The republic of
Slovakia (Slovensko)
- independent since 1993 - consists
of the long, narrow strip of land
which stretches from the fertile
plains of the Danube basin up to the
peaks of the High Tatras - perhaps
Europe's most exhilarating mountain
range outside of the Alps. The
country's numerous mountains have
long formed barriers to
industrialization and modernization,
and parts of the country remain
surprisingly rural and unspoilt,
some to the point of neglect.
There was only one independent
Slovak state before 1993, when the
country operated as a German
protectorate during World War II - a
period which remains a blot on the
nation's history . Before
1918, current-day Slovakia was known
as the region of Upper Hungary and
lay under Magyar rule for roughly a
millennium; Bratislava even became
the Hungarian capital when the rest
of Hungary was occupied by the
Turks. However, in 1918, the Slovaks
threw their lot in with their Slav
neighbours, the Czechs, forming
Czechoslovakia. This lasted 75 years
until the country's "velvet
divorce" took place in 1993.
Although many Slovaks were ready to
go it alone, it has to be said that
others had major reservations about
this, and none was given the chance
to decide in a referendum. Political
corruption, nationalism and
slow-moving reforms put off overseas
investors until a change of
government in 1998, since when the
country's economic prospects under
Prime Minister Dzurinda have
brightened and firm steps towards
joining the European Union have
begun.
For the first-time visitor,
perhaps the most striking cultural
difference from the Czechs is the
Slovak attitude to religion. Catholicism
is much stronger here than in the
Czech Republic, and the churches are
often full to overflowing on
Sundays. The republic also has a
much more diverse population, with
over half a million ethnic Hungarians
in the south, as well as thousands
of Romanies (gypsies), who live a
fairly miserable existence
throughout the country, and several
thousand Ruthenians (Rusyns) in the
east. Bratislava , the
capital, is potentially
disappointing, especially for those
who arrive expecting a Slovak
Prague. Taken on its own terms,
however, the city is a rewarding,
lively place with a compact old
town. Poprad provides the
transport hub for the High Tatras
, the most spectacular of Slovakia's
many mountain ranges, and is also
the starting point for exploring the
intriguing medieval towns of the Spis
region, east Slovakia's
architectural high point. Further
east still, Presov is the
cultural centre of the Ruthenian
minority, while Kosice ,
Slovakia's vibrant second city,
boasts a fine Gothic cathedral,
ethnic diversity and a lively
independence from much of the rest
of Slovakia.
