Slovakia Brief History

According to businesscarriers, the small country of Slovakia, covering an area of ​​only 49,036 square kilometers, is located in the middle of Central Europe bordering the countries of the Czech Republic, Austria, Ukraine and Poland. The capital is called Bratislava and has a population of about 421,000 inhabitants, the country has a total of about 5,440,000 inhabitants. Slovakia was formed in 1993 when Czechoslovakia was divided and is a member of both the EU and NATO.

Slovakia has a lot to offer a traveler. Here you will find beautiful nature with high mountains and cities with fantastic old town centers and several sights that are on the UNESCO World Heritage List. Through my 1,950-kilometer journey through the country, I got to see some of what Slovakia has to offer its visitors.

My journey began and ended in the capital Bratislava. With the help of a rental car, I visited various places around the country, often those with UNESCO-listed World Heritage Sites but also others. Places I visited included Bratislava, Devin, Banska Stiavnica (UNESCO-listed), Zvolen, Hronsek (UNESCO-listed), Vlkolinec (UNESCO-listed), Lestiny (UNESCO-listed), Orava, Tvrdosin (UNESCO-listed) , Kezmarok (UNESCO listed), Spissky Hrad (UNESCO listed), Zhera (UNESCO listed), Spissky Kapitula (UNESCO listed), Levoca (UNESCO listed), Bardejov (UNESCO listed), Ladomirova (UNESCO listed), Bodruzal (UNESCO listed) ), The Dukla Pass, Hervartov (UNESCO listed), Slovensky Raj (The Slovak Paradise), the stunning mountains of the High Tatras and much more.

Join us on a journey through the fantastic little country of Slovakia!

The title is the country’s own slogan, which I think fits incredibly well with Slovakia, which is why I borrowed it!

Slovakia history in brief

500s e Kr

Slovakia was colonized by the Slavic people

567

After this year, the area obeyed the avars

800s, beginning

An independent principality was created on the river Nitra

830s to 900s

This principality was integrated into the area of ​​Stormähren and at the same time the population became Christian

About the year 900

Slovakia became part of Hungary, and remained so for almost 1,000 years. During this period, the region was called Upper Hungary and Uppland. Hungarians settled on the plains and a Hungarian landowner class emerged during the Middle Ages

13th century

Started a German immigration. Slovakia was ruled by a German and Hungarian nobility

16th century

Many Germans and Hungarians left Catholicism and instead joined Protestant doctrine. In Upper Hungary, many Hungarians joined the Calvinist doctrine. Most Slovaks remained Catholics

1562

When the Turks defeated the Hungarians during the Battle of Mohács, the country was divided into three parts and Slovakia came under the rule of the German duchy of Habsburg, which they did until 1918.

1781

Proclaimed religious tolerance by the German-Roman emperor Joseph II and abolished servitude

19th century

During the spread of nationalism, fierce antagonisms arose between Slovaks and Hungarians. Many Slovaks emigrated as a result of the Hungarian authorities’ attempts to make Slovakia increasingly Hungarian, which was especially noticeable after the division of the Habsburg Empire in 1867 into an Austrian and a Hungarian part. Slovakia came to belong to the Hungarian part

1918

After the First World War, Czechoslovakia was formed by the territories of Moravia, Bohemia and Slovakia

1938

Contradictions between Czechs and Slovaks for a long time meant that many Slovaks demanded autonomy and this year Slovakia received a limited such

Border areas with a Hungarian majority were returned to Hungary

1939

On March 14, Slovakia declared independence on the advice of Adolf Hitler.
Jozef Tiso became the country’s leader

Slovakia sided with Germany during World War II and deported its Jewish population

1944

An uprising inspired by the Communists broke out, which was crushed by the Germans who occupied the country

1945

In April, Slovakia was invaded by the Soviet Union and the country first gained a nationalist leadership but soon after a communist one

Slovakia became part of Czechoslovakia again with new borders in favor of Poland and the Soviet Union, but not of Hungary. Areas returned to Hungary in 1938 were recaptured

1960s

Agrarian Slovakia underwent a major industrialization which greatly raised the standard of living, and together with education, began to make the Slovaks more equal to the Czechs.

1969

Slovakia gains full internal autonomy

1989

The Velvet Revolution took place in Prague, ending the Communists’ monopoly of power, and Slovak nationalism emerged.

1992

When parliamentary elections were held in Slovakia in June, HZDS won 74 of the 150 seats. In the Czech Republic, the right-wing Democratic Citizens’ Party won, led by economist Václav Klaus. The victors’ perception of the future of Czechoslovakia differed greatly. When no agreement could be reached, Klaus proposed to the Slovak leader Mečiar a division of the land. This was also the case, despite the fact that, according to opinion polls, the proposal did not have the support of the majority of the population in any of the republics.

In July, the Slovak Parliament adopted a declaration of sovereignty by a large majority

In November, the National Assembly in Prague decided that Czechoslovakia would be dissolved and replaced by two independent states; Czech Republic and Slovakia

1993

January 1 is the first day in the new country Slovakia. The country’s first president was Michal Kovac and the first prime minister was Vladimir Meciar

Slovakia became a member of the Council of Europe

1994

In March, Meciar’s government lost a vote of confidence and resigned

The new government was formed by a coalition of the Christian Democratic Movement, the Democratic Left Party and the Democratic Union and was led by Jozef Moravčík. The new government improved relations with the Hungarian minority

In May, Hungarian Prime Minister Gyula Horn paid an official state visit to Slovakia

The September elections were a new success for the Movement for a Democratic Slovakia, which received 35% of the vote. Vladimir Mečiar once again became Prime Minister of a coalition government with the RDS, the Slovak Nationalist Party and the Slovak Workers’ Union

1998

Vladimir Mečiar resigned as Prime Minister

Slovakia Brief History