Insider Travel Tips

Conquered by Celts, Slavic tribes, and under the influence of the Great Moravian empire and the Maygars, Slovakia was a part of Hungary into the Middle Ages. The relationship with Hungary continued for centuries as Slovakia aligned itself with the Austrian Hapsburg monarchy and the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Late in the 18th century, nationalist movements began to spark. The 20th century saw a new alliance with the neighbouring Czechs, at the suggestion of Slovakian intellectuals. This union was formalized at the end of WWI.

The day before Hitler invaded Czechoslovakia in March 1938, Slovak leadership made an unpopular choice and declared Slovakia a German protectorate. This put Slovakia under German power. The Yalta Agreement at the end of WWII left Slovakia as a part of Czechoslovakia, and soon after it came under communist control.

1989 witnessed the Velvet Revolution in Czechoslovakia. As a result of the revolution, the “Iron Curtain’ and the Berlin Wall came down and the country experienced dramatic democratic reforms. The desire for a democratic Slovakia was strong and many worried about the economy. On January 1 1993, the Czechoslovakian federation ceased to exist, and an independent Slovakia emerged for the first time in the region’s long history.

By 2004 the young country of Slovakia was accepted into NATO and European Union, adopting its currency, the Euro, in 2009. Main religions include Roman Catholic and Protestant, with Reformed, Lutheran, Methodist, Baptist, Jewish and Greek Orthodox minorities. The official language is Slovak, and there are also speakers of Hungarian, Ukrainian, Ruthenian, and German across the country.

Before you leave, make sure to pick up souvenirs of dolls dressed in folk costumes, ceramic objects, crystal glass, carved wooden figures, and wooden pitchers. 

Check out Devin at the confluence of the Danube and the Morav rivers for its incredible castle, Sulov Rocks, 2 hours from Bratislava, a jagged mountain part of the ‘Slovak Dolomites’ or Bojnice Castle, the most beautiful and visited castle, built in the 12th century in the style of a French chateau.