Bratislava Danube Park

The presentation

The Danube, with its banks, floodplain forests, beaches, branches, and islands, is a strategic and fundamental natural element and bearer of identity for Bratislava, its inhabitants, and visitors. 

The natural environment of the Danube in Bratislava has been significantly altered and damaged in the past by urbanisation, industry, international inland navigation, and hydro-power structures. A large part of valuable river ecosystems, as well as recreational areas, has been destroyed.

The idea for the Bratislava Danube Park was formulated and developed by a multidisciplinary team of independent experts, comprising architects, urban planners, biologists, environmentalists, hydrologists, and river engineers. The team consulted with experts from several stakeholders in the area of interest. The idea defines and describes the natural area along the Danube in Bratislava as the Bratislava Danube Park (BDP), which is intended to serve people for relaxation and leisure activities in the natural environment of the Danube in contact with the city, thus contributing to a higher quality of life for the residents and visitors of Bratislava. At the same time, it respects and supports already existing small-scale nature conservation areas. 

Planned restoration activities

Three side arms will be reconnected to the main channel of the river, or even completely revived. These planned river restoration measures will revive habitats for diverse forms of life and enhance the river ecosystem's resilience. Moreover, it will provide significantly enlarged areas for human leisure and educational activities in a natural environment, including more attractive conditions for paddling sports (such as kayaks, canoes, and paddleboards). These plans align with the environmental goals of the European Water Framework Directive.

The Speakers

Dr Vladimir Kovac - Professor of Biology and Ecology, expert on river ecology 

Vlado Kováč worked for almost 40 years at the Comenius University, the last 10 years as a professor of biology and ecology. His expertise encompasses fish biology and ecology, eco-morphology, life history, morphology, phenotypic plasticity, ontogeny, evolution, and biological invasions. He was a team leader or member of several international research groups. He also served as a council member of the Fishery Society of the British Isles, as well as a guest editor of international scientific journals, including Environmental Biology of Fishes, Journal of Applied Ichthyology, and Journal of Fish Biology. He has published over 70 scientific papers in peer-reviewed indexed journals, and he is the author or co-author of six scientific books (h-index 31 in Google Scholar). He has developed methods for the evaluation of the ecological status/potential of water bodies based on fish communities in Slovakia (Water Framework Directive). His current activities primarily focus on enhancing the ecological health of rivers in Central Europe, particularly in the Danube region.

Dr Martin Misik - river engineer, canoeist, organiser of canoeing events and river restoration activities

Dr Martin Mišík is a hydraulic and river engineer with 35 years of professional experience. He has worked on projects in several European countries, primarily in the Danube River basin, focusing on the Danube and its tributaries. He also knows the channels and banks of rivers and streams, being an active paddler and nature admirer. He combines theoretical knowledge with practical experience in the perception of water flow, river processes and river management. Besides his professional career, he became an advocate for rivers, utilising his expertise in river engineering and management, combined with a passion for canoeing. In 2018, Martin, together with a group of interdisciplinary experts, defined the idea and principles of the Bratislava Danube Park. He has been a member of the NGO Bratislava Danube Park since 2023.

Attending the presentation

You can join the presentation via Teams. The presentation will take place on Tuesday, 2 December, 09:00 CET on Teams. Click here to enter the Teams portal.

The River Cities Network presentation series

The River Cities Network presentation series is an online platform that enables the teams of the River Cities Network (RCN) to introduce and showcase their river-city case study projects to the other RCN members and to an external audience. Teams have approximately 30 minutes to present their projects, followed by approximately 30 minutes for discussion. 

RCN teams that are interested in presenting can contact rcn@iias.nl.