Radio and Television Slovakia – Bratislava, Slovakia - Atlas Obscura

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Radio and Television Slovakia

The inverted pyramid design of this station stands out amid Bratislava's urban landscape. 

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While this building has been included on lists of the ugliest buildings in the world, it’s still an impressive sight. The building is designed as an inverted steel pyramid that glows burnt orange in the sunlight.

Completed in the mid-1980s, this building continues to house Radio and Television of Slovakia, a public broadcasting station. There have been several rumors that claim the shape of the building actually affects energy flow or that the building was modeled after the Great Pyramid of Giza.

In 2017, the structure was named a national cultural monument for being an excellent example of Central European Modernist architecture.

Inside the building’s concert hall, visitors can see one of the largest organs in Slovakia. The hall is suspended in a steel structure and is mounted on acoustic springs that dampen vibrations from the outside.  It’s such a special space that the Vienna Philharmonic records inside, it’s also the place where Nokia recorded its classic polyphonic ringtones. 

Know Before You Go

You will either need concert tickets or special permission to enter the building.  

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