Slovakia

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"Slovak Republic" redirects here. For other political states, see Slovak Republic
(disambiguation).
Not to be confused with Slovenia, Slavonia, or Moravian Slovakia.
Coordinates: 48�40'N 19�30'E

Slovak Republic
Slovensk� republika (Slovak)
Flag of Slovakia
Flag
{{{coat_alt}}}
Coat of arms
Anthem: "Nad Tatrou sa bl�ska"
(English: "Lightning Over the Tatras")
MENU0:00
Location of Slovakia (dark green) � in Europe (green & dark grey) � in the
European Union (green) � [Legend]
Location of Slovakia (dark green)
� in Europe (green & dark grey)
� in the European Union (green) � [Legend]

Location of Slovakia in the world

Location of Slovakia in the world
Capital
and largest city
Bratislava
48�09'N 17�07'E
Official languages Slovak
Ethnic groups (2011[1])
80.7% Slovaks
8.5% Hungarians
2.0% Roma
0.6% Czechs
0.6% Rusyns
0.1% Ukrainians
0.1% Germans
0.1% Poles
0.1% Moravians
7.2% unspecified
Demonym(s) Slovak
Government Unitary parliamentary republic
� President
Andrej Kiska
� Prime Minister
Peter Pellegrini
Legislature National Council
Independence
�
from Austria�Hungary
(as part of Czechoslovakia)
28 October 1918
� autonomous Land of Slovakia [cs] (within Second Czechoslovak Republic)
23 November 1938
� First Slovak Republic (client state of Nazi Germany)
14 March 1939
� Slovak Socialist Republic (within Czechoslovak Federation)
1 January 1969
� Slovak Republic (change of name within Czechoslovak Federation)
1 March 1990
� from Czechoslovakia
1 January 1993a
� Joined the European Union
1 May 2004
Area
� Total
49,035 km2 (18,933 sq mi) (127th)
� Water (%)
0.0789
Population
� 2018 estimate
5,445,087 Increase[2] (116th)
� 2011 census
5,397,036
� Density
111/km2 (287.5/sq mi) (88th)
GDP (PPP) 2019 estimate
� Total
$203 billion[3]
� Per capita
$37,268 (39th)
GDP (nominal) 2019 estimate
� Total
$112 billion
� Per capita
$20,598 (40th)
Gini (2014) 26.1[4]
low � 8th
HDI (2017) Increase 0.855[5]
very high � 38th
Currency Euro (�) (EUR)
Time zone UTC+1 (CET)
� Summer (DST)
UTC+2 (CEST)
Driving side right
Calling code +421c
Patron saint Saints Cyril and Methodius
Our Lady of Sorrows
ISO 3166 code SK
Internet TLD .sk and .eu
Czechoslovakia split into the Czech Republic and Slovakia; see Velvet Divorce.
Slovak koruna before 2009.
Shared code 42 with Czech Republic until 1997.
Slovakia (/slo?'v�ki?, -'v??k-/ (About this soundlisten);[6][7] Slovak: Slovensko
['sl???nsk?] (About this soundlisten)), officially the Slovak Republic (Slovak:
Slovensk� republika, About this soundlisten (help�info)),[8] is a landlocked
country in Central Europe.[9][10] It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to
the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the west, and the Czech Republic to the
northwest. Slovakia's territory spans about 49,000 square kilometres (19,000 sq mi)
and is mostly mountainous. The population is over 5.4 million and consists mostly
of Slovaks. The capital and largest city is Bratislava, and the second largest city
is Ko�ice. The official language is Slovak.

The Slavs arrived in the territory of present-day Slovakia in the 5th and 6th
centuries. In the 7th century, they played a significant role in the creation of
Samo's Empire and in the 9th century established the Principality of Nitra, which
was later conquered by the Principality of Moravia to establish Great Moravia. In
the 10th century, after the dissolution of Great Moravia, the territory was
integrated into the Principality of Hungary, which would become the Kingdom of
Hungary in 1000.[11] In 1241 and 1242, much of the territory was destroyed by the
Mongols during their invasion of Central and Eastern Europe. The area was recovered
largely thanks to B�la IV of Hungary who also settled Germans which became an
important ethnic group in the area, especially in what are today parts of central
and eastern Slovakia. After World War I and the dissolution of the Austro-Hungarian
Empire, the Czechoslovak National Council established Czechoslovakia (1918�1939). A
separate (First) Slovak Republic (1939�1945) existed during World War II as a
totalitarian, clero-fascist one-party client state of Nazi Germany. At the end of
World War II, Czechoslovakia was re-established as an independent country. A coup
in 1948 ushered in a totalitarian one-party state under the Communist regime during
whose rule the country existed as a satellite of the Soviet Union. Attempts for
liberalization of communism in Czechoslovakia culminated in the Prague Spring,
which was crushed by the Warsaw Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia in August 1968. In
1989, the Velvet Revolution ended the Communist rule in Czechoslovakia peacefully.
Slovakia became an independent state on 1 January 1993 after the peaceful
dissolution of Czechoslovakia, sometimes known as the Velvet Divorce.

Slovakia is a high-income advanced economy[12][13] with a very high Human

Development Index,[14][15] a very high standard of living and performs favourably
in measurements of civil liberties, press freedom, internet freedom, democratic
governance and peacefulness. The country maintains a combination of market economy
with a comprehensive social security system. Citizens of Slovakia are provided with
universal health care, free education and one of the longest paid parental leave in
the OECD.[16] The country joined the European Union in 2004 and the Eurozone on 1
January 2009.[17] Slovakia is also a member of the Schengen Area, NATO, the United
Nations, the OECD, the WTO, CERN, the OSCE, the Council of Europe and the Visegr�d
Group. Although regional income inequality is high, 90% of citizens own their
homes. In 2018, Slovak citizens had visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to 179
countries and territories, ranking the Slovak passport 10th in the world.[18] As
part of Eurozone, Slovak legal tender is the Euro, the world's 2nd-most-traded
currency. Slovakia is the world's largest per-capita car producer with a total of
1,040,000 cars manufactured in the country in 2016 alone[19] and the 7th largest
car producer in the European Union. The car industry represents 43% of Slovakia's
industrial output, and a quarter of its exports.

Contents
1 Etymology
2 History
2.1 Bronze Age
2.2 Iron Age
2.2.1 Hallstatt Period
2.2.2 La T�ne Period
2.2.3 Roman Period
2.3 Great invasions from the 4th to 7th centuries
2.4 Slavic states
2.5 Great Moravia (830�before 907)
2.6 Kingdom of Hungary (1000�1918)
2.7 Czechoslovakia (1918�1939)
2.8 World War II (1939�1945)
2.9 Soviet influence and Communist party rule (1948�1989)
2.10 Establishment of the Slovak Republic (after 1993)
3 Geography
3.1 Tatra mountains
3.2 National parks
3.3 Caves
3.4 Rivers
3.5 Climate
4 Biodiversity
4.1 Fungi
5 Politics and government
5.1 Foreign relations
5.2 Military
5.3 Human rights
5.4 Administrative divisions
6 Economy
6.1 Industry
6.2 Energy
6.3 Transportation
6.4 Tourism
6.5 Science
7 Demographics
7.1 Languages
7.2 Religion
7.3 Education
8 Culture
8.1 Folk tradition
8.2 Art
8.3 Literature
8.4 Cuisine
8.5 Sport
9 See also
10 Notes
11 References
12 Bibliography
13 External links
Etymology
The first written mention of name Slovakia is in 1586 (German: In Liptau, bei der
Stadt Sankt Nikolaus in der Slovakia).[20] It derives from the Czech word Slov�ky;
previous German forms were Windischen landen and Windenland (the 15th century).[20]
The native name Slovensko (1791) derives from an older name of Slovaks Sloven what
may indicate its origin before the 15th century.[20] The original meaning was
geographic (not political), since Slovakia was a part of the multiethnic Kingdom of
Hungary[note 1] and did not form a separate administrative unit in this period.

History
Main article: History of Slovakia

A Venus from Moravany nad V�hom, which dates back to 22,800 BC

Radiocarbon dating puts the oldest surviving archaeological artefacts from Slovakia
� found near Nov� Mesto nad V�hom � at 270,000 BCE, in the Early Paleolithic era.
These ancient tools, made by the Clactonian technique, bear witness to the ancient
habitation of Slovakia.

Other stone tools from the Middle Paleolithic era (200,000 � 80,000 BCE) come from
the Pr�v�t (Prepo�tsk�) cave near Bojnice and from other nearby sites.[21] The most
important discovery from that era is a Neanderthal cranium (c. 200,000 BCE),
discovered near G�novce, a village in northern Slovakia.

Archaeologists have found prehistoric human skeletons in the region, as well as

numerous objects and vestiges of the Gravettian culture, principally in the river
valleys of Nitra, Hron, Ipel, V�h and as far as the city of �ilina, and near the
foot of the Vihorlat, Inovec, and Tribec mountains, as well as in the Myjava
Mountains. The most well-known finds include the oldest female statue made of
mammoth-bone (22,800 BCE), the famous Venus of Moravany. The statue was found in
the 1940s in Moravany nad V�hom near Pie�tany. Numerous necklaces made of shells
from Cypraca thermophile gastropods of the Tertiary period have come from the sites
of Z�kovsk�, Podkovice, Hubina, and Rado�ina. These findings provide the most
ancient evidence of commercial exchanges carried out between the Mediterranean and
central Europe.

Bronze Age

Left: a Celtic Biatec coin

Right: five Slovak crowns
The Bronze Age in the geographical territory of modern-day Slovakia went through
three stages of development, stretching from 2000 to 800 BCE. Major cultural,
economic, and political development can be attributed to the significant growth in
production of copper, especially in central Slovakia (for example in �pania Dolina)
and northwest Slovakia. Copper became a stable source of prosperity for the local
population.

After the disappearance of the Cakany and Velatice cultures, the Lusatian people
expanded building of strong and complex fortifications, with the large permanent
buildings and administrative centres. Excavations of Lusatian hill forts document
the substantial development of trade and agriculture at that period. The richness
and the diversity of tombs increased considerably. The inhabitants of the area
manufactured arms, shields, jewellery, dishes, and statues.

Iron Age
Hallstatt Period
The arrival of tribes from Thrace disrupted the people of the Kalenderberg culture,
who lived in the hamlets located on the plain (Sered) and in the hill forts like
Molp�r, near Smolenice, in the Little Carpathians. During Hallstatt times,
monumental burial mounds were erected in western Slovakia, with princely equipment
consisting of richly decorated vessels, ornaments and decorations. The burial rites
consisted entirely of cremation. The common people were buried in flat urnfield
cemeteries. A special role was given to weaving and the production of textiles. The
local power of the "Princes" of the Hallstatt period disappeared in Slovakia during
the last century before the middle of first millennium BC, after strife between the
Scytho-Thracian people and locals, resulting in abandonment of the old hill-forts.
Relatively depopulated areas soon caught interest of emerging Celtic tribes, who
advanced from the south towards the north, following the Slovak rivers, peacefully
integrating into the remnants of the local population.

La T�ne Period
From around 500 BCE, the territory of modern-day Slovakia was settled by Celts, who
built powerful oppida on the sites of modern-day Bratislava and Dev�n. Biatecs,
silver coins with inscriptions in the Latin alphabet, represent the first known use
of writing in Slovakia. At the northern regions, remnants of the local population
of Lusatian origin, together with Celtic and later Dacian influence, gave rise to
the unique P�chov culture, with advanced crafts and iron-working, many hill-forts
and fortified settlements of central type with coinage of the "Velkobysterecky"
type (no inscriptions, with a horse on one side and a head on the other). This
culture is often connected with the Celtic tribe mentioned in Roman sources as
Cotini.

Roman Period

A Roman inscription at the castle hill of Trenc�n (178�179 AD)

From 2 AD, the expanding Roman Empire established and maintained a series of
outposts around and just south of the Danube, the largest of which were known as
Carnuntum (whose remains are on the main road halfway between Vienna and
Bratislava) and Brigetio (present-day Szony at the Slovak-Hungarian border). Such
Roman border settlements were built on the present area of Rusovce, currently a
suburb of Bratislava. The military fort was surrounded by a civilian vicus and
several farms of the villa rustica type. The name of this settlement was Gerulata.
The military fort had an auxiliary cavalry unit, approximately 300 horses strong,
modelled after the Cananefates. The remains of Roman buildings have also survived
in Dev�n Castle (present-day downtown Bratislava), the suburbs of D�bravka and
Stupava, and Bratislava Castle Hill.

Near the northernmost line of the Roman hinterlands, the Limes Romanus, there
existed the winter camp of Laugaricio (modern-day Trenc�n) where the Auxiliary of
Legion II fought and prevailed in a decisive battle over the Germanic Quadi tribe
in 179 CE during the Marcomannic Wars. The Kingdom of Vannius, a kingdom founded by
the Germanic Suebian tribes of Quadi and Marcomanni, as well as several small
Germanic and Celtic tribes, including the Osi and Cotini, existed in western and
central Slovakia from 8�6 BCE to 179 CE.

Great invasions from the 4th to 7th centuries

In the 2nd and 3rd centuries AD, the Huns began to leave the Central Asian steppes.
They crossed the Danube in 377 AD and occupied Pannonia, which they used for 75
years as their base for launching looting-raids into Western Europe. However,
Attila's death in 453 brought about the disappearance of the Hun tribe. In 568, a
Turko-Mongol tribal confederacy, the Avars, conducted its own invasion into the
Middle Danube region. The Avars occupied the lowlands of the Pannonian Plain, and
established an empire dominating the Carpathian Basin.

In 623, the Slavic population living in the western parts of Pannonia seceded from
their empire after a revolution led by Samo, a Frankish merchant.[22] After 626,
the Avar power started a gradual decline[23] but its reign lasted to 804.

Slavic states
The Slavic tribes settled in the territory of present-day Slovakia in the 5th
century. Western Slovakia was the centre of Samo's empire in the 7th century. A
Slavic state known as the Principality of Nitra arose in the 8th century and its
ruler Pribina had the first known Christian church of the territory of present-day
Slovakia consecrated by 828. Together with neighbouring Moravia, the principality
formed the core of the Great Moravian Empire from 833. The high point of this
Slavonic empire came with the arrival of Saints Cyril and Methodius in 863, during
the reign of Duke Rastislav, and the territorial expansion under Duke Sv�topluk I.

Great Moravia (830�before 907)

Main article: Great Moravia

A statue of Saint Cyril and Saint Methodius in �ilina. In 863, they introduced
Christianity to what is now Slovakia.
Great Moravia arose around 830 when Mojm�r I unified the Slavic tribes settled
north of the Danube and extended the Moravian supremacy over them.[24] When Mojm�r
I endeavoured to secede from the supremacy of the king of East Francia in 846, King
Louis the German deposed him and assisted Mojm�r's nephew Rastislav (846�870) in
acquiring the throne.[25] The new monarch pursued an independent policy: after
stopping a Frankish attack in 855, he also sought to weaken influence of Frankish
priests preaching in his realm. Duke Rastislav asked the Byzantine Emperor Michael
III to send teachers who would interpret Christianity in the Slavic vernacular.

Upon Rastislav's request, two brothers, Byzantine officials and missionaries Saints
Cyril and Methodius came in 863. Cyril developed the first Slavic alphabet and
translated the Gospel into the Old Church Slavonic language. Rastislav was also
preoccupied with the security and administration of his state. Numerous fortified
castles built throughout the country are dated to his reign and some of them (e.g.,
Dowina, sometimes identified with Dev�n Castle)[26][27] are also mentioned in
connection with Rastislav by Frankish chronicles.[28][29]
The papal letter "Industriae Tuae"
Scire vos volumus, a letter written in 879 by Pope John VIII to Svatopluk I
During Rastislav's reign, the Principality of Nitra was given to his nephew
Sv�topluk as an appanage.[27] The rebellious prince allied himself with the Franks
and overthrew his uncle in 870. Similarly to his predecessor, Sv�topluk I (871�894)
assumed the title of the king (rex). During his reign, the Great Moravian Empire
reached its greatest territorial extent, when not only present-day Moravia and
Slovakia but also present-day northern and central Hungary, Lower Austria, Bohemia,
Silesia, Lusatia, southern Poland and northern Serbia belonged to the empire, but
the exact borders of his domains are still disputed by modern authors.[30]
Svatopluk also withstood attacks of the Magyar tribes and the Bulgarian Empire,
although sometimes it was he who hired the Magyars when waging war against East
Francia.[31]

In 880, Pope John VIII set up an independent ecclesiastical province in Great

Moravia with Archbishop Methodius as its head. He also named the German cleric
Wiching the Bishop of Nitra.

Certain and disputed borders of Great Moravia under Svatopluk I (according to

modern historians)
After the death of Prince Svatopluk in 894, his sons Mojm�r II (894�906?) and
Svatopluk II succeeded him as the Prince of Great Moravia and the Prince of Nitra
respectively.[27] However, they started to quarrel for domination of the whole
empire. Weakened by an internal conflict as well as by constant warfare with
Eastern Francia, Great Moravia lost most of its peripheral territories.

In the meantime, the semi-nomadic Magyar tribes, possibly having suffered defeat
from the similarly nomadic Pechenegs, left their territories east of the Carpathian
Mountains,[32] invaded the Carpathian Basin and started to occupy the territory
gradually around 896.[33] Their armies' advance may have been promoted by
continuous wars among the countries of the region whose rulers still hired them
occasionally to intervene in their struggles.[34]

It is not known what happened with both Mojm�r II and Svatopluk II because they are
not mentioned in written sources after 906. In three battles (4�5 July and 9 August
907) near Bratislava, the Magyars routed Bavarian armies. Some historians put this
year as the date of the break-up of the Great Moravian Empire, due to the Hungarian
conquest; other historians take the date a little bit earlier (to 902).

Great Moravia left behind a lasting legacy in Central and Eastern Europe. The
Glagolitic script and its successor Cyrillic were disseminated to other Slavic
countries, charting a new path in their sociocultural development. The
administrative system of Great Moravia may have influenced the development of the
administration of the Kingdom of Hungary.

Kingdom of Hungary (1000�1918)

Main article: Kingdom of Hungary

Stephen I, King of Hungary

Following the disintegration of the Great Moravian Empire at the turn of the 10th
century, the Hungarians annexed the territory comprising modern Slovakia. After
their defeat on the Lech River they abandoned their nomadic ways; they settled in
the centre of the Carpathian valley, adopted Christianity and began to build a new
state � the Hungarian kingdom.[35]

From the 11th century, when the territory inhabited by the Slavic-speaking
population of Danubian Basin was incorporated into the Kingdom of Hungary, until
1918, when the Austro-Hungarian empire collapsed, the territory of modern Slovakia
was an integral part of the Hungarian state.[36][37][38] The ethnic composition
became more diverse with the arrival of the Carpathian Germans in the 13th century,
and the Jews in the 14th century.

A significant decline in the population resulted from the invasion of the Mongols
in 1241 and the subsequent famine. However, in medieval times the area of the
present-day Slovakia was characterised by German and Jewish immigration, burgeoning
towns, construction of numerous stone castles, and the cultivation of the arts.[39]
In 1465, King Matthias Corvinus founded the Hungarian Kingdom's third university,
in Pressburg (Bratislava, Pozsony), but it was closed in 1490 after his death.[40]
Hussites also settled in the region after the Hussite Wars.[41]

A soldier from a Slovak volunteers' corps during the fight for independence from
the Kingdom of Hungary
Owing to the Ottoman Empire's expansion into Hungarian territory, Bratislava was
designated the new capital of Hungary in 1536, ahead of the old Hungarian capital
of Buda falling in 1541. It become part of the Austrian Habsburg monarchy, marking
the beginning of a new era. The territory comprising modern Slovakia, then known as
Upper Hungary, became the place of settlement for nearly two-thirds of the Magyar
nobility fleeing the Turks and far more linguistically and culturally Hungarian
than it was before.[41] Partly thanks to old Hussite families, and Slovaks studying
under Martin Luther, the region then experienced a growth in Protestantism.[41] For
a short period in the 17th century, most Slovaks were Lutherans.[41] They defied
the Catholic Habsburgs and sought protection from neighboring Transylvania, a rival
continuation of the Magyar state that practiced religious tolerance and normally
had Ottoman backing. Upper Hungary, modern Slovakia, became the site of frequent
wars between Catholics in the west territory and Protestants in the east, also
against Turks, the frontier was on a constant state of military alert and heavily
fortified by castles and citadels often manned by Catholic German and Slovak troops
on the Habsburg side. By 1648, Slovakia was not spared the Counter-Reformation,
which brought the majority of its population from Lutheranism back to Roman
Catholicism. In 1655, the printing press at the Trnava university produced the
Jesuit Benedikt Sz�llosi's Cantus Catholici, a Catholic hymnal in the Slovak
language that reaffirmed links to the earlier works of Cyril and Methodius.

The Ottoman wars, rivalry between Austria and Transylvania, and the frequent
insurrections against the Habsburg Monarchy inflicted a great deal of devastation,
especially in the rural areas.[42] In the Austro-Turkish War (1663�1664) a Turkish
army led by the Grand Vizier decimated Slovakia.[41] Even so, Slovaks from the
Principality of Upper Hungary fought alongside the Turks against the Austrians and
Poles at the Battle of Vienna of 1683 led by John III Sobieski. As the Turks
withdrew from Hungary in the late 17th century, the importance of the territory
comprising modern Slovakia decreased, although Pressburg retained its status as the
capital of Hungary until 1848, when it was transferred back to Buda.[43]

During the revolution of 1848�49, the Slovaks supported the Austrian Emperor,
hoping for independence from the Hungarian part of the Dual Monarchy, but they
failed to achieve their aim. Thereafter relations between the nationalities
deteriorated (see Magyarization), culminating in the secession of Slovakia from
Hungary after World War I.[44]

Czechoslovakia (1918�1939)
Main article: Czechoslovakia

A monument to Tom� Garrigue Masaryk and Milan �tef�nik � both key figures in early
Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovak declaration of independence by Tom� Garrigue Masaryk in the United
States, 1918.
In 1918, Slovakia and the regions of Bohemia, Moravia, Czech Silesia and Carpathian
Ruthenia formed a common state, Czechoslovakia, with the borders confirmed by the
Treaty of Saint Germain and Treaty of Trianon. In 1919, during the chaos following
the break-up of Austria-Hungary, Czechoslovakia was formed with numerous Germans
and Hungarians within the newly set borders. A Slovak patriot Milan Rastislav
�tef�nik (1880�1919), who helped organise Czechoslovak regiments against Austria-
Hungary during the First World War, died in a plane crash. In the peace following
the World War, Czechoslovakia emerged as a sovereign European state. It provided
what were at the time rather extensive rights to its minorities and remained the
only democracy in this part of Europe in the interwar period.

During the Interwar period, democratic Czechoslovakia was allied with France, and
also with Romania and Yugoslavia (Little Entente); however, the Locarno Treaties of
1925 left East European security open. Both Czechs and Slovaks enjoyed a period of
relative prosperity. There was progress in not only the development of the
country's economy, but also culture and educational opportunities. The minority
Germans came to accept their role in the new country and relations with Austria
were good. Yet the Great Depression caused a sharp economic downturn, followed by
political disruption and insecurity in Europe.[45]

Thereafter Czechoslovakia came under continuous pressure from the revisionist

governments of Germany and Hungary. Eventually this led to the Munich Agreement of
September 1938, which allowed Nazi Germany to partially dismember the country by
occupying what was called the Sudetenland, a region with a German-speaking majority
and bordering Germany and Austria. The remainder of "rump" Czechoslovakia was
renamed Czecho-Slovakia and included a greater degree of Slovak political autonomy.
Southern and eastern Slovakia, however, was reclaimed by Hungary at the First
Vienna Award of November 1938.

World War II (1939�1945)

Main articles: Slovak Republic (1939�1945) and Slovakia during World War II

Adolf Hitler greeting Jozef Tiso, 1941

After the Munich Agreement and its Vienna Award, Nazi Germany threatened to annex
part of Slovakia and allow the remaining regions to be partitioned by Hungary or
Poland unless independence was declared. Thus, Slovakia seceded from Czecho-
Slovakia in March 1939 and allied itself, as demanded by Germany, with Hitler's
coalition.[46] Secession had created the first Slovak state in history.[47] The
government of the First Slovak Republic, led by Jozef Tiso and Vojtech Tuka, was
strongly influenced by Germany and gradually became a puppet regime in many
respects.

Meanwhile, the Czechoslovak government-in-exile sought to reverse the Munich

Agreement and the subsequent German occupation of Czechoslovakia, and to return the
Republic to its 1937 boundaries. The government operated from London and it was
ultimately considered, by those countries that recognised it, the legitimate
government for Czechoslovakia throughout the Second World War.

Troops of Slovak anti-Nazi resistance movement in 1944

As part of the Holocaust in Slovakia, 75,000 Jews out of 80,000 who remained on
Slovak territory after Hungary had seized southern regions were deported and taken
to German death camps.[48][49] Thousands of Jews, Gypsies and other politically
undesirable people remained in Slovak forced labor camps in Sered, Vyhne, and
Nov�ky.[50] Tiso, through the granting of presidential exceptions, allowed between
1,000 and 4,000 people crucial to the war economy to avoid deportations.[51] Under
Tiso's government and Hungarian occupation, the vast majority of Slovakia's pre-war
Jewish population (between 75,000�105,000 individuals including those who perished
from the occupied territory) were murdered.[52][53] The Slovak state paid Germany
500 RM per every deported Jew for "retraining and accommodation" (similar payment,
but only 30 RM was paid by Croatia).[54]

After it became clear that the Soviet Red Army was going to push the Nazis out of
eastern and central Europe, an anti-Nazi resistance movement launched a fierce
armed insurrection, known as the Slovak National Uprising, near the end of summer
1944. A bloody German occupation and a guerilla war followed. Germans and their
local collaborators completely destroyed 93 villages and massacred thousands of
civilians, often hundreds at a time.[55] The territory of Slovakia was liberated by
Soviet and Romanian forces by the end of April 1945.

Soviet influence and Communist party rule (1948�1989)

Resignation of the democratic ministers after the Czechoslovak coup d'�tat in 1948.
The last independent government in Eastern Europe had become communist.

Warsaw Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia in 1968.

The Velvet Revolution ended 41 years of authoritarian Communist rule in

Czechoslovakia in 1989.

After World War II, Czechoslovakia was reconstituted and Jozef Tiso was executed in
1947 for collaboration with the Nazis. More than 80,000 Hungarians[56] and 32,000
Germans[57] were forced to leave Slovakia, in a series of population transfers
initiated by the Allies at the Potsdam Conference.[58] Out of about 130,000
Carpathian Germans in Slovakia in 1938, by 1947 only some 20,000 remained.[59]

As a result of the Yalta Conference, Czechoslovakia came under the influence and
later under direct occupation of the Soviet Union and its Warsaw Pact, after a coup
in 1948[citation needed]. The country was invaded by the Warsaw Pact forces (with
the exception of Romania and Albania) in 1968, ending a period of liberalisation
under the leadership of Alexander Dubcek. In 1969 Czechoslovakia became a
federation of the Czech Socialist Republic and the Slovak Socialist Republic.
Czechoslovakia was never part of the Soviet Union and remained independent to a
degree.

Establishment of the Slovak Republic (after 1993)

Slovakia became a member of the European Union in 2004 and signed the Lisbon Treaty
in 2007.
The end of Communist rule in Czechoslovakia in 1989, during the peaceful Velvet
Revolution, was followed once again by the country's dissolution, this time into
two successor states. The word "socialist" was dropped in the names of the two
republics, i.e. the Slovak Socialist Republic was renamed Slovak Republic. In July
17, 1992 Slovakia, led by Prime Minister Vladim�r Meciar, declared itself a
sovereign state, meaning that its laws took precedence over those of the federal
government. Throughout the autumn of 1992, Meciar and Czech Prime Minister V�clav
Klaus negotiated the details for disbanding the federation. In November the federal
parliament voted to dissolve the country officially on December 31, 1992.

The Slovak Republic and the Czech Republic went their separate ways after 1 January
1993, an event sometimes called the Velvet Divorce.[60][61] Slovakia has remained a
close partner with the Czech Republic. Both countries co-operate with Hungary and
Poland in the Visegr�d Group. Slovakia became a member of NATO on 29 March 2004 and
of the European Union on 1 May 2004. On 1 January 2009, Slovakia adopted the Euro
as its national currency.

Geography
Main article: Geography of Slovakia
See also: Geomorphological division of Slovakia

Panorama of the High Tatras

Slovakia lies between latitudes 47� and 50� N, and longitudes 16� and 23� E. The
Slovak landscape is noted primarily for its mountainous nature, with the Carpathian
Mountains extending across most of the northern half of the country. Among these
mountain ranges are the high peaks of the Fatra-Tatra Area (including Tatra
Mountains, Greater Fatra and Lesser Fatra), Slovak Ore Mountains, Slovak Central
Mountains or Beskids. The largest lowland is the fertile Danubian Lowland in the
southwest, followed by the Eastern Slovak Lowland in the southeast.[62] Forests
cover 41% of Slovak land surface.[63]

Tatra mountains
Main article: Tatra Mountains

A topographical map of Slovakia

The Tatra Mountains, with 29 peaks higher than 2,500 metres (8,202 feet) AMSL, are
the highest mountain range in the Carpathian Mountains. The Tatras occupy an area
of 750 square kilometres (290 sq mi), of which the greater part 600 square
kilometres (232 sq mi) lies in Slovakia. They are divided into several parts.

To the north, close to the Polish border, are the High Tatras which are a popular
hiking and skiing destination and home to many scenic lakes and valleys as well as
the highest point in Slovakia, the Gerlachovsk� �t�t at 2,655 metres (8,711 ft) and
the country's highly symbolic mountain Kriv�n. To the west are the Western Tatras
with their highest peak of Bystr� at 2,248 metres (7,375 ft) and to the east are
the Belianske Tatras, smallest by area.

Separated from the Tatras proper by the valley of the V�h river are the Low Tatras,
with their highest peak of Dumbier at 2,043 metres (6,703 ft).

The Tatra mountain range is represented as one of the three hills on the coat of
arms of Slovakia.

National parks
Main article: List of national parks of Slovakia

Slovak Paradise National Park

There are 9 national parks in Slovakia, they cover 6.5% of Slovak land surface.[64]

Slovakia is located in SlovakiaVelk� FatraVelk� FatraMal� FatraMal� FatraLow

TatrasLow TatrasMur�nska planinaMur�nska
planinaPieninyPieninyPoloninyPoloninySlovak KarstSlovak KarstSlovak ParadiseSlovak
ParadiseTatraTatra
National parks of Slovakia (9)
Name Established Area
Tatra National Park 1949 738 square kilometres (73,800 ha)
Low Tatras National Park 1978 728 square kilometres (72,800 ha)
Velk� Fatra National Park 2002 404 square kilometres (40,400 ha)
Slovak Karst National Park 2002 346 square kilometres (34,600 ha)
Poloniny National Park 1997 298 square kilometres (29,800 ha)
Mal� Fatra National Park 1988 226 square kilometres (22,600 ha)
Mur�nska planina National Park 1998 203 square kilometres (20,300 ha)
Slovak Paradise National Park 1988 197 square kilometres (19,700 ha)
Pieniny National Park 1967 38 square kilometres (3,800 ha)
Caves
Main article: List of caves in Slovakia

Domica Cave
Slovakia has hundreds of caves and caverns under its mountains, of which 30 are
open to the public.[65] Most of the caves have stalagmites rising from the ground
and stalactites hanging from above. There are currently five Slovak caves under
UNESCO's World Heritage Site status. They are Dob�insk� Ice Cave, Domica, Gombasek
Cave, Jasovsk� Cave and Ochtinsk� Aragonite Cave. Other caves open to the public
include Belianska Cave, Dem�novsk� Cave of Liberty, Dem�novsk� Ice Cave or
Bystrianska Cave.

Rivers
Main article: List of rivers of Slovakia

Bel� River
Most of the rivers stem in the Slovak mountains. Some only pass through and the
others make a natural border with surrounding countries (more than 620 kilometres
(385 mi)). For example, the Dunajec (17 kilometres (11 mi)) to the north, the
Danube (172 kilometres (107 mi)) to the south or the Morava (119 kilometres (74
mi)) to the West. The total length of the rivers on Slovak territory is 49,774
kilometres (30,928 mi).

The longest river in Slovakia is the V�h (403 kilometres (250 mi)), the shortest is
the Cierna voda. Other important and large rivers are the Myjava, the Nitra (197
kilometres (122 mi)), the Orava, the Hron (298 kilometres (185 mi)), the Horn�d
(193 kilometres (120 mi)), the Slan� (110 kilometres (68 mi)), the Ipel (232
kilometres (144 mi), forming the border with Hungary), the Bodrog, the Laborec, the
Latorica and the Ondava.

The biggest volume of discharge in Slovak rivers is during spring, when the snow
melts from the mountains. The only exception is the Danube, whose discharge is the
greatest during summer when the snow melts in the Alps. The Danube is the largest
river that flows through Slovakia.[66]

Climate

K�ppen climate classification types of Slovakia

The Slovak climate lies between the temperate and continental climate zones with
relatively warm summers and cold, cloudy and humid winters. Temperature extremes
are between -41 to 40.3 �C (-41.8 to 104.5 �F) although temperatures below -30 �C
(-22 �F) are rare. The weather differs from the mountainous north to the plains in
the south.

The warmest region is Bratislava and Southern Slovakia where the temperatures may
reach 30 �C (86 �F) in summer, occasionally to 39 �C (102 �F) in Hurbanovo. During
night, the temperatures drop to 20 �C (68 �F). The daily temperatures in winter
average in the range of -5 �C (23 �F) to 10 �C (50 �F). During night it may be
freezing, but usually not below -10 �C (14 �F).

In Slovakia, there are four seasons, each season (Spring, Summer, Autumn and
Winter) lasts three months. The dry continental air brings in the summer heat and
winter frosts. In contrast, oceanic air brings rainfalls and reduces summer
temperatures. In the lowlands and valleys there is often fog, especially in winter.

Summer in Spi�sk� Podhradie

Winter in Bansk� �tiavnica; the town is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Spring starts with 21 March and is characterised by colder weather with average
daily temperature of 9 �C (48 �F) in the first weeks and about 14 �C (57 �F) in May
and 17 �C (63 �F) in June. In Slovakia, the weather and climate in the spring is
very unstable.

Summer starts on 22 June and is usually characterised by hot weather with daily
temperatures exceeding 30 �C (86 �F). July is the warmest month with temperatures
up to about 37 to 40 �C (99 to 104 �F), especially in regions of southern Slovakia
� in the urban area of Kom�rno, Hurbanovo or �t�rovo. Showers or thunderstorms may
occur because of the summer monsoon called Medardova kvapka (Medard drop � 40 days
of rain). Summer in Northern Slovakia is usually mild with temperatures around 25
�C (77 �F) (less in the mountains).

Autumn in Slovakia starts on 23 September and is mostly characterised by wet

weather and wind, although the first weeks can be very warm and sunny. The average
temperature in September is around 14 �C (57 �F), in November to 3 �C (37 �F). Late
September and early October is a dry and sunny time of year (so-called Indian
Summer).

Winter starts on 21 December with temperatures around -5 to -10 �C (23 to 14 �F).

In December and January it is usually snowing, these are the coldest months of the
year. At lower altitudes, snow does not stay the whole winter, it is changing into
the thaw and frost. Winters are colder in the mountains, where the snow usually
lasts until March or April and the night temperatures fall to -20 �C (-4 �F) and
colder.[67]

Biodiversity
See also: Endemic Plant Species in Slovakia

Rupicapra rupicapra tatrica in the Tatra Mountains

Slovakia signed the Rio Convention on Biological Diversity on 19 May 1993, and
became a party to the convention on 25 August 1994.[68] It has subsequently
produced a National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan, which was received by
the convention on 2 November 1998.[69]

The biodiversity of Slovakia comprises animals (such as annellids, arthropods,

molluscs, nematodes and vertebrates), fungi (Ascomycota, Basidiomycota,
Chytridiomycota, Glomeromycota and Zygomycota), micro-organisms (including
Mycetozoa), and plants.

Fungi
Over 4000 species of fungi have been recorded from Slovakia.[70][71] Of these,
nearly 1500 are lichen-forming species.[72] Some of these fungi are undoubtedly
endemic, but not enough is known to say how many. Of the lichen-forming species,
about 40% have been classified as threatened in some way. About 7% are apparently
extinct, 9% endangered, 17% vulnerable, and 7% rare. The conservation status of
non-lichen-forming fungi in Slovakia is not well documented, but there is a red
list for its larger fungi.[73]

Politics and government

Main articles: Politics of Slovakia and Law of Slovakia
See also: Prime Minister of Slovakia and List of Presidents of Slovakia

Grassalkovich Palace in Bratislava is the seat of the President of Slovakia

The National Council building in Bratislava

Episcopal Summer Palace, the seat of the government of Slovakia
Slovakia is a parliamentary democratic republic with a multi-party system. The last
parliamentary elections were held on 5 March 2016 and two rounds of presidential
elections took place on 15 and 29 March 2014.

The Slovak head of state and the formal head of the executive is the president
(currently Andrej Kiska), though with very limited powers. The president is elected
by direct, popular vote under the two-round system for a five-year term. Most
executive power lies with the head of government, the prime minister (currently
Peter Pellegrini), who is usually the leader of the winning party, but he/she needs
to form a majority coalition in the parliament. The prime minister is appointed by
the president. The remainder of the cabinet is appointed by the president on the
recommendation of the prime minister.

Slovakia's highest legislative body is the 150-seat unicameral National Council of

the Slovak Republic (N�rodn� rada Slovenskej republiky). Delegates are elected for
a four-year term on the basis of proportional representation.

Slovakia's highest judicial body is the Constitutional Court of Slovakia (�stavn�

s�d), which rules on constitutional issues. The 13 members of this court are
appointed by the president from a slate of candidates nominated by parliament.

The Constitution of the Slovak Republic was ratified 1 September 1992, and became
effective 1 January 1993. It was amended in September 1998 to allow direct election
of the president and again in February 2001 due to EU admission requirements. The
civil law system is based on Austro-Hungarian codes. The legal code was modified to
comply with the obligations of Organization on Security and Cooperation in Europe
(OSCE) and to expunge the Marxist�Leninist legal theory. Slovakia accepts the
compulsory International Court of Justice jurisdiction with reservations.

Main office holders

Office Name Party Since
President Andrej Kiska Independent 15 June 2014
Prime Minister Peter Pellegrini SMER-SD 22 March 2018
Speaker of the National Council of the Slovak Republic Andrej Danko SNS
23 March 2016
Deputy Speakers of the National Council of the Slovak Republic B�la Bug�r
Martin Glv�c
Andrej Hrnciar
Lucia Duri� Nicholsonov� Most�H�d
SMER-SD
#SIET
Freedom and Solidarity 23 March 2016
23 March 2016
23 March 2016
23 March 2016
Foreign relations
Main article: Foreign relations of Slovakia
See also: List of diplomatic missions of Slovakia

Embassy of Japan in Bratislava

Slovak Embassy in Washington, D.C.

Slovakia joined the European Union and NATO in 2004 and the Eurozone in 2009.

Slovakia is a member of the United Nations (since 1993) and participates in its
specialized agencies. The country was, on 10 October 2005, elected to a two-year
term on the UN Security Council from 2006 to 2007. It is also a member of the
Schengen Area, the Council of Europe (CoE), the Organization for Security and
Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), the World Trade Organization (WTO), the Organisation
for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the European Organization for
Nuclear Research (CERN) and part of the Visegrad Four (V4, Slovakia, Hungary, the
Czech Republic, and Poland).

In 2018, Slovak citizens had visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to 179 countries

and territories, ranking the Slovak passport 10th in the world.[74]

Slovakia maintains diplomatic relations with 134 countries, primarily through its
Ministry of Foreign Affairs. As of December 2013, Slovakia maintained 90 missions
abroad, including 64 embassies, seven missions to multilateral organisations, nine
consulates-general, one consular office, one Slovak Economic and Cultural Office
and eight Slovak Institutes.[75] There are 44 embassies and 35 honorary consulates
in Bratislava.

Military
Main article: Military of Slovakia

Slovak 5th Special Forces Regiment operating in eastern Afghanistan

The Armed Forces of the Slovak Republic number 14,000 uniformed personnel.[76]
Slovakia joined NATO in March 2004.[77] The country has been an active participant
in US- and NATO-led military actions. There is a joint Czech-Slovak peacekeeping
force in Kosovo. From 2006 the army transformed into a fully professional
organisation and compulsory military service was abolished.

Slovak Ground Forces are made up of two active mechanised infantry brigades. The
Air and Air Defence Forces comprise one wing of fighters, one wing of utility
helicopters, and one SAM brigade. Training and support forces comprise a National
Support Element (Multifunctional Battalion, Transport Battalion, Repair Battalion),
a garrison force of the capital city Bratislava, as well as a training battalion,
and various logistics and communication and information bases. Miscellaneous forces
under the direct command of the General Staff include the 5th Special Forces
Regiment.

Human rights
The US State Department in 2017 reported:

The government generally respected the human rights of its citizens; however, there
were problems in some areas. The most significant human rights issues included
incidents of interference with privacy; corruption; widespread discrimination
against Roma minority; and security force violence against ethnic and racial
minorities government actions and rhetoric did little to discourage. The government
investigated reports of abuses by members of the security forces and other
government institutions, although some observers questioned the thoroughness of
these investigations. Some officials engaged in corrupt practices with impunity.
Two former ministers were convicted of corruption during the year.[78]

Human rights in Slovakia are guaranteed by the Constitution of Slovakia from the
year 1992 and by multiple international laws signed in Slovakia between 1948 and
2006.[79]

Administrative divisions
Main articles: Regions of Slovakia, Districts of Slovakia, and List of
municipalities and towns in Slovakia

Bratislava, capital and largest city of Slovakia

As for administrative division, Slovakia is subdivided into 8 krajov (singular �
kraj, usually translated as "region"), each of which is named after its principal
city. Regions have enjoyed a certain degree of autonomy since 2002. Their self-
governing bodies are referred to as Self-governing (or autonomous) Regions (sg.
samospr�vny kraj, pl. samospr�vne kraje) or Upper-Tier Territorial Units (sg. vy���
�zemn� celok, pl. vy��ie �zemn� celky, abbr. V�C).

The "kraje" are subdivided into many okresy (sg. okres, usually translated as
counties). Slovakia currently has 79 districts.

The okresy are further divided into obc� (sg. obec, usually translated as
"municipality"). There are currently 2,890 obc�.

In terms of economics and unemployment rate, the western regions are richer than
eastern regions. Bratislava is the third richest region of the European Union by
GDP (PPP) per capita (after Hamburg and Luxembourg City), GDP at purchasing power
parity is about three times higher than in other Slovak regions.[80][81]

Slovakia location map no surrounding.svgPresovsky vlajka.svgPre�ovKosicky

vlajka.svgKo�iceZilinsky vlajka.svg�ilinaBanskobystricky vlajka.svgBansk�
BystricaTrenciansky vlajka.svgTrenc�nNitriansky vlajka.svgNitraTrnavsky
vlajka.svgTrnavaBratislavsky vlajka.svgBratislava
Name in English Name in Slovak Administrative seat Population (2011)
Bratislava Region Bratislavsk� kraj Coat of Arms of Bratislava.svg Bratislava
602,436
Trnava Region Trnavsk� kraj Coa Slovakia Town Nagyszombat.svg Trnava
554,741
Nitra Region Nitriansky kraj Nitra CoA.svg Nitra 689,867
Trenc�n Region Trenciansky kraj Coat of arms of Trencin.png Trenc�n 594,328
Bansk� Bystrica Region Banskobystrick� kraj Banska Bystrica Erb.svg Bansk�
Bystrica 660,563
�ilina Region �ilinsk� kraj �ilina Erb.svg �ilina 688,851
Ko�ice Region Ko�ick� kraj Ko�ice 791,723
Pre�ov Region Pre�ovsk� kraj CoA Pre�ov.svg Pre�ov 814,527
Economy
Main article: Economy of Slovakia

National Bank of Slovakia in Bratislava

The Slovak economy is a developed, high-income[82] economy, with the GDP per capita
equalling 77% of the average of the European Union in 2016.[83] The country has
difficulties addressing regional imbalances in wealth and employment.[84] GDP per
capita ranges from 188% of EU average in Bratislava to 54% in Eastern Slovakia.

The OECD in 2017 reported:

The Slovak Republic continues exhibiting robust economic performance, with strong
growth backed by a sound financial sector, low public debt and high international
competitiveness drawing on large inward investment.[85]

In 2017, Slovakia was ranked by the International Monetary Fund as the 39th richest
country in the world (out of 187 countries), with purchasing power parity per
capita GDP of $32,895. The country used to be dubbed the "Tatra Tiger". Slovakia
successfully transformed from a centrally planned economy to a market-driven
economy. Major privatisations are completed, the banking sector is almost
completely in private hands, and foreign investment has risen.

Slovakia is part of the Schengen Area, the EU single market, and since 2009, the
Eurozone (dark blue)
The Slovak economy is one of the fastest growing economies in Europe and 3rd
fastest in eurozone (2017). In 2007, 2008 and 2010 (with GDP growth of 10.5%, 6%
and 4% retrospectively). In 2016, more than 86% of Slovak exports went to European
Union, and more than 50% of Slovak imports came from other European Union member
states.[86]

The ratio of government debt to GDP in Slovakia reached 52% by the end of 2016, far
below the OECD average.[87]

Unemployment, peaking at 19% at the end of 1999, decreased to 5,09% at the end of
2018, lowest recorded rate in Slovak history.[88]

Inflation dropped from an average annual rate of 12% in 2000 to just 3.3% in 2002,
an election year, but it rose again in 2003�2004 because of rising labour costs and
taxes. It reached only 1% in 2010 which is the lowest recorded rate since 1993.[89]
The rate was at 4% in 2011.

Slovakia adopted the Euro currency on 1 January 2009 as the 16th member of the
Eurozone. The euro in Slovakia was approved by the European commission on 7 May
2008. The Slovak koruna was revalued on 28 May 2008 to 30.126 for 1 euro,[90] which
was also the exchange rate for the euro.[91]

High-rise buildings in Bratislava's business districts

Slovakia is an attractive country for foreign investors mainly because of its low
wages, low tax rates and well educated labour force. In recent years, Slovakia has
been pursuing a policy of encouraging foreign investment. FDI inflow grew more than
600% from 2000 and cumulatively reached an all-time high of $17.3 billion in 2006,
or around $22,000 per capita by the end of 2008.

In March 2008, the Ministry of Finance announced that Slovakia's economy is

developed enough to stop being an aid receiver from the World Bank. Slovakia became
an aid provider at the end of 2008.[92]

Industry
See also: Automotive industry in Slovakia

ESET headquarters in Bratislava

Although Slovakia's GDP comes mainly from the tertiary (services) sector, the
industrial sector also plays an important role within its economy. The main
industry sectors are car manufacturing and electrical engineering. Since 2007,
Slovakia has been the world's largest producer of cars per capita,[93] with a total
of 1.040.000 cars manufactured in the country in 2016 alone.[19] There are
currently four automobile assembly plants: Volkswagen's in Bratislava (models:
Volkswagen Up, Volkswagen Touareg, Audi Q7, Audi Q8, Porsche Cayenne, Lamborghini
Urus), PSA Peugeot Citro�n's in Trnava (models: Peugeot 208, Citro�n C3 Picasso),
Kia Motors' �ilina Plant (models: Kia Cee'd, Kia Sportage, Kia Venga) and Jaguar
Land Rover's in Nitra (model: Land Rover Discovery).

From electrical engineering companies, Foxconn has a factory at Nitra for LCD TV
manufacturing, Samsung at Galanta for computer monitors and television sets
manufacturing.

ESET is an IT security company from Bratislava with more than 1,000[94] employees
worldwide at present. Their branch offices are in the United States, Ireland,
United Kingdom, Argentina, the Czech Republic, Singapore and Poland.[95]

A graphical depiction of Slovakia's product exports in 28 colour-coded categories

Bratislava's geographical position in Central Europe has long made Bratislava a
crossroads for international trade traffic.[96][97] Various ancient trade routes,
such as the Amber Road and the Danube waterway, have crossed territory of present-
day Bratislava. Today, Bratislava is the road, railway, waterway and airway hub.
[98]

Energy

Nuclear Power Plant Mochovce

In 2012, Slovakia produced a total of 28,393 GWh of electricity while at the same
time consumed 28 786 GWh. The slightly higher level of consumption than the
capacity of production (- 393 GWh) meant the country was not self-sufficient in
energy sourcing. Slovakia imported electricity mainly from the Czech Republic (9
961 GWh � 73.6% of total import) and exported mainly to Hungary (10 231 GWh � 78.2%
of total export).

Nuclear energy accounts for 53.8% of total electricity production in Slovakia,

followed by 18.1% of thermal power energy, 15.1% by hydro power energy, 2% by solar
energy, 9.6% by other sources and the rest 1.4% is imported.[99]

The two nuclear power-plants in Slovakia are in Jaslovsk� Bohunice and Mochovce,
each of them containing two operating reactors. Prior to the accession of Slovakia
to the EU in 2004, the government agreed to turn-off the V1 block of Jaslovsk�
Bohunice power-plant, built in 1978. After deactivating the last of the two
reactors of the V1 block in 2008, Slovakia instantly stopped being self-dependent
in energy production.[citation needed] Currently there is another block (V2) with
two active reactors in Jaslovsk� Bohunice. It is scheduled for decommissioning in
2025. Two new reactors are under construction in Mochovce plant. The nuclear power
production in Slovakia sometimes draws attention to Austrian green-energy activists
who occasionally organise protests and block the borders between the two countries.
[citation needed]

Transportation
Main article: Transport in Slovakia

A tram in the northern town of Vysok� Tatry

D1 motorway
There are four main highways D1 to D4 and eight express ways R1 to R8. Most of them
are still in the planning phase.

The D1 motorway connects Bratislava to Trnava, Nitra, Trenc�n, �ilina and beyond,
while the D2 motorway connects it to Prague, Brno and Budapest in the north-south
direction. A large part of D4 motorway (an outer bypass), which should ease the
pressure on Bratislava's highway system, is scheduled to open in 2020.[100]

The A6 motorway to Vienna connects Slovakia directly to the Austrian motorway

system and was opened on 19 November 2007.[101]

Bratislava's M. R. �tef�nik Airport is the main international airport in Slovakia.

It is located 9 kilometres (5.6 miles) northeast of the city centre. It serves
civil and governmental, scheduled and unscheduled domestic and international
flights. The current runways support the landing of all common types of aircraft
currently used. The airport has enjoyed rapidly growing passenger traffic in recent
years; it served 279,028 passengers in 2000 and 2,292,712 in 2018.[102] Smaller
airports served by passenger airlines include those in Ko�ice and Poprad.

The Port of Bratislava is one of the two international river ports in Slovakia. The
port connects Bratislava to international boat traffic, especially the
interconnection from the North Sea to the Black Sea via the Rhine-Main-Danube
Canal. Additionally, tourist boats operate from Bratislava's passenger port,
including routes to Dev�n, Vienna and elsewhere.
Tourism
Main article: Tourism in Slovakia
See also: List of castles in Slovakia and List of World Heritage Sites in Slovakia

Bojnice Castle

The centre of Bardejov � a UNESCO World Heritage Site

Cable cars at Jasn� in the Tatra Mountains

The Old Town in Bratislava

Slovakia features natural landscapes, mountains, caves, medieval castles and towns,
folk architecture, spas and ski resorts. More than 5,4 million tourists visited
Slovakia in 2017, and the most attractive destinations are the capital of
Bratislava and the High Tatras.[103] Most visitors come from the Czech Republic
(about 26%), Poland (15%) and Germany (11%).[104]

Slovakia contains many castles, most of which are in ruins. The best known castles
include Bojnice Castle (often used as a filming location), Spi� Castle, (on the
UNESCO list), Orava Castle, Bratislava Castle, and the ruins of Dev�n Castle.
Cachtice Castle was once the home of the world's most prolific female serial
killer, the 'Bloody Lady', Elizabeth B�thory.

Slovakia's position in Europe and the country's past (part of the Kingdom of
Hungary, the Habsburg monarchy and Czechoslovakia) made many cities and towns
similar to the cities in the Czech Republic (such as Prague), Austria (such as
Salzburg) or Hungary (such as Budapest). A historical center with at least one
square has been preserved in many towns. Large historical centers can be found in
Bratislava, Trenc�n, Ko�ice, Bansk� �tiavnica, Levoca, and Trnava. Historical
centers have been going through restoration in recent years.

Historical churches can be found in virtually every village and town in Slovakia.
Most of them are built in the Baroque style, but there are also many examples of
Romanesque and Gothic architecture, for example Bansk� Bystrica, Bardejov and
Spi�sk� Kapitula. The Basilica of St. James in Levoca with the tallest wood-carved
altar in the world and the Church of the Holy Spirit in �ehra with medieval frescos
are UNESCO World Heritage Sites. The St. Martin's Concathedral in Bratislava served
as the coronation church for the Kingdom of Hungary. The oldest sacral buildings in
Slovakia stem from the Great Moravian period in the 9th century. Very precious
structures are the complete wooden churches of northern and northern-eastern
Slovakia. Most were built from the 15th century onwards by Catholics, Lutherans and
members of eastern-rite churches.

Typical souvenirs from Slovakia are dolls dressed in folk costumes, ceramic
objects, crystal glass, carved wooden figures, crp�ks (wooden pitchers), fujaras (a
folk instrument on the UNESCO list) and vala�kas (a decorated folk hatchet) and
above all products made from corn husks and wire, notably human figures. Souvenirs
can be bought in the shops run by the state organisation �LUV (�stredie ludovej
umeleckej v�roby � Centre of Folk Art Production). Dielo shop chain sells works of
Slovak artists and craftsmen. These shops are mostly found in towns and cities.

Prices of imported products are generally the same as in the neighbouring

countries, whereas prices of local products and services, especially food, are
usually lower.

Science
The Slovak Academy of Sciences has been the most important scientific and research
institution in the country since 1953. Slovaks have made notable scientific and
technical contributions during the history. Slovakia is currently in the
negotiation process of becoming a member of the European Space Agency. Observer
status was granted in 2010, when Slovakia signed the General Agreement on
Cooperation[105] in which information about ongoing education programmes was shared
and Slovakia was invited to various negotiations of the ESA. In 2015, Slovakia
signed the European Cooperating State Agreement based on which Slovakia committed
to the finance entrance programme named PECS (Plan for the European Cooperating
States) which serves as preparation for full membership. Slovak research and
development organizations can apply for funding of projects regarding space
technologies advancement. Full membership of Slovakia in the ESA is expected in
2020 after signing the ESA Convention. Slovakia will be obliged to set state budget
inclusive ESA funding.

Demographics
Main article: Demographics of Slovakia
Further information: List of Slovaks
vte
Largest cities or towns in Slovakia
�tatistick� �rad Slovenskej republiky � 31 December 2011
Rank Name Region Pop. Rank Name Region Pop.
Bratislava
Bratislava
Ko�ice
Ko�ice 1 Bratislava Bratislava 432,801 11 Prievidza Trenc�n
48,866 Pre�ov
Pre�ov
�ilina
�ilina
2 Ko�ice Ko�ice 240,688 12 Zvolen Bansk� Bystrica 43,311
3 Pre�ov Pre�ov 91,638 13 Pova�sk� Bystrica Trenc�n 41,153
4 �ilina �ilina 81,515 14 Michalovce Ko�ice 39,940
5 Bansk� Bystrica Bansk� Bystrica 79,775 15 Nov� Z�mky Nitra 39,585
6 Nitra Nitra 78,875 16 Spi�sk� Nov� Ves Ko�ice 37,948
7 Trnava Trnava 66,219 17 Humenn� Pre�ov 34,913
8 Martin �ilina 57,300 18 Levice Nitra 34,649
9 Trenc�n Trenc�n 55,832 19 Kom�rno Nitra 34,478
10 Poprad Pre�ov 52,791 20 Bardejov Pre�ov 33,625
According to the 2011 census,[106] the majority of the inhabitants of Slovakia are
Slovaks (80.7%). Hungarians are the largest ethnic minority (8.5%). Other ethnic
groups include Roma (2%),[107] Czechs (0.6%), Rusyns (0.6%) and others or
unspecified (7.6%).[108] Unofficial estimates on the Roma population are much
higher, around 5.6%.[109]

In 2007 Slovakia was estimated to have a total fertility rate of 1.33[62] (i.e.,
the average woman will have 1.33 children in her lifetime), which is significantly
below the replacement level and is one of the lowest rates among EU countries.

The largest waves of Slovak emigration occurred in the 19th and early 20th
centuries. In the 1990 US census, 1.8 million people self-identified as having
Slovak ancestry.[110]

Languages
Main article: Slovak language
See also: History of the Slovak language

The Slovak alphabet has 46 characters, of which 3 are digraphs and 18 contain
diacritics.
The official language is Slovak, a member of the Slavic language family. Hungarian
is widely spoken in the southern regions, and Rusyn is used in some parts of the
Northeast. Minority languages hold co-official status in the municipalities in
which the size of the minority population meets the legal threshold of 15% in two
consecutive censuses.[111]

Slovakia is ranked among the top EU countries regarding the knowledge of foreign
languages. In 2007, 68% of the population aged from 25 to 64 years claimed to speak
two or more foreign languages, finishing 2nd highest in the European Union. The
best known foreign language in Slovakia is Czech. Eurostat report also shows that
98.3% of Slovak students in the upper secondary education take on two foreign
languages, ranking highly over the average 60.1% in the European Union.[112]

The deaf community uses the Slovak Sign Language. Even though spoken Czech and
Slovak are similar, the Slovak Sign language is not particularly close to Czech
Sign Language.

Religion
Main article: Religion in Slovakia
See also: History of Christianity in Slovakia and History of the Jews in Slovakia

Basilica of St. James in Levoca

St. Elisabeth Cathedral in Ko�ice is Slovakia's largest church

The Slovak constitution guarantees freedom of religion. In 2011, 62.0% of Slovaks
identified themselves as Roman Catholics, 8.9% as Protestants, 3.8% as Greek
Catholics, 0.9% as Orthodox, 13.4% identified themselves as atheists or non-
religious, and 10.6% did not answer the question about their belief.[113] In 2004,
about one third of the then church members regularly attended church services.[114]
The Slovak Greek Catholic Church is an Eastern rite sui iuris Catholic Church.
Before World War II, an estimated 90,000 Jews lived in Slovakia (1.6% of the
population), but most were murdered during the Holocaust. After further reductions
due to postwar emigration and assimilation, only about 2,300 Jews remain today
(0.04% of the population).[115]

There are 18 state-registered religions in Slovakia, of which 16 are Christian, one

is Jewish, and one is Bah�'�.[116] In 2016, a two-third majority of the Slovak
parliament passed a new bill that will obstruct Islam and other religious
organisations from becoming state-recognised religion by doubling the minimum
followers threshold from 25,000 to 50,000; however, Slovak president Andrej Kiska
vetoed the bill.[116] In 2010, there were an estimated 5,000 Muslims in Slovakia
representing less than 0.1% of the country's population.[117] Slovakia is the last
member state of the European Union without a mosque.[118]

Education
Main article: Education in Slovakia

Comenius University headquarters in Bratislava

The Programme for International Student Assessment, coordinated by the OECD,
currently ranks Slovak secondary education the 30th in the world (placing it just
below the United States and just above Spain).[119] Education in Slovakia is
compulsory from age 6 to 16. The education system consists of elementary school
which is divided into two parts, the first grade (age 6�10) and the second grade
(age 10�15) which is finished by taking nationwide testing called Monitor, from
Slovak language and math. Parents may apply for social assistance for a child that
is studying on an elementary school or a high-school. If approved, the state
provides basic study necessities for the child. Schools provide books to all their
students with usual exceptions of books for studying a foreign language and books
which require taking notes in them, which are mostly present at the first grade of
elementary school.
After finishing elementary school, students are obliged to take one year in high
school.

After finishing a high school, students can go to university and are highly
encouraged to do so. Slovakia has a wide range of universities. The biggest
university is Comenius University, established in 1919. Although it's not the first
university ever established on Slovak territory, it's the oldest university that is
still running. Most universities in Slovakia are public funded, where anyone can
apply. Every citizen has a right to free education in public schools.

Slovakia has several privately funded universities, however public universities

consistently score better in the ranking than their private counterparts.
Universities have different criteria for accepting students. Anyone can apply to
any number of universities.

Culture
Main article: Culture of Slovakia
Folk tradition

Wooden folk architecture can be seen in the well preserved village of Vlkol�nec, a
UNESCO World Heritage Site

Slovak folk dance

Folk tradition has rooted strongly in Slovakia and is reflected in literature,
music, dance and architecture. The prime example is a Slovak national anthem, "Nad
Tatrou sa bl�ska", which is based on a melody from "Kopala studienku" folk song.

Manifestation of Slovak folklore culture is the "V�chodn�" Folklore Festival. It is

the oldest and largest nationwide festival with international participation,[120]
which takes place in V�chodn� annually. Slovakia is usually represented by many
groups but mainly by SLUK (Slovensk� ludov� umeleck� kolekt�v � Slovak folk art
collective). SLUK is the largest Slovak folk art group, trying to preserve the
folklore tradition.

An example of wooden folk architecture in Slovakia can be seen in the well

preserved village of Vlkol�nec which has been the UNESCO World Heritage Site since
1993.[121] The Pre�ov Region preserves the world's most remarkable folk wooden
churches. Most of them are protected by Slovak law as cultural heritage, but some
of them are on the UNESCO list too, in Bodru�al, Hervartov, Ladomirov� and Rusk�
Bystr�.

The best known Slovak hero, found in many folk mythologies, is Juraj J�no��k
(1688�1713) (the Slovak equivalent of Robin Hood). The legend says he was taking
from the rich and giving to the poor. J�no��k's life was depicted in a list of
literature works and many movies throughout the 20th century. One of the most
popular is a film J�no��k directed by Martin Fric in 1935.[122]

Art

Main altar in Basilica of St. James from the workshop of Master Paul of Levoca,
highest wooden altar in the world, 1517

Andy Warhol Museum of Modern Art in Medzilaborce. Andy Warhol's parents were
immigrants from Slovakia
Visual art in Slovakia is represented through painting, drawing, printmaking,
illustration, arts and crafts, sculpture, photography or conceptual art. The Slovak
National Gallery founded in 1948, is the biggest network of galleries in Slovakia.
Two displays in Bratislava are situated in Esterh�zy Palace (Esterh�zyho pal�c) and
the Water Barracks (Vodn� kas�rne), adjacent one to another. They are located on
the Danube riverfront in the Old Town.[123][124]

The Bratislava City Gallery, founded in 1961 is the second biggest Slovak gallery
of its kind. It stores about 35,000 pieces of Slovak and international art and
offers permanent displays in P�lffy Palace and Mirbach Palace, located in the Old
Town. Danubiana Art Museum, one of the youngest art museums in Europe, is situated
near Cunovo waterworks (part of Gabc�kovo Waterworks). Other major galleries
include: Andy Warhol Museum of Modern Art, East Slovak Gallery, Ernest Zmet�k Art
Gallery, Zvolen Castle.

Literature
Further information: Slovak literature

Ludov�t �t�r, the author of the Slovak language standard

For a list of notable Slovak writers and poets, see List of Slovak authors.

Christian topics include: poem Proglas as a foreword to the four Gospels, partial
translations of the Bible into Old Church Slavonic, Zakon sudnyj ljudem.

Medieval literature, in the period from the 11th to the 15th centuries, was written
in Latin, Czech and Slovakised Czech. Lyric (prayers, songs and formulas) was still
controlled by the Church, while epic was concentrated on legends. Authors from this
period include Johannes de Thurocz, author of the Chronica Hungarorum and Maurus,
both of them Hungarians.[125] The worldly literature also emerged and chronicles
were written in this period.

There were two leading persons who codified the Slovak language. The first was
Anton Bernol�k whose concept was based on the western Slovak dialect in 1787. It
was the codification of the first ever literary language of Slovaks. The second was
Ludov�t �t�r, whose formation of the Slovak language took principles from the
central Slovak dialect in 1843.

Slovakia is also known for its polyhistors, of whom include Pavol Jozef �af�rik,
Matej Bel, J�n Koll�r, and its political revolutionaries and reformists, such Milan
Rastislav �tef�nik and Alexander Dubcek.

Cuisine
Main article: Slovak cuisine
See also: Slovak wine and Beer in Slovakia

Halu�ky with bryndza cheese, kapustnica soup and Zlat� Ba�ant dark beer � examples
of Slovak cuisine
Traditional Slovak cuisine is based mainly on pork, poultry (chicken is the most
widely eaten, followed by duck, goose, and turkey), flour, potatoes, cabbage, and
milk products. It is relatively closely related to Hungarian, Czech and Austrian
cuisine. On the east it is also influenced by Ukrainian and Polish cuisine. In
comparison with other European countries, "game meat" is more accessible in
Slovakia due to vast resources of forest and because hunting is relatively popular.
[126] Boar, rabbit, and venison are generally available throughout the year. Lamb
and goat are eaten but are not widely popular.

The traditional Slovak meals are bryndzov� halu�ky, bryndzov� pirohy and other
meals with potato dough and bryndza. Bryndza is a salty cheese made of a sheep
milk, characterised by a strong taste and aroma. Bryndzov� halu�ky must be on the
menu of every traditional Slovak restaurant.

A typical soup is a sauerkraut soup ("kapustnica"). A blood sausage called

"krvavnica", made from any and all parts of a butchered pig is also a specific
Slovak meal.
Wine is enjoyed throughout Slovakia. Slovak wine comes predominantly from the
southern areas along the Danube and its tributaries; the northern half of the
country is too cold and mountainous to grow grapevines. Traditionally, white wine
was more popular than red or ros� (except in some regions), and sweet wine more
popular than dry, but in recent years tastes seem to be changing.[127] Beer (mainly
of the pilsener style, though dark lagers are also consumed) is also popular.

Sport
Main article: Sport in Slovakia
Sporting activities are practised widely in Slovakia, many of them on a
professional level. Ice hockey and football have traditionally been regarded as the
most popular sports in Slovakia, though tennis, handball, basketball, volleyball,
whitewater slalom, cycling and athletics are also popular.

Ice Hockey

The Slovak national ice hockey team celebrating a victory against Sweden at the
2010 Winter Olympics
One of the most popular team sports in Slovakia is ice hockey. Slovakia became a
member of the IIHF on 2 February 1993[128] and since then has won 4 medals in Ice
Hockey World Championships, consisting of 1 gold, 2 silver and 1 bronze. The most
recent success was a silver medal at the 2012 IIHF World Championship in Helsinki.
The Slovak national hockey team made five appearances in the Olympic games,
finishing 4th in the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver. The country has 8280
registered players and is ranked 7th in the IIHF World Ranking at present. Prior to
2012, the Slovak team HC Slovan Bratislava participated in the Kontinental Hockey
League, considered the strongest hockey league in Europe, and the second-best in
the world.[129]

Slovakia hosted the 2011 IIHF World Championship, where Finland won the gold medal.
Competitions took place in Bratislava and Ko�ice.

Football

National football stadium in Bratislava.

Association football is the most popular sport in Slovakia, with over 400,000
registered players. Since 1993, the Slovak national football team has qualified for
the FIFA World Cup once, in 2010. They progressed to the last 16, where they were
defeated by the Netherlands. The most notable result was the 3�2 victory over
Italy. In 2016, the Slovak national football team qualified for the UEFA Euro 2016
tournament, under head coach J�n Koz�k. This helped the team reach their best ever
position of 14th in the FIFA World Rankings.

In club competitions, only three teams have qualified for the UEFA Champions League
Group Stage, namely MFK Ko�ice in 1997�98, FC Artmedia Bratislava in 2005�06
season, and M�K �ilina in 2010�11. FC Artmedia Bratislava has been the most
successful team, finishing 3rd at the Group Stage of the UEFA Cup, therefore
qualifying for the knockout stage. They remain the only Slovak club that has won a
match at the group stage.

See also
flag Slovakia portal
Outline of Slovakia
Notes
Slovaks differentiate between Uhorsko (the historic state) and Madarsko (the
modern state) while both tend to be rendered as Hungary in English.
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