The millennium tree in Batthyány Square

"This beautifully proportioned square of the Old Town, in the middle of which the millennium tree planted in 1896, promising proportional hope for the political successes of the second millennium, is blooming..." we can read from the pen of Tivadar Oltvay. ; At the end of the 18th century, the originally unattractive square began to transform into one of the most beautiful squares in Bratislava. On its southern side, Prince-Primate József Batthyány had his luxurious palace built (1781, Heffele Menyhért), which aroused admiration even in distant regions. Opposite the Primate's Palace was the palace of the steward of the Prince-Primate's estate, István Ormosdy, which was created by rebuilding an older Jesuit monastery (1782, Georg Zillak). ; The reconstruction of the square was completed at the beginning of the 20th century, when the closed wall of the Old Town Hall was replaced by the neo-Gothic wing (Jenő Hubner, 1912), and on the eastern side, Kalapos Street was extended by breaking through the houses to today's SzNF Square: "From the Market Square we will also see part of the facade of the Prímás Palace. Thus, slowly but surely, our old and famous city is becoming more beautiful," wrote the contemporary press. At that time, Prímás Square was mainly one of the prides of the city, thanks also to the lime tree that was planted in 1896, on the occasion of the millennium celebrations. The sprawling green foliage not only had a significant aesthetic role, but was a sought-after oasis in the desert of hot paving stones in the summer. ; After 1945, clouds began to gather over the Prímás idyll. The Ormosdy Palace collapsed “accidentally” during the conversion for the purposes of the city magistrate, and a new building was erected in its place (Emil Belluš, 1948). The linden tree delighted the people of Bratislava for another three decades. Then the 80-year-old lady was senselessly cut down, while the real reasons for this remain a mystery to this day. ; As is usually the case, a story, a legend, began to circulate among the people of Bratislava. It went something like this: the mayor of Bratislava and Prague was walking on the recently renovated Primate Square. The latter apparently did not like the new paving of the square. He shook his head, then, without stopping, declared: “Which lunatic had this done?” His host just swallowed and remained silent, because the lunatic himself was. ; This annoyed him greatly, and when his deputy also experienced the slippery surface, he decided to intervene vigorously. He had the square closed and the ground surface roughened. In the comrade's eyes, the unprotected linden tree remained a thorn in his side, which for some reason he considered a class enemy of the renovation. After failing to come up with a reasonable reason to cut down the tree after several attempts, he issued the famous order "My dear engineer, that linden tree is going to hell!" in the 1970s, the mayor of Bratislava to the head of the ZARES gardening company. ; Bratislava thus lost one of its green dominants. Fortunately, this is not a permanent state. From 1997, the linden tree became an integral part of the square again.