during the 1939–1945 period, the palace was adapted by emil belluš and became the seat of the president of the first slovak republic (i.e. of jozef tiso). during the communist era, it was first (after 1945) the seat of the council of commissioners (also styled corps of plenipotentiaries), which was a quasi-government of slovakia within czechoslovakia. in 1950, the building was turned into the "klement gottwald house of pioneers and youth" ("dom pionierov a mládeže klementa gottwalda"), which was an activity center for bratislava's schoolchildren, all of whom were so-called pioneers at that time. the schoolchildren caused extensive damage to the palace, and the necessary restoration only became possible following the transition from communism in late 1989 with the velvet revolution.