Laurinc Gate ( sk, Laurinská brána) was a
medieval
In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire a ...
town gate
A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world.
Origin and use
The word "town" shares an ori ...
in the historical
Old Town
In a city or town, the old town is its historic or original core. Although the city is usually larger in its present form, many cities have redesignated this part of the city to commemorate its origins after thorough renovations. There are ma ...
of
Bratislava
Bratislava (, also ; ; german: Preßburg/Pressburg ; hu, Pozsony) is the capital and largest city of Slovakia. Officially, the population of the city is about 475,000; however, it is estimated to be more than 660,000 — approximately 140% o ...
, the capital of Slovakia. It was built in the 14th century and demolished by the order of Empress
Maria Theresa
Maria Theresa Walburga Amalia Christina (german: Maria Theresia; 13 May 1717 – 29 November 1780) was ruler of the Habsburg dominions from 1740 until her death in 1780, and the only woman to hold the position '' suo jure'' (in her own right) ...
of
Austria
Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...
in the 18th century together with most of the city walls, because the inner walls were limiting the town's growth. It was named after
Saint Lawrence
Saint Lawrence or Laurence ( la, Laurentius, lit. " laurelled"; 31 December AD 225 – 10 August 258) was one of the seven deacons of the city of Rome under Pope Sixtus II who were martyred in the persecution of the Christians that the Roman ...
.
Unlike the
Michael's Gate
In Bratislava, Slovakia, Michael's Gate ( sk, Michalská brána, german: Michaelertor, hu, Mihály kapu) is the only city gate that has been preserved of the medieval fortifications and ranks among the oldest town buildings. Built about the year ...
, the only medieval city gate still standing in Bratislava, Laurinc Gate did not contain a tall tower. Instead, it was a massive square-shaped structure with a long tunnel at the ground floor. There was a
water moat in front of it and unlike the sometimes dry moat near
Michael's Gate
In Bratislava, Slovakia, Michael's Gate ( sk, Michalská brána, german: Michaelertor, hu, Mihály kapu) is the only city gate that has been preserved of the medieval fortifications and ranks among the oldest town buildings. Built about the year ...
, this one always contained water due to its proximity to the
Danube
The Danube ( ; ) is a river that was once a long-standing frontier of the Roman Empire and today connects 10 European countries, running through their territories or being a border. Originating in Germany, the Danube flows southeast for , ...
and the presence of the mouth of a stream coming down from the
Little Carpathians
The Little Carpathians (also: ''Lesser Carpathians'', sk, Malé Karpaty; german: Kleine Karpaten; hu, Kis-Kárpátok) are a low, about 100 km long, mountain range, part of the Carpathian Mountains. The mountains are situated in Western Slo ...
mountains. Today, a
portcullis
A portcullis (from Old French ''porte coleice'', "sliding gate") is a heavy vertically-closing gate typically found in medieval fortifications, consisting of a latticed Grille (architecture), grille made of wood, metal, or a combination of the tw ...
hanging over Laurinská Street symbolizes the place of the former Laurinc Gate.
History
Laurinc Gate was constructed together with the oldest parts of the
city walls
A defensive wall is a fortification usually used to protect a city, town or other settlement from potential aggressors. The walls can range from simple palisades or earthworks to extensive military fortifications with towers, bastions and gates ...
in the second half of the 13th century. Through most of its
history
History (derived ) is the systematic study and the documentation of the human activity. The time period of event before the History of writing#Inventions of writing, invention of writing systems is considered prehistory. "History" is an umbr ...
, Bratislava was known as Pressburg or Pozsony. The gate was continually strengthened and improved over the centuries.
Its name comes from a small church that stood directly in front of it (later demolished in the first half of the 16th century. The church, together with its
chapel
A chapel is a Christian place of prayer and worship that is usually relatively small. The term has several meanings. Firstly, smaller spaces inside a church that have their own altar are often called chapels; the Lady chapel is a common typ ...
was consecrated to
Saint Lawrence
Saint Lawrence or Laurence ( la, Laurentius, lit. " laurelled"; 31 December AD 225 – 10 August 258) was one of the seven deacons of the city of Rome under Pope Sixtus II who were martyred in the persecution of the Christians that the Roman ...
( sk, Svätý Laurinc). He was considered to be the patron of travelers and the name stuck. The first reference to the gate comes from the year 1412.
[http://jablonovsky.sk/ba/old-town/panska-a-laurinska-street/]
At the beginning of the 18th century a pillar with the statue of Saint Florian was built in front of the gate.
Today
A hanging gate doors symbolise the place of the Laurinc Gate today. There were never any plans to rebuild or reconstruct the demolished tourist attraction in the past, nor in the present.
References
External links
{{coord, 48.1436, N, 17.1109, E, source:wikidata, display=title
Gates
Buildings and structures in Bratislava