Richmond’s Mayor and Deputy enjoyed a very successful visit to Bratislava and Prague in March this year

In March, Mayor of Richmond Penny Frost and Deputy Clare Vollum joined 35 previous Mayors of the London Boroughs on the self-funded civic visit organised by the London Mayors’ Association (LMA) to Bratislava and Prague, to learn a little of the histories of these two important central European cities and to meet their Mayors and British Ambassadors. We were ably led by the very experienced LMA organiser and enjoyed splendid hospitality in both cities.

Our lovely hotel was a short walk from the Danube and its many cruise ships which bring tourists to Bratislava to enjoy its hospitality and delicious local Slovak cuisine. Bratislava was made the capital of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and maintains a sense of its place in shaping the history of Europe. We had the opportunity to meet the Ambassador in his private residence, high above the town and nestled next to the old castle. Later, we met the Mayor and learned that the main preoccupations in his work are housing, transport and environment, which raised nods of acknowledgement from all of us on the trip. As we were guided round the winding ancient streets in the town centre we began to get a sense of the old city, and enjoyed the humour and surprises of some of its many quirky statues (such as “Man at Work”, where the figure of a man in a hard hat is seen emerging out of a manhole cover in the street). From medieval times, Bratislava made its money from cultivating grapes on its fertile hillsides, and wine remains an important local industry. When we attended a wine tasting at the vast Matysak Winery and asked the proprietors why we don’t find these delicious Slovak wines in London, we were assured that it is because they are perfectly capable of drinking it all themselves!

Deputy Mayor, Councillor Clare Vollum and Mayor of Richmond, Councillor Penny Frost with the British Ambassador to Slovakia.

Prague is significantly bigger than Bratislava, and they are building hotels as fast as they can to keep up with the demand from tourists to visit. Our first stop was to the British Ambassador for his very informative reflections on the position of Europe in the world today. His delightful residence had a surprise for us, when we were shown the carefully tended garden opening from the third floor, giving views across the city. Then on to meet the Mayor in the historic Town Hall, built in 1338, and we admired the few rooms which survived a catastrophic fire following its shelling in May 1945. Then we had a chance to see the workings of the world famous medieval Astronomical clock in Wenceslaus Square, whose figures parade every hour carrying messages to remind us of the folly of our sins! Our walking tour could not do full justice to all that can be learned about the history of Prague, but definitely left us wanting to know more. In the evening we enjoyed a river trip on the Vltava, which has a narrow navigable section through the city, and a memorable dinner by the Charles Bridge.

The whole visit was rounded off with a visit to the underground tunnels of the Pilsner Urquell Brewery, with a taste of the unfiltered Pilsner tapped straight from the barrel.

Are you thinking that we experienced Bratislava and Prague through their famous food and drink? Well, yes, that was certainly true – but we came home much richer in our understanding of the geo-politics of Europe from the Middle Ages onwards, and the importance of maintaining our place in Europe in the future.

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