Facts about Slovakia

Many facts about Slovakia can be found on the internet. But they often contain many mistakes and inaccuracies. We have compiled the most interesting facts about Slovakia

Fact №1

Celebrities

These world-famous people have Slovak parents or grandparents: Angelina Jolie (grandfather from Kosice);

Andy Warhol (mum from Mikova);

Paul Newman (mother from the Prešov region);

Jon Bon Jovi (grandmother from Slovakia);

Ivan Reitman (parents from Komarno).

Fact №2 

Treasure

On 24 August 1935, during construction work in a building at 68 Hlavná Street in Košice. The treasure was found - one of the most important treasures in Europe and in the world. The treasure weighs eleven kilograms. It consists of 2920 gold coins, ducats, double ducats, three gold medals and a Renaissance gold chain, hidden in an unobtrusive copper vessel. The uniqueness of the find is underscored by the iconic riding medal of Ferdinand I in 1541, which was the only gold medal in the world. The find can now be seen in the East Slovenian Museum.

Continuing the theme of hoards, at the end of January 2019 another hoard was found in the same town of Košice. It consisted of more than 500 silver coins, dating back to the 15th century to the time of Sigismund III. Coins from 15 countries, dozens of ceramic goblets and playing chips were found in the treasure trove.

 

Fact №3 

River Island

Žitný ostrov (Žitný island) has two facts associated with it. The first one is the largest river island in Europe, with an area of 1,885 km², 84 km long and up to 30 km wide. The island is home to the towns of Dunajská Streda, Kolárovo, Komárno, Šamorín, Veľký Meder, Dunajská Lužná and parts of Bratislava - Vrakuňa and Podunajské Biskupice.

Another interesting fact is that Žitný ostrov is the largest underground reservoir of clean drinking water in Central Europe.

Fact №4 

Black Rock

An unusual and unique natural formation, Čertova skala, is located in the village of Budča. A large rock standing on a tiny area of a high cliff.

Fact №5 

Slovakia and Slovenia

Slovakia and Slovenia are confused by a lot of people, they are confused by TV people and Presidents (e.g. George W. Bush). In the embassies of both countries the staff face the same situation, they receive letters for the other country and even more, they receive mail addressed to the other country. And how many letters come from ordinary people? It has gotten to the point where the two countries meet once a month to jointly exchange badly mailed mail.

Fact №6

Čičmany

The unique village of Čičmany consists of 136 log houses, each one decorated with an unusual ornamentation. All of the patterns were painted using white lime, and according to research, they are all up to 200 years old. According to historical data, the first mention of this unusual settlement dates back to 1272.

Fact №7

The biggest stalagmite

It is a natural monument of world significance and is located in the Krásnohorská cave (jaskyňa). Until 2018, it was listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the tallest stalagmite in the world, 32 metres high. Listed as a UNESCO Natural World Heritage Site.

Fact №8

Redstone Castle cellars

The cellars of Red Stone Castle (Červený Kameň) were built over a period of twenty years, in the mid-16th century. They have six floors and are the largest in Central Europe.

Fact №9

The largest equestrian statue

One of the outstanding works of art that tourists love to see when travelling in Slovakia. This work of art was created by Hungarian artist Gábor Miklós Szőke using numerous stainless steel plates. The statue is 8.3 meters high, 14.6 meters long and weighs 20 tons. The statue looks different at different times of day. Tourists never miss taking pictures with this work of art. The equestrian statue is located at the X-BIONIC sports complex in Šamorín.

Fact №10

The most accurate Astronomical Clock

It is located in Stará Bystrica and takes the form of the seated Virgin Mary, the patron saint of Slovakia. It is the largest wooden building in Slovakia. The clock is controlled by a computer from three atomic clocks. It has an accuracy of less than one second per million years and is the most accurate Astronomical Clock in the world.

 

Fact №11

Bratislava

Bratislava is the only capital of the world that borders two countries at once: Austria and Hungary.

Fact №12 

Wooden altar

The unique late Gothic altarpiece of the Virgin Mary and St. Jakub the Apostle was made around 1508-1510. It was finally completed in 1517. It is made of linden wood and measures 18.6 m x 6.2 m. It is located in the church of St. Jakub in Levoča. It is the tallest wooden altar in the world and is listed as a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Site.

Fact №13

One village in two countries

Selmency (Slemence in Slovak, Szelmenci in Ukrainian, Szelmenc in Hungarian) is a village divided between Slovakia and Ukraine. In the village of Szelmencie in 1945, the Red Army laid the state border between the USSR and Czechoslovakia right through the main street. Some inhabitants kept their house in one country, and a well and a shed in another. And in 1947, a three-metre high fence was built. Residents of the same village, separated by a fence, kept in touch and threw letters to each other over the fence, sang in Hungarian, which border guards could not understand, and announced births of children, deaths of relatives or upcoming weddings in songs.

Border guards would not even let members of the same family through: the documentary Border, for example, tells the sad story of a seven-year-old girl who was with her grandmother at the time of the separation of the village and was left to grow up with her. Her mother kept an eye on her daughter's life through the barbed wire: she saw her in her wedding dress and with her newborn baby in her arms, but could not approach. When her mother died, her daughter could only look at the coffin from a distance.

Assumption №1

Centre of Europe

The symbolic centre of Europe can be found not only in Slovakia, but also in many other countries of the Old World. In a picturesque location in the vicinity of Kremnické Bány in Central Slovakia, a granite block with an inscription plate, which states that the geographic centre of Europe is located right here, is set up near the ancient church of St. John the Baptist. It is the place that has been mentioned in historical documents with such an honourable status since the end of the 18th century. It is safe to say that this centre of Europe is considered one of the oldest.