Bratislava joins prestigious alliance of cities that are creating urban swimming zones for their residents

In addition to the Mayor of Bratislava, Matúš Vallo, Bratislava’s accession to the Swimmable Cities Charter was also signed by the Chairman of the Bratislava Self-Governing Region, Juraj Droba, as well as Martin Mišík and Vladimír Kováč for the civic organisation OZ Bratislavský Dunajský Park, and the founder and organiser of the Trans Danube Swim event, Ľuboš Fellner. Several well-known sports personalities, namely the former successful Slovak rowing representative and two-time Olympian Ján Žiška, the head of Slovak canoeing Boris Bergendi, the world champion in rafting Luciša Hollá, the football representative and sports director of Slovan Bratislava Róbert Vittek, and the national coach of Slovak hockey players Martin Dendis, are also signatories to the document.

The Swimmable Cities Charter was formed before the 2024 Paris Olympics, and to date, more than 250 organisations from 121 cities and 38 countries have signed it, including Prague and Vienna from the surrounding metropolises. Bratislava has thus far been absent among the signatories. Even though the good water quality in the Danube allows for swimming, the banks along the entire length of the city are reinforced with stone fortifications, which prevent safe access to the river. The public thus only gets into the Danube en masse once a year as part of the now traditional and extremely popular Trans Danube Swim event. It was held for the thirteenth time on the first Sunday in September, and symbolically, the aforementioned charter on Bratislava’s accession to the international Swimmable Cities alliance was also signed during the event.

A river and its banks within a city form a recreational area that most cities do not use sufficiently, as water quality or access to the river often prevent this. In times of warming, however, a river in a city centre offers an affordable opportunity for refreshment. Neighbouring Vienna, for example, has beaches on the Alte Donau, the Neue Donau and the Donauinsel, and all are within reach of public transport. Similarly, Bratislava wants to have beaches located right in the centre, too, and thus join the exclusive group of European cities that offer their residents such opportunities. After all, this has historically been the case in Bratislava. The capital city, state institutions and the civic association BDP have been preparing the Bratislava Danube Park project for a long time. As part of this project, three kilometres of embankment fortifications are to be removed on a 22-kilometre stretch, and three branches are to be made passable, thereby creating several natural beaches suitable for swimming and relaxing by the river. It will then be possible to renew the tradition of swimming in the Danube in Bratislava.

The project documentation for the proposed embankment improvements was prepared on the basis of a study by the Bratislava Metropolitan Institute using funds from the Recovery and Resilience Plan and is currently being finalised. The initiator of the concept is the Civic Association Bratislava Danube Park (OZ BDP). The Memorandum of Cooperation was signed by the Capital City of the Slovak Republic, Bratislava; the Bratislava Metropolitan Institute; the Petržalka City District; the Ministry of the Environment of the Slovak Republic; the Slovak Water Management Company, š. p.; the State Nature Conservation Agency, as well as civic associations OZ BDP, WWF Slovakia, BROZ, Bird Life Slovakia and the Association of Bratislava Water Sports Clubs. Today, the first partner from the private sector – the travel agency BUBO, which has been organising the Trans Danube Swim in the capital since 2014 – also joined the Bratislava Danube Park project. BUBO’s entry into the project is also an invitation for other companies and organisations.

The first part of the Bratislava Danube Park – Nábrežný park Staré Lido (Old Lido Waterfront Park) – was handed over in June 2026. At the end of July, an additional two sections of the Bratislava Danube Park in Starý háj were handed over, where approximately 400 metres of the riverbanks were revitalised by removing the embankment fortifications – these parts are already accessible to the public. The implementation of the other parts is planned in stages, with the priority location being the restoration of the Lido beach and the connection of the Ovsište river branch: in addition to recreational use, these measures will also have a significant effect on the protection of the city from floods.