Slovakia is a European country with a rich history and a huge number of architectural and cultural attractions. Many magnificent ancient castles return the guests of the country to a knightly fairy tale, and its unique mountain landscape is able to compete with the world's best ski resorts.
Slovakia on the map
Slovakia (Slovak Republic) is a small state that is located in Central Europe. Slovakia has a common border with Ukraine, the Czech Republic, Poland, Austria and Hungary. The map below shows that the country has no access to the sea.
The total area is 48 thousand square kilometers. Five and a half million people live on this territory. The capital of the state is Bratislava. Geographically, the country is divided into eight regions, which are divided into regions.
The bulk of Slovakia is located in the Tatras and the Western Carpathians. In the south there are hills and fertile plains. Throughout the country flowing rivers. The largest of them are Gron, Danube, Tisza, Vag. A little less than half of the entire territory of the country is occupied by mixed, broad-leaved and coniferous forests. In the mountains are alpine meadows. In the forests of Slovakia there are bears, wolves, foxes, deer, squirrels. To date, nine national parks have been created.
The country is in the continental climate zone. It has wet and hot summers and rather cold and dry winters. In the mountains, summers are much cooler and harsher winters - the most rainfall occurs.
The tourism industry is actively developing in Slovakia. Every year, thousands of tourists from all over the world flock here to see the picturesque nature, majestic mountains and caves, ancient cities. There are many who wish to visit excellent ski resorts.
Cities of Slovakia
There are several fairly large and industrialized centers in the country. The most famous cities of Slovakia we will present to you in this article.
Bratislava is the largest city in Slovakia and its capital. The city was founded in 907. The capital has a rich history, so there are many attractions that are of great interest to tourists. This beautiful city has a comfortable and informative vacation. Public transport is available around the clock. True, all the most interesting places in the center, so any monument can be reached on foot.
The visiting card of the city is Bratislava Castle, the image of which is often used on badges, pennants and other souvenirs. Fans of modern architecture will surely enjoy the New Bridge. On one of its pillars is a restaurant and an observation deck.
Kosice - this city is slightly inferior to Bratislava in size and is strikingly different in its appearance and special atmosphere. Perhaps that is why it causes no less interest of tourists.
Here you can also see interesting sights. Slovakia is proud of the old center in Kosice, which has been preserved to this day (the city was founded in the 13th century), which history buffs will appreciate.
Today it is an important industrial center of the country. This is immediately noticeable in the modern urban architecture of Kosice. The main attraction of the city is the unusually beautiful Cathedral of St. Elizabeth.
Trencin - the city originates from the castle founded here in the 11th century. It is the third largest in the country. Today it is a cozy campus known for its active nightlife and summer music festival, which attracts young people from Eastern Europe.
It is located near Bratislava. In its vicinity there is the oldest (19th century) resort known to the whole world, Trencianske Teplice. It is famous for its hot sulfur springs.
Banska Bystrica. The city is protected by UNESCO. There are many architectural and historical monuments. The magnificent natural landscape of this place is very reminiscent of western Slovakia. Banska Bystrica is famous for its beer. For five centuries, the city has been a brewing center.
Attractions (Slovakia)
Slovakia is often called the country of castles and palaces. Indeed, there are quite a few such unique monuments. Nevertheless, we would like to begin our acquaintance with the country with its main natural attraction.
Tatras
By their beauty, these mountains are able to captivate even experienced climbers. The Tatras are mountains that in Slovenia have an average peak height of 2 to 2.5 thousand meters. They are the highest part of the Carpathian ridge and the highest peaks of Europe.
In winter, tourists prefer to ski and snowboard here. Resorts in Slovakia are pleasantly pleased with excellent service. Tatras are mountains where several resorts are located. For example, one of them was located at the picturesque mountain lake Shtrebske Pleso.
Bojnice Castle
This small country has truly unique attractions. Slovakia, or rather the spa town of Bojnice, has on its territory a beautiful castle with an underground cave, turrets and a large park. Bojnitsky castle was built in the 9th century.
The castle acquired its current appearance in the 19th century. According to local residents, the last owner of the luxurious castle, Jan Palffi, passionately fell in love with a noblewoman from France and for her sake turned the clan fortress into a wonderful and cozy castle, which began to resemble a chateau on the Loire River.
In 1889, the Bojnitsky castle was rebuilt. However, neither Count Palfi himself nor his bride could see the result, since the owner suddenly died in 1908. Since local legend has it, his ghost quite often appears in the corridors of the castle. This was the reason for the creation of the annual International Festival of Ghosts and Spirits, which is held here in late April. You can get to the castle on an excursion that takes place in the evening. A costume show is shown on it - tourists are surrounded by quite peaceful ghosts.
The castle preserved a unique work of art - the altar, which was made by Zion Ortanga - Florentine master in the XIV century.
The interiors of the castle are made in the style of Tyrolean Gothic. They can be seen when visiting the historical museum, which today is housed in the Count's chambers. Tourists are invited to go down to the cave, which is located at a depth of 26 meters. It is combined with a castle well, which was created on the site of a rock fault.
Orava Castle
This magnificent castle is located on the banks of Orava, on a cliff whose height reaches 112 meters. The castle was first mentioned in the chronicles of 1256. At this time, a fortress was built on the site of a wooden building. At the end of the XIV century, the castle became the most beautiful in the country.
It is made in the Romanesque style. Orava Castle received its current appearance at the beginning of the 16th century. It has three levels. The first (oldest) are two huge and long floors, reminiscent of knight's halls. Along the entire perimeter are windows in the form of arches and alcoves in the depths of the walls.
The second and third levels were built much later (XIX century). They have many ladders and climbs. Since 1953, a large-scale reconstruction began on the territory of the castle, which lasted until 1968. Today, the Museum of Local History is located here.
Among the exhibits of the museum are elements of the flora and fauna of Orava, finds of archaeologists, etc. The Orava Castle is a national monument of Slovakia.
Mysterious cave
Tourists are always interested in natural attractions. Slovakia is famous for its many caves. On the Demänovská valley, under the northern slopes of the Low Tatras, there is the Demänovská ice cave. She became known in the Middle Ages. In Slovakia, it is the second after the Dobsina ice cave.
Despite the fact that the first information about it dates back to 1299, it became available only in the eighties of the XIX century. The entrance to the cave is located at an altitude of 840 meters above sea level. A winding path leads to it. The cave has four floors, its total length is 2.5 kilometers. 850 meters are included in the route for inspection.
Scientists believe that the ice filling of the cave appeared 500 years ago. Bones of a cave bear were discovered in the Demänovská cave . In the XVIII century, people considered them the remains of a dragon, so it was called the Dragon Cave. Ten species of bats live here.
Old town hall
Sights of Slovakia - this, of course, is the town hall located in Bratislava. This is the oldest building in the city. The Town Hall is located between Primas Square and Main Square. It is made in the Gothic style. The town hall tower was built in the 13th century, and the annex building was completely completed in the 15th century.
During the earthquake (1599), the town hall was badly damaged. The same fate befell her during the fire (XVIII century.). After this, elements of baroque and renaissance appeared in the building.
In 1912, a wing was added to the tower of the town hall, which combines elements of the Neo-Renaissance and Neo-Gothic. In the XV-XIX centuries, the city council was located here, and later in the building at different times there was an archive, a prison and a mint. In 1809, when Napoleon’s army advanced, a cannon fired from a cannon hit the town hall. It is still stored in the building. Now the museum is located in the town hall.
Monument plumbing
Tourists are also interested in the fun sights of Slovakia. One of the most original monuments recognized plumbing Chumil (Bratislava). It is located in the center of the Old Town. The monument is a plumbing in a helmet that looks out of the sewer hatch.
The word "chumil" can be translated as an observer, an onlooker. This monument reminds the townspeople of the terrible years of World War II, when people were forced to hide in sewer mines. There is a tradition - every person needs to touch the plumber's nose, and then luck will never turn away from him.
Tourists reviews
Today, many travelers are interested in Slovakia. Reviews of a trip to this small fairyland are always enthusiastic. Here everyone admires the guests - beautiful landscapes, ancient castles and palaces, friendly and hospitable residents. And this does not depend on the time of visiting the country and on which city tourists visited. Slovakia is always beautiful.