The new park near the Danube seems to have been loved by everyone — moms with strollers, runners, dog owners. But at the beginning of August, it turned out that homeless people (bezdomovci) had settled on the renovated waterfront: they set up a temporary place to sleep. They washed clothes directly in the Danube and then hung them to dry between trees on ropes.
The photos were taken by photographer Miroslav Košírer, and first published by Bratislavský Večerník. The photos show an improvised bed and clothes hanging on ropes right on the riverbank.
Where exactly it happened
Nábrežný park Staré Lido — the first completed part of the large-scale Nové Lido project, which developer JTRE is building on the right bank of the Danube, east of Starý most. The idea is ambitious: to effectively expand the center of Bratislava into Petržalka, with housing, offices, and public spaces. The implementation is planned from 2024 to 2035.
The park was opened to the public just this summer — it was created by the city together with developers JTRE and Penta Real Estate. So the camp appeared exactly in the location that was supposed to be the showcase of the “new center” of the capital.
Why homeless people settle here
The problem is not new, and it is not about the park. Bratislava chronically lacks places in shelters: as of February 2024, the city had only three day centers and three night shelters for homeless people (bezdomovci). The city authorities recognize the shortage and promise to expand the social services network by 2030.
Moreover, the migration effect works. When improvised settlements are cleared in one district — for example, in Ružinov — people move to another if they are not offered systematic help. As RTVS wrote, without a housing solution, such movements can continue endlessly.
What the police can and cannot do
Mestská polícia (city police) regularly patrol places where homeless people (bezdomovci) gather, but the law does not allow removing a person from a public space without a reason. And the reason must be specific: drinking alcohol, polluting the area, or other public order violations. If a person sleeps on a bench or in a park, there is no formal offense.
For those walking along the waterfront, this does not pose a direct danger. But the picture is telling: the city builds new parks faster than it solves the problem of people without a roof over their heads. The social services network is promised to expand by 2030, and until then, the new green zones on the Danube bank will remain open to everyone — both moms with strollers and those carrying all their belongings in one bag.
