official site for visitors to Bratislava  

Segner’s Mansion was built in 1648 for the rich Italian merchant Andreas Segner. His son, Johann Andreas Segner, achieved fame by inventing the Segner-wheel, a type of water turbine still used in irrigation systems. Segner Jr was also a well-known doctor, physicist, professor of science and mathematics, and a member of several scientific associations. The portal of the building is adorned with mythological figures such as a merman and a mermaid.