Slovakia

Slovakia is a peaceful country, with beautiful scenery, inexpensive shopping and tourism and hospitable people. Ideal location for your wedding.

Slovakia is becoming one of Europe's focal points for travel and tourism. "Slovensko" in the native language of Slovak, officially named the Slovak Republic, the country enjoys moderate weather and a prime map location, bridging east and west.

Slovakia's capital city Bratislava is a growing hub of culture, as well as the national seat of politics and business. Its thousand year history offers a great deal to visitors.

Slovakia is member of European Union and NATO member state since 2004.

Official language is Slovak (a western Slavic language, very closely related to Czech and relatively close to Polish and the languages of the former Yugoslavia)

Population: 5,350,000
Nationalities: 85% Slovak (western Slavic in origin), 10% Hungarian, 3% Roma. Significant smaller nationalities include Czechs, Ruthenians, Ukranians, Germans and Poles.
Religions: 63% Roman Catholic, 9% Protestant, 4% Greek Orthodox, 2% other Orthodox churches.

Modern Slovakia was born as an independent nation-state in 1993, when it peacefully separated from the Czech Republic, splitting from the former Czechoslovakia by mutual agreement. (There has been no organized conflict of any kind in Slovakia since 1945.)

Getting to Slovakia

In middle of Europe, there are many easy ways of getting here, and it gets easier every year.

Air travel connections have almost doubled almost every year recently. International flights to Bratislava airport now travel regularly all year from cities in many parts of western and eastern Europe and to the Middle East. There are also regular connections to the Tatras, to Kosice and to central Slovakia. The budget airline Sky Europe offers the most connections, but other airlines, including the Czech national carrier CSA, the Slovak national carrier Slovak Airlines, and others have been increasing service as well.

An alternative is to fly to Vienna, one of Europe's busiest airports, and travel the one hour by shuttle bus to Bratislava. Buses run every two to four hours from early morning until late evening.

There are good connections by train between most Slovak cities and all major European cities. Most European national carriers include Slovakia train stations in their searchable databases.

Tourism in Slovakia

Welcome to a marvellous land of national parks, mountains, valleys, forests and rivers …
… to castles, churches and ruins…
… and to a rich variety of accommodations, eating facilities and recreational support to help you enjoy them.

Welcome to Slovakia!

Most people spend their free time in Slovakia on one of three activities: outdoor receration, arts and culture, and architectural sightseeing. All age groups enjoy all three of these at many different levels - and, at the top level, Slovakia can compare with the best in Europe and the world.

Arts and culture

Arts and culture centre in the capital city of Bratislava, but locals and visitors alike enjoy performances and galleries in even the smallest of towns.

Performance of traditional folk music is especially abundant. Many towns and cities have their own theatre companies and classical music concerts. Dance, especially ballet, and opera are generally found only in the largest cities, and this is also the case with jazz and other live music. Musical theatre performances and ballet and opera companies are based in the two largest cities, Bratislava and Kosice.

Graphic arts are of course displayed in a number of museums, the largest being the National Gallery in Bratislava. Often, though, the most interesting work appears in Slovakia's many private galleries and other exhibition spaces.

Architecture

Slovakia's geographical position between two superpowers of the middle ages, Austro-Hungarian and Russian, has left its mark plainly in its historical architecture. Of the two, the traditions of Germanic Austria-Hungary dominate, often tied to the Roman Catholic faith with some hints of Protestantism. However, especially in the east, the Orthodox Christian religion of Russia and other eastern European cultures play a role in the architectural landscape.

Most towns have historic churches, and many of these have features of special signicance. For those seeking a truly eastern European experience, the centuries-old, still-functioning wooden churches of northeastern Slovakia are one of the country’s greatest treasures, though they are hard to reach.

The other significant historical influence came from Slovakia's role as an essentially underling nation for centuries. Wealth never accumulated here as it did in nearby centres such as Vienna, Prague, Budapest, Krakow or even Kiev. Therefore the ornate "old town" sections of Slovak cities are more compact, though no less beautiful - in fact, many travellers find sightseeing more digestible in Slovakia, as the ornamentation is not so overwhelming.

For a quick but memorable architectural experience, check out almost any town square. Some of them (such as Bardejov and Banska Stiavnica) have UNESCO cultural heritage certification and big reputations, but most old town squares have some unique and well-restored aspects of beauty.

Slovak castles and ruins

Castles can be divided into those which have been restored, and those which have fallen into ruin. Every region of the country offers some of each. Restored castles, some of which were never fortified and therefore are in fact palaces, offer a glimpse of how the wealthy lived. Castle ruins are more interesting for those with explorer spirits, in part because they usually require significant walking or gentle climging; they have deliciously eerie atmosphere.

Slovakia Tourism

Official web site for Slovakia's Tourist Board is www.slovakiatourism.sk