Slovakia

Discover Slovakia

Fun Foods

Bryndzové Halušky, Kapustnica, Langoš, Pirohy, Trdelník

Slovakia has only about 5.4 million people, but it builds around a million cars a year.

That’s roughly one new car for every five people, every single year, and more cars per person than any other country on Earth.

Big carmakers like Volkswagen and Kia run giant factories here. Cars make up a huge share of everything Slovakia’s factories produce.

Slovakia’s story goes back much further than cars. Its roots trace to Great Moravia, a Slavic kingdom in the 800s. Later, for centuries, the Slovak lands were part of the Kingdom of Hungary.

When the Ottoman Empire captured much of Hungary in the 1500s, the city of Bratislava became Hungary’s capital.

Between 1563 and 1830, 11 kings and 8 queens and royal wives were crowned in its St. Martin’s Cathedral, including the famous Empress Maria Theresa in 1741.

After World War I, Slovaks and Czechs joined to form a new country, Czechoslovakia, in 1918.

World War II brought Slovakia’s darkest chapter. In 1939, Slovak leaders led by a priest named Jozef Tiso broke away and set up a state allied with Nazi Germany.

In 1942, the government deported Jewish families and even paid Germany 500 Reichsmarks for each person sent away. More than 70,000 Jews were deported from Slovakia, and more than 60,000 were murdered.

Many Slovaks fought back. On August 29, 1944, they rose up against the Nazis and Tiso’s government in the Slovak National Uprising.

German troops crushed it, but the uprising is still honored today.

After the war, Czechoslovakia came under communist rule for over 40 years. In 1989, the peaceful Velvet Revolution ended it.

Then, on January 1, 1993, Czechoslovakia split into two countries, Slovakia and the Czech Republic, without a single battle. People call it the Velvet Divorce.

For adventures, explore the ruins of Spiš Castle, one of the largest castle sites in Central Europe and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

In Slovak Paradise National Park, climb ladders and grab chains along trails that run right up gorges and past waterfalls.

Bundle up for the Dobšiná Ice Cave, where frozen walls glow turquoise blue. Visit fairy-tale Bojnice Castle in spring for its Festival of Ghosts and Spirits.

In Bratislava’s Old Town, find Čumil, a bronze statue of a worker grinning up at you from a manhole.

For food, try bryndzové halušky, the national dish: little potato dumplings smothered in tangy sheep cheese and topped with crispy bacon.

On cold days, warm up with kapustnica, a hearty sauerkraut soup.

Sources: Wikipedia: Slovakia, USHMM: Jozef Tiso, and Lonely Planet: Top Things to Do in Slovakia.