Nord Europa Assembly backs €2.8m restoration of medieval town hall

The Nord Europa Regional Assembly passed a €2.8 million appropriation Thursday afternoon to restore the Bratislava-Nova Town Hall, the civic heart of the region's capital. The vote was 38 to 7, with two abstentions. The project will preserve the building's original stone facade and vaulted interiors while installing modern climate control, electrical infrastructure, and digital connectivity throughout the administrative floors. Work is expected to begin in the autumn and conclude in late 2029.

The restoration addresses both structural decay and functional obsolescence. The town hall's original construction dates to 1387; the interior timber framing and roof trusses have not been substantially renewed since 1923. At the same time, the building currently houses forty-three municipal staff in conditions that Assembly members described as inadequate for contemporary civic administration. The project's architects propose a phased interior reconfiguration that will double usable office space without altering the building's external profile.

Governor Eva Novák attended the vote and released a statement emphasizing the project's cultural significance. She noted that the town hall is one of five medieval civic buildings in the region scheduled for restoration within the next decade, a commitment that reflects Nord Europa's approach to preserving heritage while maintaining competitive urban infrastructure. The Assembly's Finance Committee chair, Jens Petersen, indicated that the project's budget includes a contingency for unforeseen structural work—a standard provision in heritage restoration that has absorbed cost overruns in similar projects across the region.