Fortification Plan of Pressburg from 1663

The graphic is part of the chronicle Ortelius redivius et continuatus [...] on page 289.

When the Ottoman army captured Neuhäusel (Nové Zámky) in September 1663 – the most important fortress on the Hungarian front – all of Western Europe took notice. Many other fortresses in the region surrendered without a fight, and the Ottomans nearly opened the way for an attack on the imperial capital, Vienna.

In fear of the Ottoman forces, new emergency fortification plans were hastily developed. Emperor Leopold I ordered the construction of the Leopoldov fortress, and the city of Pressburg (now Bratislava) was to undergo radical rebuilding, the plans of which are documented by an engraving reproduced in the chronicle of war historian Hieronymus Ortelius.

The ambitious plan included demolishing several suburbs, which allegedly led to protests from many citizens. On the present-day Petržalka side of the river, a two-tier star-shaped fort was to be built to protect a pontoon bridge leading to the castle hill. However, the plan was never realized likely due to its financial and time-consuming demands. Despite this, Duke Charles V of Lorraine successfully defended Pressburg from the forces of Imre Thököly, who was marching on Vienna in 1683.

Preventive demolitions in Pressburg had already taken place a century earlier, when the catastrophic Battle of Mohács created a threat of an Ottoman attack on the city. Among the casualties were the Church of St. Michael near today's Župné Square and the Church of St. Lawrence, the remains of which can still be seen near the Old Market Hall. The church stood outside the medieval city walls, making it a potential shelter for the Ottomans during a siege. Ultimately, however, the attack never occurred, and the churches were thus demolished unnecessarily.

lab.SNG ● Atlas SNG, content for the exhibition Fruits of Discord: Portraying the Ottoman Presence