Travel Guide

Places To See

Museum of Jewish Culture

The excellent Museum of Jewish Culture (Múzeum Židovskej Kultúry) is in the grounds of Bratislava Castle. Displays on the history and culture of the region's much-persecuted Jews are in English and are deeply moving. Black-and-white photos show Bratislava's old Jewish ghetto and synagogue, which were demolished in the 1960s.

The staff can help arrange a visit to rabbi Chatam Sofer's tomb. Rabbi Sofer was a staunch defender of traditional Judaism and against Reform practices. His tomb became a pilgrimage place, especially for Orthodox Jews from all over Europe. During the Nazi occupation the cemetery was basically buried under rubble, but his tomb has a new memorial entrance and is now Slovakia's most important Jewish site.

Devín Castle

This castle, at the confluence of the Morava and Danube rivers, was the main Habsburg military bulwark. From here you can look across the river into Austria and south to Hungary just down the way. A small fort was built in the 13th century and a palace was added two centuries later.

The first walled buildings at Devín Castle date from Roman times, remnants of which you can still see.

The precipitous turret mounted atop a spirelike rock is known as the Virgin Tower. Legend has it that a lord of the castle fell in love, and ran off to his castle with a noble lady who shared his sentiment. When her uncle took to arms to get her back, she lept to her death from this perch rather than live without his love (yeah, right).

Frequent festivals are held on the castle grounds, check with Bratislava's information offices. There are several food stands and a hotel at the base.

Čachtice Castle

In the 17th century a mad Hungarian countess named Alžbeta Báthory (known as Bloody Liz to her mates) tortured and murdered more than 600 peasant women at Čachtice Castle (Čachtice hrad), where she was eventually imprisoned.

Legend has it that she bathed in their blood to keep her skin young, but that's largely been dismissed by scholars. A fire destroyed the castle in 1708 and the ruins aren't much to look at today, but atop castle hill you have great views of the adjacent regional nature reserve and an eerie, lonely feel.

There are no roads directly to the site, so getting there is by train, and travel is a bit tricky to coordinate between the villages and towns, so check return schedules at www.zsr.sk carefully.

Malá Fatra National Park

Wave after wave of mountains rise to a crescendo in the peaks that encircle the Vratná Valley. Malá Fatra National Park was created in 1987 largely to protect this prime piece of real estate. Heavily forested summers are a symphony of green in the popular park. Trails, ski lifts and a cable car put you right among the scenery.

Naturally a place this pretty is overrun in the high summer and winter seasons, but you can always hike far enough to lose the crowds and the valley is almost empty in May or September. Snow hangs around until April in the higher elevations.

Terchová, the lower entrance to the Vratná Valley, was also the birthplace of one of Slovakia's favourite folk heroes, Juraj Jánošík, in 1688. Above the village is an immense aluminium statue of Jánošík, and west of the village bus stop next to the village office is a little branch of Podvanske Museum devoted to him.

Spiš Castle

The sprawling ruins of Spišský hrad are the largest in Slovakia, some claim in all of Central Europe. The fortress was first constructed in 1209, wrecked by the Tatars in the 13th century and reconstructed in the 15th century.

Although the castle burnt down in 1780, wandering through the labyrinth of half-height walls you get a good sense of how big the place really was. Few structures remain whole today, but there's a cistern, a chapel and a rectangular Romanesque palace, which holds the museum. Descend to the dungeon to see the meaty bits - it's incredible the torture devices the human mind can think up.

The hilltop views are spectacular, especially in summer when wildflowers cover the fields below. Throughout summer months the castle hosts medieval festivals, which consist mainly of music and mock battles.

Events

Practically every day is a saint's day in the Slovak Republic, and 'special days', festivals and public holidays are widely acknowledged. Public holidays include New Year's Day (1 January), Three Kings Day (6 January), Labour Day (1 May), Cyril and Methodius Day (5 July) and Christmas (24-26 December). The Bratislava Lyre in May or June features rock concerts. From June through August, folk life festivals take place all across the country. Vychondná Folklore Festival, held in July, 32km (20mi) west of Poprad, is the biggest. Bratislava has a summer cultural festival that brings events to town. Classical music concerts are held from late September to mid-October as part of the Bratislava Music Festivals. Bratislava Jazz Days takes place one swingin' long weekend in September.

Pre-Departure Information

When to go?

May, June and September are the prime visiting months, with April and October as chillier and sometimes cheaper alternatives. Most Slovaks take their holidays in July and August when hotels and tourist sights are more than usually crowded, and hostels are chock-a-block with students, especially in the Tatras mountain resort areas. Luckily, the supply of bottom end accommodation increases in large towns during this time, as student hostels are thrown open to visitors. Centres like Bratislava and the mountain resorts cater to visitors all year round. Elsewhere, from October or November until March or April, most castles, museums and other tourist attractions, and some associated accommodation and transport, close down.

Travel Visa Overview

Nationals of all western European countries can visit Slovakia without a visa for 90 days, as can US, Australian and New Zealand passport holders. South African passport holders require a visa. If you require a visa to Slovakia, it is strongly advised that you obtain one at a foreign consulate before commencing your journey. It may be difficult to obtain one at a border crossing.

Electricity

230V

50Hz

Health Information

Lyme disease

Lyme disease is transmitted by deer ticks, which are only 1-2 mm long. Most cases occur in the late spring and summer. The first symptom is usually an expanding red rash that is often pale in the centre, known as a bull's eye rash. However, in many cases, no rash is observed. Flu-like symptoms are common, including fever, headache, joint pains, body aches and malaise. When the infection is treated promptly with an appropriate antibiotic, usually doxycycline or amoxicillin, the cure rate is high. Luckily, since the tick must be attached for 36 hours or more to transmit Lyme disease, most cases can be prevented by performing a thorough tick check after you've been outdoors.

Weather Information

The damp continental climate over most of the Slovak Republic is responsible for warm, showery summers, cold, snowy winters, and generally changeable conditions. Higher altitudes produce colder weather and more snow in winter. Summers everywhere are sunny and enjoyable, though air conditioning is not common, expect pleasant average highs around 26°C (78°F). Winters usually linger around 0°C (32°F), becoming quite icy at night in the mountains.

History and Culture

Culture

After almost 900 years of Hungarian rule, the creation of the Slovak literary language by the nationalist L'udovít Stúr kick started a 19th-century National Revival. This enabled the emergence of a Slovak national consciousness. One of the leading artists of the Revival was poet Pavol O Hviezdoslav, whose works have been translated into several languages. Slovakia's architectural wonders include the Gothic St James Church in Levoča and the magnificent Renaissance buildings in Bardejov. Traditional Slovak folk instruments include the fujara (a 2m/6.5ft-long flute), the gajdy (bagpipes) and the koncovka (a strident shepherd's flute). Folk songs helped preserve the Slovak language during Hungarian rule and in East Slovakia ancient folk traditions still play an important part in village life, as does a hearty wine and decent dumplings.

Pre-20th Centure History

Slavic tribes occupied what is now Slovakia in the 5th century AD. In 833, the prince of Moravia captured Nitra and formed the Great Moravian Empire, which included all of present Central and West Slovakia, the Czech Republic and parts of neighbouring Poland, Hungary and Germany. The empire converted to Christianity with the arrival of the Thessaloniki brothers and missionaries, Cyril and Methodius, in 863.

In 907, the Great Moravian Empire collapsed as a result of the political intrigues of its rulers and invasion by Hungary. By 1018 the whole of Slovakia was annexed by Hungary and remained so for the next 900 years, although the Spis region of East Slovakia belonged to Poland from 1412 to 1772. After a Tatar invasion in the 13th century, the Hungarian king invited Saxon Germans to settle the depopulated northeastern borderlands. When the Turks overran Hungary in the early 16th century, the Hungarian capital moved from Buda to Bratislava. Only in 1686 was the Ottoman presence finally driven south of the Danube.

The formation of the dual Austro-Hungarian monarchy in 1867 gave Hungary autonomy in domestic matters and a policy of enforced Magyarisation ('Hungarianisation') was instituted in Slovakia between 1868 and 1918.

Modern History

In 1907 Hungarian became the sole language of elementary education. As a reaction to this, Slovak intellectuals cultivated closer cultural ties with the Czechs, who were themselves dominated by the Austrians. The concept of a single Czecho-Slovakian unit was born for political purposes and, after the Austro-Hungarian defeat in WWI, Slovakia, Ruthenia, Bohemia and Moravia united as Czechoslovakia. The centralising tendencies of the sophisticated Czechs alienated many Slovaks and, after the 1938 Munich agreement that forced Czechoslovakia to cede territory to Germany, Slovakia declared its autonomy within a federal state. The day before Hitler's troops invaded Czech lands in March 1939, a clero-fascist puppet state headed by Monsignor Jozef Tiso (executed in 1947 as a war criminal) was set up, and Slovakia became a German ally.

In August 1944, Slovak partisans commenced the Slovak National Uprising, which took the Germans several months to crush. In the wake of Soviet advances in early 1945, a Czechoslovak government was established at Kosice two months before the liberation of Prague. The second Czechoslovakia established after the war was to have been a federal state, but after the communist takeover in February 1948 the administration once again became centralised in Prague. Many of those who resisted the new communist dictatorship were ruthlessly eliminated by execution, torture and starvation in labour camps. Although the 1960 constitution granted Czechs and Slovaks equal rights, only the 1968 'Prague Spring' reforms introduced by Alexander Dubček (a rehabilitated Slovak communist) implemented this concept. In August 1968, Soviet troops quashed democratic reform, and although the Czech and Slovak republics theoretically became equal partners, the real power remained in Prague.

The fall of communism in Czechoslovakia during 1989 led to a resurgence of Slovak nationalism and agitation for Slovak autonomy. After the left-leaning nationalist Vladimír Mečiar was elected in June 1992, the Slovak parliament voted to declare sovereignty and the federation dissolved peacefully on 1 January 1993. Mečiar lost the prime ministership in a parliamentary vote of no-confidence in March 1994 because of a failing economy and his increasingly authoritarian rule, but after general elections a few months later, he was able to form a new coalition government.

Immediately after the elections, Mečiar cancelled the sale of state-owned enterprises, halted Slovakia's privatisation scheme and threatened independent radio stations and newspapers with legal action if they dared criticise the government. Not surprisingly, many Slovaks started to lose patience with Mečiar's heavy-handed rule. The passing of anti-democratic laws brought criticism from various human rights organisations, European leaders and US President Clinton.

Recent History

The elections of 1998 saw Mečiar ousted by the reform-minded Mikuláš Dzurinda, leader of the right-leaning Slovak Democratic Coalition (SDK). His first years in power were dogged by poor economic performance, high unemployment and ethnic tensions with the country's Hungarian and Roma minorities.

Nevertheless, Dzurinda completely changed the course of recent Slovakian history by launching a policy of economic and social reforms and accelerated economic and political integration into western Europe. Perhaps goaded by the advances of their neighbours, majorities of parliamentarians and ordinary Slovakians voted in favour of key reforms. In the past few years prices of goods and services have risen dramatically in Bratislava and investment has poured in.

June 2006 parliamentary elections brought to power what some worry are anti-reform minded parties. The coalition headed by Prime Minister Robert Fico of Smer, a left-wing party, also includes Mečiar's nationalistic HZDS. For now, despite contradictory statements early on, Fico is promising to keep Slovakia on track to Euro conversion in 2009. Time will tell which direction the government decides to go next.