Are you looking for Europe vacation ideas? We have fun facts about Slovakia in this post. Since you are a traveler, you might be looking for destinations or vacations. Slovakia is somewhere you should explore. Maybe you remember Czechoslovakia before it separated itself into Slovakia and Czech Republic? As a traveler, here are some fun facts to consider about Slovakia.
Slovakia separated from The Czech Republic in 1992. In this post we discuss its history, from the earliest culture to now, along with some tourism facts.
Slovakia is the southern portion of the former Czechoslovakia. The norther portion is now the Czech Republic. In this post we discuss Slovakia’s history, from the earliest culture to now, along with some tourism facts.
In 1989, the breakup of Czechoslovakia began with the Velvet Revolution, a bloodless overthrowing of the Communist regime. It brought back democracy to Czechs and Slovaks after fifty years of Nazi and Communist rule.
Early History
Although the history of Slovakia spans less than three decades, Slovaks have lived as a unique enclave since the fourth century BC. War besieged most of modern-day Europe and people were constantly moving. It was called the Migration of Nations. Slovakia as a territory began in the mid-seventh century. Slavs and Czechs united within the Great Moravian Empire in 833 AD.
Moravia does not exist as a country today. You can see it in the above map within the area of Bohemia, which also does not exist as a country today. However, you can see how large the area was.
After the fall of Great Moravia, Hungarian tribes invaded the territory of Slovakia. Then it became part of the Kingdom of Hungary for one thousand years. A crucial period in Slovak history was during the 19th century. when Slovaks formulated their own national movement independent of Hungary. They were striving for their own independence. But the Austria-Hungary was large, and Austria pulled most of the financial and political strings.
Part of Czechoslovakia
After the First World War, Slovaks were reunited with Czechs within the new Czecho-Slovak Republic. An independent Slovak state was established in Slovakia in 1939. But by the end of the Second World War, Czechoslovakia was restored once again. Slovakians always seemed to be part of some other country and not independent.
The Communist party seized power in the Czechoslovakia after World War II It maintained tight control until 1989, when the Velvet Revolution resulted in independence for Czechoslovakia. The Berlin Wall was down, and many Eastern bloc regimes were throwing off Communist rule.
Independence
Finally, in 1993, the Slovaks created their own independent Slovak Republic. In May 2004, Slovakia joined the European Union. Shortly thereafter, Slovakia adopted the Euro as its currency. The country now is one of the fastest growing economies in the world.
Tourism
Slovakia is set to become one of the fastest growing developed economic countries in Europe in 2019 and 2020. Tourism in Slovakia is not as big a business as it is in the Czech Republic. But Slovakia is making inroads in the industry. More than five million people visited Slovakia in 2017, primarily to visit Bratislava.
Main Square in Bratislava, Slovakia
Madeline and I visited Bratislava when we were in Austria; it was a short train ride away. Most of the tourists to Slovakia come from the Czech Republic, Poland and Germany all of which are nearby.
We thought Bratislava was interesting and would like to spend more time there when we return.