Dúbravka () is a city borough of Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia. It is located in the north-western part of the city, lying on the slopes of the Devín Carpathians mountains. It is part of the Bratislava IV administrative district. The city borough covers 862 ha and is home to approximately 36,000 inhabitants. The borough is served by both public transport trams and buses, yet Dúbravka is known for the low level of service provided here.
Dúbravka features a museum, an ancient Germanic settlement with Roman-style buildingsElschek, Kristian (1995). "Die germanische Besiedlung von Bratislava-Dúbravka während der älteren römischen Kaiserzeit" [The Germanic occupation of Bratislava-Dúbravka during the Early Roman Empire]. In: Tejral, Jaroslav; Pieta, Karol; Rajtár, Ján (eds). Kelten, Germanen, Römer im Mitteldonaugebiet vom Ausklang der Latène-Zivilisation bis zum 2. Jahrhundert. Spisy Archeologického Ústavu AV ČR Brno, vol. 3. Brno/Nitra, , pp. 39–52. (sometimes wrongly labeled "villa rustica"), a covered ice stadium, ŠKP Dúbravka football stadium, numerous schools, two Roman Catholic churches and an Evangelical church. The Dúbravka House of Culture is the cultural center of the borough.
Geography
Location Dúbravka borders Karlova Ves to the south, Devín to the west, Devínska Nová Ves to the north and Lamač to the north-east.
Division Dúbravka is divided into three local parts: Krčace, Záluhy and Podvornice. Krčace is the southernmost part of Dúbravka at the border with the Karlova Ves borough. It is a non-residential area consisting mostly of recreational cottages and it features the Iuventa youth complex, swimming pool Rosnička, and the ŠKP football stadium. Záluhy start at the crossroads of Mikuláša Schneidera Trnavského Street, Karloveská street and Harmincova Street continuing to the west. The area consists of typical socialist era panel houses. Podvornice is an area roughly bordered by Saratovská Street, the D2 motorway, Nejedlého Street from the north and Drobného Street from the south.
History
Dúbravka was a separate village already in existence in the 14th century; at that time it was an administrative part of Devín. Since the 1730s until 1945 it was owned by the Malacky branch of the aristocratic family Pálffy ab Erdöd. It was first mentioned in written documents in 1576 stating that ethnic Croats first settled the nearby village of Lamač in the first half of the 16th century and in the second half they moved into Devín and Dúbravka. It was later mentioned in a 1683 text, while Vienna was last besieged by the Ottoman Empire. The Ottoman expansion and the fact that part of the anti-Ottoman army was stationed in Dúbravka lowered the quality of life in the village.
In the 18th century economic activity in Dúbravka centered around wine-making. The area of worked land rose continuously over the years, and farmers in Dúbravka were compensated for the relatively poor soil quality in the village. In the 19th century the village was sacked during the Napoleonic Wars by the French advancing towards Vienna. In 1831 the village suffered a Plague epidemic, with a second outbreak at the end of the Austro-Prussian War in 1866 when it was again sacked and burned. A fire brigade was established in 1889. Important figure in 19th century Dúbravka was the local priest Moyš. Despite Dúbravka not having any ethnic divisions or problems, he strengthened Slovak nationalism in the village. Under his leadership, theater was established in the village in 1905.
In the years 1911-1912 a master carpenter from Braitslava František Tavarík started the construction of recreational wooden houses at the edge of Dúbravka. Later, he started the construction of villas in an area that came to be known as Tavaríkova kolónia. First World War massively disrupted economic activity in the village. Defensive fortifications were constructed in the hills surrounding the village, although they were never used in combat. After the war, the land owned by the noble Mikuláš Pálffy was confiscated and divided. The village was electrified in 1931, local school was constructed in 1935 and drinking water pipes were laid in 1936. Sewage plumbing was laid in 1938. The village struggled with unemployment during the 1930s.
On 6 October 1938 control of the village was violently taken by the local branch of Slovak People's Party. In 1939 the neighboring Devín was annexed by Nazi Germany and Dúbravka became a frontier village. Economic downturn during the Second World War was partially solved by ferrying workers into Germany. The village was occupied by the Red Army on 5 April 1945. Dúbravka was incorporated into Bratislava in April 1946 as the capital city was beginning to expand.
In the 1970s, large-scale construction of socialist apartment blocks started in Dúbravka, essentially dividing the suburb into a small original part with family houses (Old Dúbravka) and the suburb proper consisting of panel houses (sometimes called New Dúbravka) with approximately 15 000 flats.