Only a European capital since the 1992 Velvet Revolution, Bratislava is not the cultural epicentre that nearby Prague or Vienna both are. It is more a city for strolling round and soaking up the Baroque buildings and fine coffeehouses of the Old Town, or the contrastingly stark Communist architecture just beyond. Yet many visitors are underwhelmed by the museums and galleries in the Slovak capital, and those who have planned a long weekend here may be wondering what to do with themselves by day two.
This is where Cunovo comes in. 15 kilometres outside central Bratislava down the River Danube, Cunovo was an anonymous suburb until the Danubiana Meulensteen Art Museum opened in 2000. Now it's garnering a reputation as the location of one of Europe's most cutting edge collections of modern art. Other claims to fame include its world class water sports facilities and its proximity to the Danube's greatest damming project, the Gabcikovo Nagymaros dam. These days it is possible to bypass Bratislava and stay close to the culture and adrenalin fixes Cunovo offers at the modern Hotel Divoká Voda.
Danubiana Meulensteen—the Number One Slovak Art Museum
Jutting out on a promontory into the Danube just shy of the Hungarian border, the Danubiana Meulensteen opened as part of a millennium project to revitalise the area. The distinctly 21st-century building houses a fascinating art collection: including works by American artists Sam Francis, Austrian Gunther Damisch and renowned Slovakian artists Vincent Hložník and Jozef Jankovic.
It's an external exhibition space too, boasting a large park full of sculptures (with several by Jankovic) which gets entrancing views up and down the river and across into Hungary. There's a good cafe with riverside seating. In season, boats also run downriver from Bratislava to the museum. It's also easily accessible by road, located near the Bratislava ring road, and by bus.
The Gabcikovo Nagymaros Dam
The Danube's largest and most controversial damming project between Bratislava and Nagymaros in Hungary remains unfinished (Hungary pulled out much of its funding) but the stretch near Cunovo is complete, and is the river's most dramatic engineering work. It's definitely worth checking out, and much of it can be seen from the parkland of the art museum.
Cunovo Water Sport Resort—Home of the World Canoe Slalom Championships 2011
This water sports centre is the top artificial water slalom experience in Europe. Olympic canoeists and rafters train here, but it's great for a family rafting vacation too with a variety of activities to suit all abilities including canoeing, kayaking, water scooting and the latest craze to hit watersports-obsessed Slovakia, Hydrospeed. The latter involves riding the water surface with the help of a rod.
- Company: Actionland
- Vodné dielo Gabcíkovo stupen Cunovo, 85110 Bratislava
- Telephone number: +421 (0)2 6252 8077
A day out in Cunovo is a must-see on any weekend visit to Bratislava, yet it's still something most visitors miss out on. Especially now that there is the option to approach Cunovo by boat, a trip to Bratislava's frontier suburb is a way of seeing one of the most intriguing stretches of Eastern Europe's greatest river.
Luke Waterson - Author Luke Waterson writes, or has written, for various publications including Lonely Planet, Rough Guides, Moon Guidebooks and The ...
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