Bratislava’s largest central city park is the perfect combination of urban and green components, allowing visitors to enjoy nature without missing out on the inner city vibrancy. Countless Instagrammers explore all its various possibilities of spending time and getting the perfect shot.
- Magnet for influencers and devoted Instagrammers
- Autumn wonderland
- Full range of leisure activities
Popularity of orange Insta posts
Located on the Petrzalka side of the Danube river bank, Sad Janka Kráľa does not only prevail in size, but also in historical significance. It is the city’s oldest, best known and most visited urban park, which is proven by the enormous numbers of Instagram posts, likes and comments.
| public posts | unique users | likes | comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10,424 | 5,953 | 1,002,538 | 21,1231 |
So far, over 10,000 pictures from it have been shared worldwide. Among these are numerous posts by leading Slovak influencers, hobby photographers and people who occasionally enjoy posing a quick photoshoot. Especially in autumn, many Instagram users simply cannot seem to resist holding up a golden leaf in front of their phone camera.
The popularity of self-promotion hashtags, such as #photooftheday, #slovakgirl or #instagood, has been steadily growing. The aesthetic of “flash photography” (14%), and the presence of other Insta-related features like “smile” (15%) or “gesture” (10%), was particularly frequently identified by the Google Vision pattern recognition algorithm2. This also explains the relatively high share of the “self-promotion” and “happiness” categories, a common pattern among aspiring Instagrammers on the hunt for new followers.
Perfect combination of city and nature
Of the parks examined, Sad Janka Kráľa has the most attractive balance of city and nature. This harmony can be seen in the widely diverse types of activities, from typical weekend walks to picnics to yoga and jogging.
It is not only the greenery, but also the park’s architectural gems that attract photo enthusiasts’ attention. Situated on the Danube riverbank, the park is rich in eye-catching landscape features, such as the gothic tower or the UFO bridge.
Ideal place for get-togethers
Sad Janka Kráľa is a social place where people enjoy meeting up with their closest friends, acquaintances and relatives. The perception of kid-friendliness seems well-established since many parents like to take their babies or toddlers with them. Visitors sense the positivity generated by the presence of their companions, as can be seen in the dominance of the “family and friends” category, as well as its strong intersection with posts indicating “happiness and love”3.
Curiously, these declarative emotions – based on user-generated hashtags – are confirmed by the more matter-of-fact appearances of people detected in pictures by pattern recognition algorithms.
The following chart illustrates the relationship between all categories, where each circle represents the number of posts that fall into the selected two topics at the intersection of row and column. It is easy to notice that nature is strongly associated with many other topics, which seems rather obvious, given that it sets the background for other park activities.
Covid influence
With lockdown and reduced mobility, public parks and forests in many places have peaked in popularity. Or did they?
According to data from Google Maps, activity in Bratislava I parks in April 2021 has in fact dropped by 22% compared to pre-covid figures. At the same time, it grew in neighbouring areas by as much as 4% (BRA II), 41% (BRA III) and 20% (BRA IV)4.
This seems quite obvious, since people have vacated downtown offices and schools, settling into residential districts or more suburban locations. However, among similar parks in central Bratislava5 – like Horský Park or Medická Záhrada – only Sad Janka Kráľa has clearly lost some of its Instagram followers.
A loyal crowd? Not exactly.
Why the drop in popularity? While we are unaware of the motivations of Instagrammers visiting the park, we can suspect that Sad Janka Kráľa has fallen victim of its previous wide appeal among vastly diverse audiences.
This is confirmed by the proportion of mutual park goers who published posts from multiple locations. Only 14.5% of Instagrammers at Sad Janka Kráľa also posted from other parks, which stands in stark contrast to 38.3% at Medická Záhrada, a similar downtown leisure spot.
Such a low figure could be interpreted as loyalty to only one park. More likely, however, many of these people may have well been one-time visitors, possibly tourists or customers of the neighbouring shopping precinct.
What else to know about the park
- Sad Janka Kráľa apparently offers the perfect setting for all kinds of nature-themed wedding photoshoots.
- It is a go-to spot for all those seeking skateboarding or slackline companions.
- Unlike other Bratislava parks, Sad Janka Kráľa does not seem to be particularly popular among pet owners.
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The data presented in this article is valid as of April 1, 2021. ↩︎
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While the correlation is highest for Jazero Rohlík, the figure for the “friends and family” category for this park is low. In addition, the sample of posts for Jazero Rohlík is relatively small, and as such must be considered with caution. ↩︎
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See Google Covid Mobility Report for Bratislava Region from April 10, 2021 (pdf) ↩︎
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Although Sad Janka Kráľa is located within the Bratislava V administrative borders, it can be functionally considered a part of the city centre within Bratislava I. ↩︎
