Bratislava, the capital city of Slovakia, is divided into five national administrative districts (Slovak: okres: I, II, III, IV, V) and into 17 boroughs (Slovak: plural: mestské časti, literally: city parts, also translated as (city) districts or wards). These boroughs vary in size and population, from the smallest Lamač and least populated Čunovo to the largest Podunajské Biskupice and most populated Petržalka.
Each of the boroughs has its own mayor and council. The number of councillors in each depends on the size and population of that borough. Mayor and the local council are elected in municipal election every four years. The boroughs are responsible for issues of local significance such as urban planning, local roads maintenance, budget, local ordinances, parks maintenance, safety and so on.
Cadastral areas coincide with boroughs, except in two cases: Nové Mesto is further divided into the Nové Mesto and Vinohrady cadastral areas and Ružinov is divided into Ružinov, Nivy and Trnávka. Further division often, but not always includes various unofficial quarters and localities.
Until 1943, Bratislava was made more or less of Staré Mesto, Nové Mesto and part of Ružinov boroughs. That year, village of Karlova Ves was annexed to Bratislava. In 1946, the formerly independent villages of Devín, Dúbravka, Lamač, Petržalka, Prievoz (part of Ružinov), Rača and Vajnory were attached into Bratislava, rising total area of the city into 193.6 km². The last territorial expansion of Bratislava so far was in 1972, with the villages of Devínska Nová Ves, Záhorska Bystrica, Vrakuňa, Podunajské Biskupice, Jarovce, Rusovce and Čunovo being annexed, creating so-called Greater Bratislava (Veľká Bratislava) with an area of 367.5 km². This was done in order to gain more space for massive apartments construction, which resulted in population growth from 143,000 in 1946 to around 450,000 in 1989.
The following table gives an overview of the boroughs, along with the district, population, area, annexation, if applicable and location within Bratislava.
| Borough and district |
Population |
Area in km² |
Annexed |
Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Staré Mesto (I) | 42,241 | 9.59 | n/a | |
| Podunajské Biskupice (II) | 19,977 | 42.49 | 1972 | |
| Ružinov (II) | 69,674 | 39.70 | n/a | |
| Vrakuňa (II) | 18,996 | 10.30 | 1972 | |
| Nové Mesto (III) | 37,040 | 37.48 | n/a | |
| Rača (III) | 20,357 | 23.66 | 1946 | |
| Vajnory (III) | 4,331 | 13.53 | 1946 | |
| Devín (IV) | 1,005 | 13.96 | 1946 | |
| Devínska Nová Ves (IV) | 15,629 | 24.22 | 1972 | |
| Dúbravka (IV) | 34,540 | 8.65 | 1946 | |
| Karlova Ves (IV) | 33,559 | 10.95 | 1943 | |
| Lamač (IV) | 6,447 | 6.54 | 1946 | |
| Záhorská Bystrica (IV) | 2,492 | 33.30 | 1972 | |
| Čunovo (V) | 919 | 18.62 | 1972 | |
| Jarovce (V) | 1,227 | 21.34 | 1972 | |
| Petržalka (V) | 114,862 | 28.68 | 1946 | |
| Rusovce (V) | 2,163 | 25.56 | 1972 | |
| Total | 425,459 | 367.584 |
The following table shows various quarters or localities in the boroughs.
| Administrative and Territorial Division of Bratislava | ||
|---|---|---|
| Districts | Borough | Quarters or Localities |
| Bratislava I | Staré Mesto | |
| Bratislava II | Ružinov | Nivy, Pošeň, Prievoz, Ostredky, Trávniky, Štrkovec, Vlčie hrdlo, Trnávka |
| Vrakuňa | Dolné hony | |
| Podunajské Biskupice | Dolné hony, Ketelec, Lieskovec, Medzi jarkami | |
| Bratislava III | Nové Mesto | Ahoj, Jurajov dvor, Koliba, Kramáre, Mierová kolónia, Pasienky/Kuchajda, Vinohrady |
| Rača | Krasňany, Rača, Východné | |
| Vajnory | ||
| Bratislava IV | Karlova Ves | Dlhé diely, Kútiky, Mlynská dolina, Rovnice |
| Dúbravka | Podvornice, Záluhy, Krčace | |
| Lamač | Podháj, Rázsochy | |
| Devín | ||
| Devínska Nová Ves | Devínske Jazero, Kostolné, Paulinské, Podhorské, Stred, Vápenka | |
| Záhorská Bystrica | ||
| Bratislava V | Petržalka | Dvory, Háje, Janíkov dvor, Lúky, Ovsište, Kopčany, Zrkadlový háj, Kapitulský dvor, Starý háj |
| Jarovce | ||
| Rusovce | ||
| Čunovo | ||