This bronze figure with wild hair surrounded by a group of ravens is known as the Bosorka, which literally means “the witch” in Slovak. Created by the Slovak sculptor Tibor Bártfay in the late twentieth century, it is sometimes also referred to as the “Girl With Ravens.” This is a memorial to the women who were accused of being witches and were tortured and burned on the streets in Medieval Pressburg. Thus, this serene sculpture symbolizes one of the darkest chapters in Bratislava's history. Those were the days when women who were often healers, herbalists, or simply independent voices, were accused of witchcraft on flimsy evidence. If the Book of Confessions of the Free Royal City of Bratislava is to be believed, at least four hundred such judgments were passed at the time. These women were arrested and kept in the dungeons of the Old Town Hall, where they were tortured till they confessed. One of the first recorded victims, Agáta Tóthová-Barlabášová, was imprisoned and tortured till she confessed to harming a butcher’s business, flying on broomsticks, and attending sabbaths with the devil. In the early seventeenth century, she was burned alive on a special pyre designed for witch executions. Her death was part of a broader pattern of witch hunts that swept through Central Europe, targeting vulnerable women and extracting confessions that implicated others in a cycle of tragedy. Isn’t that sad? So many lives lost due to superstitions, and sometimes in the name of personal vendetta. Before we move on to our next stop, let me show you something. Cast your eyes to the top of the hill. That’s the Bratislava Castle. Even if you can’t see it very clearly from here, you must have caught sight of it in many places across the city. Our tour will not take us all the way there, as it is quite a climb, and it takes at least a couple of hours to explore if you decide to enter. Hit play to learn more about it.