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Country SLOVAK REPUBLIC SLOVAKIA BOOK HOTEL RESERVATIONS ONLINE OR BY LIVE TELEPHONE SUPPORT 24/7 Banska Bystrica Banska Stiavnica Bardejov Bobrovec Bojnice BRATISLAVA (regional info) > Tourism & Travel Guide: Bratislava Acc-Nifos PREMIUM hotel Bratislava Apollo Hotel Bratislava Art Hotel William Bratislava Best Western Hotel Antares Bratislava BEST WESTERN HOTEL WEST Bratislava Botel Marina Bratislava Crowne Plaza Bratislava Devin Hotel Bratislava Holiday Inn Bratislava Hotel Baronka Bratislava Hotel Club Bratislava Hotel Color Bratislava Hotel Kamila Bratislava Hotel Kyjev Bratislava Hotel Marrol's Bratislava Hotel Michalska Brana Bratislava Hotel Premium Bratislava HRADNA BRANA Bratislava Ibis Bratislava Centrum Mama's Design & Boutique Hotel Bratislava Park Inn Danube Bratislava Radisson Blu Carlton Hotel Bratislava Brezno Brodzany Bukova Bytca Cingov Dolny Kubin Domasa Dunajska Streda High Tatra Humenne Jasna Kezmarok Komarno KOSICE (regional info) BW TELEDOM HTL AND CONFERENCE CENTRE Kosice Levoca Lipany Liptovske Sliace Liptovsky Hradok LIPTOVSKY MIKULAS (regional info) HOTEL KLAR Liptovsky Mikulas Lozorno Martin Modra NITRA (regional info) ALEXANDERS HOTEL Nitra Nove Zamky Osrblie Pezinok PIESTANY (regional info) BALNEA ESPLANADE Piestany BALNEA GRAND Piestany BALNEA PALACE Piestany BALNEA SPLENDID Piestany GRAND HOTEL SERGIJO PIESTANY ODEVAK HOTEL PIESTANY THE CHATEAU Piestany THERMIA PALACE Piestany Poprad Povazska Bystrica Presov Prievidza Puchov Ruzomberok Sabinov Skalica Spisska Nova Ves Stara Lubovna Stola Tatranska Strba Trencianske Teplice Trencin Trnava Velka Lomnica Vranov nad Toplou Vysne Ruzbachy VYSOKE TATRY BEST WESTERN HOTEL TULIPAN Vysoke Tatry ZILINA (regional info) BEST WESTERN PALACE HOTEL POLOM ZILINA Holiday Inn Zilina Zlate Moravce Zuberec Zvolen > more regional information about Slovak Republic Information And Maps " Money And Banks " Communications " Getting Around " Food And Drink " Emergencies " Best Of Slovakia " Slovakia On The Net " Opening Hours And Holidays " Travel Details " Explore Slovakia The republic of Slovakia (Slovensko) - independent since 1993 - consists of the long, narrow strip of land which stretches from the fertile plains of the Danube basin up to the peaks of the High Tatras - perhaps Europe's most exhilarating mountain range outside of the Alps. The country's numerous mountains have long formed barriers to industrialization and modernization, and parts of the country remain surprisingly rural and unspoilt, some to the point of neglect. There was only one independent Slovak state before 1993, when the country operated as a German protectorate during World War II - a period which remains a blot on the nation's history . Before 1918, current-day Slovakia was known as the region of Upper Hungary and lay under Magyar rule for roughly a millennium; Bratislava even became the Hungarian capital when the rest of Hungary was occupied by the Turks. However, in 1918, the Slovaks threw their lot in with their Slav neighbours, the Czechs, forming Czechoslovakia. This lasted 75 years until the country's "velvet divorce" took place in 1993. Although many Slovaks were ready to go it alone, it has to be said that others had major reservations about this, and none was given the chance to decide in a referendum. Political corruption, nationalism and slow-moving reforms put off overseas investors until a change of government in 1998, since when the country's economic prospects under Prime Minister Dzurinda have brightened and firm steps towards joining the European Union have begun. For the first-time visitor, perhaps the most striking cultural difference from the Czechs is the Slovak attitude to religion. Catholicism is much stronger here than in the Czech Republic, and the churches are often full to overflowing on Sundays. The republic also has a much more diverse population, with over half a million ethnic Hungarians in the south, as well as thousands of Romanies (gypsies), who live a fairly miserable existence throughout the country, and several thousand Ruthenians (Rusyns) in the east. Bratislava , the capital, is potentially disappointing, especially for those who arrive expecting a Slovak Prague. Taken on its own terms, however, the city is a rewarding, lively place with a compact old town. Poprad provides the transport hub for the High Tatras , the most spectacular of Slovakia's many mountain ranges, and is also the starting point for exploring the intriguing medieval towns of the Spis region, east Slovakia's architectural high point. Further east still, Presov is the cultural centre of the Ruthenian minority, while Kosice , Slovakia's vibrant second city, boasts a fine Gothic cathedral, ethnic diversity and a lively independence from much of the rest of Slovakia. |
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