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
