Ružinov is one of the most typical instances of a post-war housing estate in Bratislava. The complex project of the housing estate is derived from the ideas of post-war Modernist urban design, seeking an ideal residential environment with much greenery and situated far from industry or major traffic routes. The estate was constructed on the most accessible free (and flat) area at the city edge, with one of the urban radials forming the axis and main boulevard of the estate. It is here that the tramline runs, connecting the estate with the city centre. At present, the estate is bounded on three sides by major national motorway routes: to the north and the west, the area is circumscribed by four-lane highways, and the motorway bypass constructed in 2003 passes along the eastern edge. As a result, the estate has some of the best transport connections in the city, with easy access to workplaces. The original conception intended to ensure minimal traffic burdens within the individual sections; these sub-districts are formulated into wide rows or indicated courtyards, supplemented with public facilities of an immediately local character (groceries, preschools, etc.). The individual public facilities are given the form of individually standing buildings, built to standardised designs. Within the estate, all facilities were included to allow for its autonomous existence as a district, such as a local government office, medical clinic, schools or sports fields. In each sub-district, in turn, a different major facility is predominant: government and administration in Ostredky, health care in Trávniky shopping and culture in Pošeň, and sports and recreation in Štrkovec. The former small differences in terrain, the traces of original river-bends, were put to use by the architects mostly in Trávniky, with the sculptural modelling of the ground and use of terraces with garages on the lower level. Included in the estate are two sizeable areas of water and several parks, with the most important still lining the central street axis of the estate. An intriguing aesthetic touch is provided in the parks by the Brutalist fountains and public seating. Like the landscaping of the children’s playground in Trávniky, these details were designed as part of the overall landscape concept by architect Ferdinand Milučký. The outdoor artworks also strongly formulate the original conception of the estate, and involved the participation of many leading artists of the era.
In 1966, the urban design of the estate received professional acclaim through winning the Dušan Jurkovič Prize, issued by the Union of Slovak Architects.
Bibliography:
BEŇUŠKA, Milan: Príprava výstavby mestského obvodu Ružinov v Bratislave. Projekt 2, 1960, č. 3 – 4, s. 47 – 49.
Sídlisko Ružinov. BRatislava Investing, 1968.
MORAVČÍKOVÁ, Henrieta - TOPOLČANSKÁ, Mária - SZALAY, Peter - DULLA, Matúš - ŠČEPÁNOVÁ, Soňa - TOSCHEROVÁ, Slávka - HABERLANDOVÁ, Katarína. Bratislava, atlas sídlisk. Bratislava, Atlas of Mass Housing. Bratislava : Slovart, 2011. s. 119 - 133.
Konček Skoček Titl. Katalóg výstavy. Ed. Katarína Andrášiová, Nina Bartošová. Bratislava, STU 2013. 58 s.
