The troops of the monarchy suffered heavy defeats on the fronts, which were hundreds of kilometers away from Bratislava. The meadow became the object of interest of the army even in the period of the 1st Czechoslovak Republic. Its upper part was used as a training ground which included the use of live ammunition - hand grenades.

The meadow as a pasture has served the residents of Karlova Ves for a long time. After the establishment of the pasture cooperative, initiated by pastor Ferdiš Juriga in the early 30s of the 20th century, this activity intensified. At that time, the village shepherd Gusto Marek and others drove almost a hundred-headed flock of cows and goats to the pasture daily.

In the same period, the residents of Karlova Ves discovered the benefits of their Spasinek for other purposes as well. In the month of June, at the time of the flowering of the vineyard, when the work in the vineyards stopped for a while, June Picknicks and Parties were held here every year. The Karlova Ves innkeepers drove beer here, a firemen‘s brass band provided music and people sang and danced until late in the evening. The meadow become a popular destination of Sunday trips of both youth and adults. Tramps and tourists from Karlova Ves and Bratislava often camped here.

On 22.11.1938, the Germans occupied the territory of Devin. Longitál, the settlement which was a partof Karlova Ves, with the municipal pasture, found itself in a foreign state, the German Reich. Thus, the inhabitants of Karlova Ves lost their pasture. There was no replacement for it in the village, so the breeding of cows ceased and was never restored. The tradition of annual June Picknic has also disappeared.

After the end of the 2nd World War, hikers and campers returned to the meadow. Scouts from Bratislava troops joined them as well. The pasture became a popular destination for both hikers and Karlova Ves Scouts. It was the site of their solemn Scout vow on 26.9.1949. Boys from the upper end of Karlova Ves also used to come here to play football. For Karlova Ves aviation modelers, this was the place where they went to test the results of the work of their skillful hands, their models.

In the early 60s, JRD (The Farmer’s Cooperative) Karlova Ves-Devin decided to use the meadow for growing black currants. The planting was preceded by massive melioration modifications, in particular, the leveling of the terrain and the backfilling of deep springs in the southern part of the slope.

Over time, it turned out that the intention to grow black currants here was not quite thought through. On the sunny southern slope, the fruits ripened almost simultaneously. The cooperative did not have enough capacities to collect the whole harvest, a large part of the fruits fell off. Later, the currant bushes began to dry out due to the lack of moisture. Therefore, the cooperative disposed of the currant plantation and for several years used the field to grow corn (hence the name Kukuričák - Cornfield). This activity was also unprofitable, which is why the cooperative stopped using it for this purpose. The meadow became again a part of the wild nature and started tobe used again for leisure activities.

After the Velvet Revolution in 1989, the population of Karlova Ves began to grow rapidly – during the next decade thousands of people moved to the new suburb Dlhé Diely. Huge areas of greenery in this city district were turned into concrete, and the meadow thus logically became an irreplaceable natural environment for recreation in this part of the city. It provides relaxation in the beautiful countryside just a few minutes away from the densely populated zone. It is therefore sought after all year round. Here you will often meet hikers, runners, cyclists, parents with children, pupils from nearby schools and dog handlers.

After 2002, when there was a change in ownership of the meadow (the property of Devin passed into private hands after an auction), new plans, which included building of a new housing estate began to appear. Citizens have expressed their support for preservation of the natural character of the meadow on Kráľova hora in two petitions (2003 and 2011). The latter, with almost 22.000 signatures, became the largest petition to save the greenery in Bratislava. Thanks to the persistent activity of citizens and the Lúka Civic Association, the space you see around you has been the property of the city since 2013 and since 2014 it has been designated as "green" in the bratislava zoning plan - i.e. without construction.

This brief overview of history reminds us all that after thousands of years, through human greed and the desire for power and property, we could have lost another piece of Bratislava that has a truly natural character.

Let us protect the meadow and its natural wealth.