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In common sense Slovakia belongs to Eastern Europe. It would be much better to place it among the middle; after all the geographic center of Europe is located here. For people with wanderlust Slovakia has a deciding plus: Here is still no mass tourism.
High mountains, wild valleys, silent lakes and deep canyons lie close together. Well known are the High and Low Tatra Mountains, Europe smallest high mountains. Due to its turbulent history Slovakia is also a country where one finds plenty of castles, locks and forts. The castle of Spis in the east, for example, withstood the attack of the Tatars in 1241. The northeast is known for its wooden churches; some got plenty of room to house more than several thousand believers at once. In the middle of Slovakia and in the east lie numerous health-resorts with an old "wellness"-tradition. Largest health-resort is Piestany in the Danube plain; at times a fashionable bathing center.
Slovakia’s cooking is indigenous. Soups, stews, cooked and braised vegetables, roasted and smoked delicacies stand up on the top of the menu. Extra popular are the most diversified kinds of dumplings, just as in neighboring country Czech. Aside from the Slovakian beer we also like to recommend country specialties like Slivovica (plums brandy) and Borovicka (strong gin).
Some geography:
The Slovak Republic stretches over an area of 49,000 square kilometers and has 5.4 million inhabitants. Language of the country is Slovak. More than half of the Slovaks are Catholics; altogether 15 religious communities are acknowledged.
National holidays are celebrated on August 29th, the day the Slovak’s national uprising, and September 1st, the day of the constitution. |
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