It is a huge complex (around 150 ha) of former chemical plants. Some places are still accessible in the inside yards. It is worth to see this place since it is one of the very last industrial places in Bratislava. The factory was founded in 1873 by Alfred Nobel, after whom the place was named, in different variants, up to the Second World War. People used to call this place Dynamitka since explosives and other chemicals were produced here until 1923. When the Second World War was over it was brought under the public ownership of the state. It was extended by a couple of small chemical plans and its business core got extended by for example artificial silk or fertilizers. In 1951 the factory was named after bulgarian communist politician Dimitrov and it got its nickname – Dimitrovka. Since the 1970s the complex grew a lot. A new high school with specialization in chemistry, a residential district, new quarters and even a sport club were created here. Many people still remember the smell of hydrogen sulfide that was so strong that you couldn’t even open a window in your apartment. When you were travelling to Bratislava you were welcomed byl the characteristic odour of Dimitrovka – the odour of home.
In 1991 the factory changed its name to Istrochem and in 1997 it was privatized. In 2002, after a couple of years of scuffles, the factory became part of the Agrofert, a company founded by Czech prime minister Andrej Babis. The production was getting lower over time (which was making the citizens of Bratislava happier) and the huge complex was getting more and more empty. Nowadays it is producing only Sulfenax, a substance used in the process of manufacturing tires. In the meantime a new business places are getting into this complex – stationery and print businesses and many others which makes the complex accessible also from the Vajnorska street. All you need to do is to get there as a customer of any of those businesses.
A few years ago a unique thing happened on Nobelova street next to the park. The architectural studio ABKPŠ changed the former water tower into their studio. From time to time, during the Days of Architecture and Design (DAAD), you can visit the renovated tower. I recommend going there, it is a beautiful experience which always ends by a going down using stairs that is going around the whole tower.