Mirbach Palace
Mirbach Palace is one of the best preserved buildings to typify the original architecture of old Pressburg. A Rococo jewel, it was built on the site of an older building which as far back as 1459 was referred to as CURIA CIVITATIS or WEITE HOF. Records from 1666 indicate that it was a wooden building that hosted evangelical services (the Evangelical Church of the Augsburg Confession stills co-owns the neighbouring houses). Ownership of the building changed in rapid succession: in 1636 it was owned by the Illésházy family, followed by the town, and then by rich brewer Michael Spech who, after demolition of the old building, constructed between 1768 and 1770 a magnificent palace on several medieval plots, probably in the form we know today. The identity of the highly skilled architect of the project remains unknown, but it is assumed that he worked in Vienna. We know the name only of the master mason, Matthaeus Höllrigl. After construction was completed, Michael Spech sold the palace.
Count Imre Csáky (1781–1813) is recorded as the palace’s first owner. By the beginning of the 20th century the building had five other owners, the penultimate being Count Koloman Nyáry (1908–1916), whose impressive family coat of arms adorns the tympanum in the upper central section of the façade, and the last owner was Count Dr. Emil Mirbach. In May 1948, following a period of historical upheaval (disintegration of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, creation of Czechoslovakia, Second World War era of the Slovak Republic, and subsequent restoration of Czechoslovakia), ownership of the palace was transferred to the city of Bratislava, which in 1975 established the Bratislava City Gallery within its premises.
On the first floor, for which the technical term is piano nobile (Italian for "noble floor"), a significant number of the original interior elements of Rococo decoration have been preserved. These include tiled stoves, wooden wall panelling, console table, mirrors, and the highly regarded stucco decoration of the ceilings. On the first and second floors, original doors and windows with their elaborate brass fittings and handles have also been preserved.
We know of two owners who housed their extensive art collections in the palace: the Nyári de Bedegh family, and Count Emil Mirbach, who bought most of the interior furnishings from the Nyári family.
The palace was built at the end of the 18th century and features Rococo decoration. In Central Europe, Rococo was an aspect of Baroque artistic culture, but in a broader sense it is considered an artistic expression of the tastes of the ruling aristocracy rather than a period style. The most typical external feature of Rococo is the Rocaille ornament, which is used abundantly, especially on the façades of buildings. Characteristic of this ornament is its dynamic asymmetry and granularity, which differentiate it from the symmetrical style of Baroque, although plan and façade layouts do adhere to axiality and symmetry. The Rocaille evolved from a symmetrical classical shell ornament, and its various interpretations were assembled into pattern books and used by architects, craftsmen, and artists in the decoration of furniture, frames, and weapons.
