Bratislava’s Winter Harbour now has a vision for its future. The winner of the largest international masterplanning competition in Slovakia’s history is a consortium led by Zurich-based Hosoya Schaefer Architects in collaboration with Gilespies (London), ARGUS studio/ (Hamburg) and Körting Ingenieure GmbH (Hamburg). An international jury selected the winning proposal from 123 entries submitted from around the world. The winning proposal places particular emphasis on high-quality public spaces, culture, industrial heritage, access to water and green-blue infrastructure. It will become the basis for the future development of the Winter Harbour over the coming years.
The competition for a comprehensive proposal for the development of the Winter Harbour, an area currently closed to the public, was launched in early 2026 by the majority landowner, the state-owned company Pubic Ports [Verejné prístavy, a. s.], operating under the Ministry of Transport of the Slovak Republic, together with the City of Bratislava. The competition was organised by the Metropolitan Institute of Bratislava.
The high standard of competition entries demonstrated both the strong international interest in the site and the broad range of possibilities for the development of this important part of Bratislava.
The jury awarded second place to the proposal by KCAP from the Netherlands. Third place was awarded to the proposal by Danish studio Cobe, known for their transformation of Copenhagen’s Nordhavn district.
“As the landowner, we are approaching the transformation of the Winter Harbour with the utmost responsibility. The extraordinary international interest in the competition confirmed the strategic importance and enormous potential of this area on the Danube. Our aim was to develop a comprehensive solution that, alongside the creation of a new waterfront district, will also ensure the full operation of the neighbouring Pálenisko Harbour, where all cargo-handling activities will gradually be relocated. We now face intensive work on the masterplan, which will establish clear rules for the area’s future development,” says Matej Danóci, CEO of Public Ports.
The Ministry of Transport of the Slovak Republic also views the result positively. “I am very pleased that the new vision for the Winter Harbour attracted such enormous interest from around the world. It is clear evidence that we are preparing a truly unique project. I see the winning proposal very positively and look forward to seeing it move from paper into reality. Bratislava deserves high-quality public spaces, and I am glad that in this case we have found common ground with the City of Bratislava,” said Minister of Transport Jozef Ráž.
The City of Bratislava also recognises the significance and impact of the transformation. “The transformation of the Winter Harbour is without question the largest transformation area within the inner city, and it is extremely important to us. The winning proposal opens this valuable industrial waterfront area to the public for culture and leisure, creating significant added value for the quality of life of both Bratislava’s residents and visitors. I also welcome the fact that the landowner opted for a high-quality masterplanning competition and intends to turn its outcome into reality,” says Mayor of Bratislava Matúš Vallo.
Winning proposal_ author: Winning team with lead from Hosoya Schaefer Architects
The largest competition in Slovakia
The two-stage international competition ran for nine months and remained anonymous until the very end. From all 123 submitted proposals, the international jury selected seven finalists in the first stage, who further developed their concepts based on the jury’s recommendations. In the second stage, the jury established the final ranking and selected the winning proposal.
“As organisers of the competition, we considered it essential for the brief to faithfully reflect the identity and character of the harbour and the specific qualities of the entire area. It was equally important to assemble a jury combining international experience in harbour transformations with a sensitive approach to the regeneration and transformation of industrial heritage. International promotion of the competition enabled us to reach experienced teams from around the world,” explains Petra Marko, CEO of the Metropolitan Institute of Bratislava.
The proposals were assessed by an international jury chaired by Michal Sedláček, former Chief Architect of Brno. According to him, interest in the international competition extended well beyond Bratislava and Slovakia. “As a jury member, I have never before encountered such a high number of proposals of such exceptional quality as those submitted to this competition,” he said.
Jury and announcers and organizers
Other members of the jury were Catherine Burd (architect, London, Jury co-chair), Paco Bunnik (Chief Urban Planner of Amsterdam), Eva Kail (urban planner and gender-sensitive planning expert, Vienna), Gerd Jäger (architect, Berlin), Linda Obršálová (architect, Brno), Martin Závracký(architect, Rostock), Jakub Cígler (architect, Prague), Filip Tittl (architect, Prague), Ondrej Horváth (Chief Architect of the City of Trnava) and Peter Gero (urban planner and co-author of HafenCity, Hamburg).
In its deliberations, the jury carefully considered the individual aspects of the area’s development, particularly the distribution of functions and the design of public spaces. “The redevelopment of this dockland site in Bratislava is a chance to create a people-centred, ecological urban quarter for the young, outward-looking and rapidly expanding capital city”, noted Catherine Burd, Jury co-chair.
Following a thorough assessment, the jury reached unanimous agreement on the winner: the proposal by the international consortium led by Zurich-based Hosoya Schaefer Architects with Gillespies (London), ARGUS Studio (Hamburg) and Körting Ingenieure GmbH (Hamburg).
What makes the winning proposal stand out?
“The awarded proposal presents a highly refined and clearly articulated vision for a distinctive new neighborhood on Bratislava’s Danube waterfront. It demonstrates exceptional design quality across multiple scales, from landscape and urban structure to exciting housing typologies and active ground-floor programming.” states the jury’s joint assessment.
The jury praised the proposal for its maturity and coherence, particularly the generosity and diversity of its public-space system, which includes the wild peninsula ‘riparian park’ on the southern peninsula, a “Marina Park” next to Warehouse No. 17 and a “Cultural Park” on the reimagined central peninsula.
Winning proposal_ author: Winning team with lead from Hosoya Schaefer Architects
According to the jury, the use of the central peninsula for cultural, sports and public functions represents a remarkable solution with the potential to create a destination of significance beyond Bratislava.
The thoughtful integration of historic monuments will give the new neighbourhood a unique character that reflects its specific industrial harbour heritage. The winning proposal therefore lays the foundations for an exceptional district with a unique sense of place, atmosphere and identity.
The winning proposal skilfully combines housing with culture, offices, leisure and sports. Of all the proposals, the winning team placed the greatest emphasis on the quality of public spaces – something immediately evident in the design.
“What makes the Winter Harbour extraordinary is the contrast between its industrial character, the enclosed harbour basins and the open landscape of the Danube. Our proposal builds on these different identities: transforming historic infrastructure into places for culture and public life, opening the waterfront through a continuous network of promenades and parks, and allowing the river landscape to become part of the city. We are excited to work with Bratislava to turn this unique but long-inaccessible place into a new part of everyday urban life,” said Alexander Kneer from Hosoya Schaefer Architects, leader of the winning team.
Transforming the harbour is a process
The conclusion of the international competition marks an important milestone in the transformation of the area. The competition was preceded by the Development Vision for the Winter Harbour, prepared by the Metropolitan Institute of Bratislava together with landowners, the City of Bratislava, key stakeholders and relevant authorities. The vision was overseen by Peter Gero, a Slovak-German architect who contributed to the development of Hamburg’s HafenCity and also served as a member of the Winter Harbour competition jury.
“The aim of the vision was to assess the spatial possibilities of the site, establish development limits and define the key urban planning principles.” explains Petra Marko, CEO of the Metropolitan Institute of Bratislava.
Participation was huge part of the process_Miro Pochyba
Public participation was another important part of the process, helping to define priorities for the future district in the Winter Harbour: it should be open and accessible, connected to the water, provide high-quality public spaces and attractive uses including sports and culture, and be modern while preserving its unique sense of place and industrial heritage. Members of the public were able to contribute through guided tours of the harbour, focus groups and an online survey.
Participation will continue to form part of the process. On 23 November and 7 December, Metropolitan Institute will facilitate another round of public participation, including a guided presentation of the winning proposal at TU-BA Centre for Architeture and City Planning.
What happens next?
The announcement of the competition results marks an important milestone in the overall transformation of the Winter Harbour. This is a long-term project, and the next step will be to further develop the winning proposal into the final masterplan – a comprehensive document setting out the framework and future direction for the development of the area.
The winning team will also prepare more detailed studies for the most important public spaces, as well as a design manual for public spaces across the entire site. The manual is intended to ensure that the area retains a coherent and distinctive character throughout its gradual transformation.
Winning proposal_axonometry_Winter Harbour
The final masterplan and its related components will serve as a basis for subsequent architectural competitions, further stages of project development and the gradual transformation of the entire area.
“The masterplan, developed on the basis of the winning competition proposal, will serve as a spatial-planning framework for the next stages in the transformation of the Winter Harbour into a new, comprehensive urban district directly connected to the Danube and the harbour basins.
It will establish a framework for the formation of individual urban blocks, their functions and composition, including active ground floors with commercial and retail uses, as well as the scale and structure of public spaces and parks.
It will locate facilities for education, culture, sports and recreation, a passenger terminal and city marina, as well as healthcare and social services. It will integrate the preserved industrial heritage and the edges of the harbour basins into the new urban structure and extend the waterfront promenade from the Old Town.
The masterplan will also define transport access to the area, with an emphasis on walking, cycling and public transport, as well as flood-protection measures for the individual parts of the site.
In this way, it will provide the fundamental framework for the sensitive transformation of the Winter Harbour and its integration into the urban fabric of the city centre,” explains Juraj Šujan, Chief Architect of Bratislava.
On 10 November at 18:00 CET, a presentation of the winning proposal followed by a discussion will be held at TU-BA Centre for Architecture and City Planning in Bratislava.
From 11 November, all seven shortlisted proposals will be exhibited at the TU-BA centre until end of January 2027.
More details about the winner:
The winning multidisciplinary consortium is led by Zurich-based Hosoya Schaefer Architects – architects with expertise in urbanism and urban strategies. The team includes Gillespies (London) – green-blue infrastructure and public space; ARGUS Studio (Hamburg) – urban mobility; and Körting Ingenieure GmbH (Hamburg) – flood protection, infrastructure and waterfront planning.
- Hosoya Schaefer Architects (CH) – architecture, urbanism, masterplanning and strategic planning. The studio works on urban districts, transformation areas, transport hubs and individual buildings, with a strong focus on complex urban systems and long-term urban strategies. https://hosoyaschaefer.com
- Gillespies (UK) – landscape architecture, public spaces, masterplanning and urban planning. The practice specialises in parks, waterfronts, streets, squares, green infrastructure, climate resilience and connecting cities with the landscape. https://www.gillespies.co.uk
- ARGUS Studio (DE) – urban mobility, transport planning and public-space design. The studio works on mobility concepts, masterplans, parking strategies, mobility hubs, street and station transformations, and traffic calming. https://argus-studio.de
- Körting Ingenieure GmbH (DE) – engineering design, flood protection, infrastructure and waterfront development. A key area of expertise is waterfront engineering, including harbours, waterfronts, flood protection, transport and technical infrastructure, as well as project management for major urban projects. https://koert-ing.de