Słowacja to kraj o świeżej historii państwowości, który budzi podziw osiągnięciami organizacyjnymi, krajobrazami oraz zdumiewająco pragmatycznym usposobieniu zamieszkujących go ludzi pozwalającym na cieszenie się życiem, minimalizowanie konfliktów i skuteczne rozwiązywanie problemów.

Slovakia, landlocked country of central Europe. It is roughly coextensive with the historic region of Slovakia, the easternmost of the two territories that from 1918 to 1992 constituted Czechoslovakia. The short history of independent Slovakia is one of a desire to move from mere autonomy within the Czechoslovak federation to sovereignty—a history of resistance to being called “the nation after the hyphen.” Although World War II thwarted the Slovaks’ first vote for independence in 1939, sovereignty was finally realized on January 1, 1993, slightly more than three years after the Velvet Revolution—the collapse of the communist regime that had controlled Czechoslovakia since 1948. Of course, the history of the Slovak nation began long before the creation of Czechoslovakia and even before the emergence of Slovak as a distinct literary language in the 19th century. From the 11th century, Hungary ruled what is now Slovakia, and the Slovaks’ ancestors were identified as inhabitants of Upper Hungary, or simply “the Highlands,” rather than by their Slavic language. Despite the Hungarians’ drive to Magyarize the multiethnic population of their kingdom, by the 19th century the Slovaks had created a heavily mythologized identity, linking themselves with the 9th-century Slavic kingdom of Great Moravia. Because they lacked a national dynasty, patron saints, and a native aristocracy or bourgeoisie, their national hero became the 18th-century outlaw Jánošík, sometimes called the Slovak Robin Hood. Only in 1918, when World War I ended with Austria-Hungary on the losing side, did Slovakia materialize as a geopolitical unit—but within the new country of Czechoslovakia. Although a critical stocktaking of the Czech-Slovak relationship shows more discord than harmony, there was one splendid moment when the two nations stood firmly together. This was in the summer of 1968, when the Soviet Union invaded Czechoslovakia and crushed the Prague Spring, the period during which a series of reforms were implemented by Communist Party leader Alexander Dubček, arguably the best-known Slovak in the world. Today Slovakia has become increasingly infiltrated by modern industrial infrastructure, but it still offers breathtaking views of wine-growing valleys, picturesque castles, and historical cities. Its capital, Bratislava, eccentrically located in the extreme southwest of the country, has been known by several different names—Pozsony in Hungarian, Pressburg in German, and Prešporok in Slovak—and for three centuries served as the capital of Hungary. In Košice, the second-largest Slovak city, there is an interesting symbiosis between its distinguished history and the harsh recent past: medieval streets run through the city centre, while the former East Slovakian Iron and Steel Works stands as a monument of communist industrialization. More-authentic Slovak culture survives in the cities of the central highlands and in the country’s many villages. Land Slovakia is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, and Austria to the southwest. Its former federal partner, the Czech Republic, lies to the west. Relief The Western Carpathian Mountains dominate the topography of Slovakia. They consist of a system of three regions of east-west-trending ranges—Outer, Central, and Inner—separated by valleys and intermontane basins. Two large lowland areas north of the Hungarian border, the Little Alfold (called the Podunajská, or Danubian, Lowland in Slovakia) in the southwest and the Eastern Slovakian Lowland in the east, constitute the Slovakian portion of the Inner Carpathian Depressions region. The Outer Western Carpathians to the north extend into the eastern Czech Republic and southern Poland and contain the Little Carpathian (Slovak: Malé Karpaty), Javorníky, and Beskid mountains. Located roughly in the middle of the country, the Central Western Carpathians include Slovakia’s highest ranges: the High Tatra (Vysoké Tatry) Mountains, containing the highest point in the republic, Gerlachovský Peak, at 8,711 feet (2,655 metres); and, to the south of them, the Low Tatra (Nízke Tatry) Mountains, which reach elevations of about 6,500 feet (2,000 metres) (see Tatra Mountains). Farther to the south are the Inner Western Carpathian Mountains, which extend into Hungary and contain the economically important Slovak Ore (Slovenské Rudohorie) Mountains. Drainage Slovakia drains predominantly southward into the Danube (Dunaj) River system. The Danube and another major river, the Morava, form the republic’s southwestern border. The principal rivers draining the mountains include the Váh, Hron, Hornád, and Bodrog, all flowing south, and the Poprad, draining northward. Flows vary seasonally from the torrents of spring snowmelt to late-summer lows. Mountain lakes and mineral and thermal springs are numerous. Soils Slovakia contains a striking variety of soil types. The country’s richest soils, the black chernozems, occur in the southwest, although the alluvial deposit known as Great Rye Island occupies the core of the Slovakian Danube basin. The upper reaches of the southern river valleys are covered with brown forest soils, while podzols dominate the central and northern areas of middle elevation. Stony mountain soils cover the highest regions. Climate Slovakia’s easterly position gives it a more continental climate than that of the Czech Republic. Its mountainous terrain is another determining factor. The mean annual temperature drops to about 25 °F (−4 °C) in the High Tatras and rises to just above 50 °F (10 °C) in the Danubian lowlands. Average July temperatures exceed 68 °F (20 °C) in the Danubian lowlands, and average January temperatures can be as low as 23 °F (−5 °C) in mountain basins. The growing season is about 200 days in the south and less than half of that in the mountains. Annual precipitation ranges from about 22 inches (570 mm) in the Danubian plains to more than 43 inches (1,100 mm) in windward mountain valleys. Maximum precipitation falls in July, while the minimum is in January. Snow remains on the higher peaks into the summer months. Plant and animal life Although Slovakia is a small country, its varied topography supports a wide variety of vegetation. Agriculture and timber cutting have diminished the republic’s original forest cover, but approximately two-fifths of its area is still forested. Forestland is most extensive in the mountainous districts. The forests in the western Beskid Mountains on the Czech-Slovak border and those in central Slovakia near Žiar nad Hronom are among the most endangered. The major forest types include the oak-grove assemblages of the Podunajská Lowland, the beech forests of the lower elevations of the Carpathians, and the spruce forests of the middle and upper slopes. The highest elevations support taiga and tundra vegetation. The timberline runs at about 5,000 feet (1,500 metres). At these upper elevations, particularly in the Tatras, the tree cover below the timberline consists largely of dwarf pine. At about 7,500 feet (2,300 metres), alpine grasses and low-growing shrubs give way to lichens. Slovakia’s wildlife is abundant and diverse; Tatry (High Tatras) National Park shelters an exceptional collection of wild animals, including bears, wolves, lynx, wildcats, marmots, otters, martens, and minks. Hunting is prohibited in the parks, and some animals, such as the chamois, are protected nationwide. The forests and lowland areas support numerous game birds, such as partridges, pheasants, wild geese, and ducks. Raptors, storks, and other large birds are protected. People - Ethnic groups More than four-fifths of Slovakia’s population are ethnic Slovaks. Hungarians, concentrated in the southern border districts, form the largest minority, making up less than one-tenth of the republic’s population. Small numbers of Czechs, Germans, and Poles live throughout the country, while Ruthenians (Rusyns) are concentrated in the east and northeast. There is a sizable and relatively mobile population of Roma (Gypsies), who live mainly in the eastern part of the country. Languages Although the majority of the population identifies Slovak as its mother tongue, a law that came into effect on January 1, 1996, establishing Slovak as the country’s official language was controversial primarily because of its impact on Slovakia’s Hungarian minority. Widespread fluency in Czech is a legacy of the period of federation. As members of the West Slavic language group, Slovak and Czech are closely related and mutually intelligible; both use the Roman rather than the Cyrillic alphabet. In addition to Hungarian, Polish, German, Ukrainian, Rusyn (related to Ukrainian), and Romany are among the other languages spoken in Slovakia. Croatian speakers, living in a small number of villages in western Slovakia, make up a tiny linguistic minority. Religion Four decades of official atheism ended with the collapse of communist control in 1989, and the widespread persistence of religious affiliation quickly manifested itself in both the sectarian and political spheres. The majority of Slovaks are Roman Catholic, but Protestant churches, particularly the Evangelical Church of the Augsburg Confession (Lutheran) and the Reformed Christian Church (Calvinist), claim a significant minority of adherents. Greek Catholics and Eastern Orthodox Christians are found in Ruthenian districts. More than one-tenth of the population professes no religious belief. More … Source: https://www.britannica.com/place/Slovakia/Manufacturing

Slovakia, landlocked country of central Europe. It is roughly coextensive with the historic region of Slovakia, the easternmost of the two territories that from 1918 to 1992 constituted Czechoslovakia. The short history of independent Slovakia is one of a desire to move from mere autonomy within the Czechoslovak federation to sovereignty—a history of resistance to being called “the nation after the hyphen.” Although World War II thwarted the Slovaks’ first vote for independence in 1939, sovereignty was finally realized on January 1, 1993, slightly more than three years after the Velvet Revolution—the collapse of the communist regime that had controlled Czechoslovakia since 1948. Of course, the history of the Slovak nation began long before the creation of Czechoslovakia and even before the emergence of Slovak as a distinct literary language in the 19th century. From the 11th century, Hungary ruled what is now Slovakia, and the Slovaks’ ancestors were identified as inhabitants of Upper Hungary, or simply “the Highlands,” rather than by their Slavic language. Despite the Hungarians’ drive to Magyarize the multiethnic population of their kingdom, by the 19th century the Slovaks had created a heavily mythologized identity, linking themselves with the 9th-century Slavic kingdom of Great Moravia. Because they lacked a national dynasty, patron saints, and a native aristocracy or bourgeoisie, their national hero became the 18th-century outlaw Jánošík, sometimes called the Slovak Robin Hood. Only in 1918, when World War I ended with Austria-Hungary on the losing side, did Slovakia materialize as a geopolitical unit—but within the new country of Czechoslovakia. Although a critical stocktaking of the Czech-Slovak relationship shows more discord than harmony, there was one splendid moment when the two nations stood firmly together. This was in the summer of 1968, when the Soviet Union invaded Czechoslovakia and crushed the Prague Spring, the period during which a series of reforms were implemented by Communist Party leader Alexander Dubček, arguably the best-known Slovak in the world. Today Slovakia has become increasingly infiltrated by modern industrial infrastructure, but it still offers breathtaking views of wine-growing valleys, picturesque castles, and historical cities. Its capital, Bratislava, eccentrically located in the extreme southwest of the country, has been known by several different names—Pozsony in Hungarian, Pressburg in German, and Prešporok in Slovak—and for three centuries served as the capital of Hungary. In Košice, the second-largest Slovak city, there is an interesting symbiosis between its distinguished history and the harsh recent past: medieval streets run through the city centre, while the former East Slovakian Iron and Steel Works stands as a monument of communist industrialization. More-authentic Slovak culture survives in the cities of the central highlands and in the country’s many villages. Land Slovakia is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, and Austria to the southwest. Its former federal partner, the Czech Republic, lies to the west. Relief The Western Carpathian Mountains dominate the topography of Slovakia. They consist of a system of three regions of east-west-trending ranges—Outer, Central, and Inner—separated by valleys and intermontane basins. Two large lowland areas north of the Hungarian border, the Little Alfold (called the Podunajská, or Danubian, Lowland in Slovakia) in the southwest and the Eastern Slovakian Lowland in the east, constitute the Slovakian portion of the Inner Carpathian Depressions region. The Outer Western Carpathians to the north extend into the eastern Czech Republic and southern Poland and contain the Little Carpathian (Slovak: Malé Karpaty), Javorníky, and Beskid mountains. Located roughly in the middle of the country, the Central Western Carpathians include Slovakia’s highest ranges: the High Tatra (Vysoké Tatry) Mountains, containing the highest point in the republic, Gerlachovský Peak, at 8,711 feet (2,655 metres); and, to the south of them, the Low Tatra (Nízke Tatry) Mountains, which reach elevations of about 6,500 feet (2,000 metres) (see Tatra Mountains). Farther to the south are the Inner Western Carpathian Mountains, which extend into Hungary and contain the economically important Slovak Ore (Slovenské Rudohorie) Mountains. Drainage Slovakia drains predominantly southward into the Danube (Dunaj) River system. The Danube and another major river, the Morava, form the republic’s southwestern border. The principal rivers draining the mountains include the Váh, Hron, Hornád, and Bodrog, all flowing south, and the Poprad, draining northward. Flows vary seasonally from the torrents of spring snowmelt to late-summer lows. Mountain lakes and mineral and thermal springs are numerous. Soils Slovakia contains a striking variety of soil types. The country’s richest soils, the black chernozems, occur in the southwest, although the alluvial deposit known as Great Rye Island occupies the core of the Slovakian Danube basin. The upper reaches of the southern river valleys are covered with brown forest soils, while podzols dominate the central and northern areas of middle elevation. Stony mountain soils cover the highest regions. Climate Slovakia’s easterly position gives it a more continental climate than that of the Czech Republic. Its mountainous terrain is another determining factor. The mean annual temperature drops to about 25 °F (−4 °C) in the High Tatras and rises to just above 50 °F (10 °C) in the Danubian lowlands. Average July temperatures exceed 68 °F (20 °C) in the Danubian lowlands, and average January temperatures can be as low as 23 °F (−5 °C) in mountain basins. The growing season is about 200 days in the south and less than half of that in the mountains. Annual precipitation ranges from about 22 inches (570 mm) in the Danubian plains to more than 43 inches (1,100 mm) in windward mountain valleys. Maximum precipitation falls in July, while the minimum is in January. Snow remains on the higher peaks into the summer months. Plant and animal life Although Slovakia is a small country, its varied topography supports a wide variety of vegetation. Agriculture and timber cutting have diminished the republic’s original forest cover, but approximately two-fifths of its area is still forested. Forestland is most extensive in the mountainous districts. The forests in the western Beskid Mountains on the Czech-Slovak border and those in central Slovakia near Žiar nad Hronom are among the most endangered. The major forest types include the oak-grove assemblages of the Podunajská Lowland, the beech forests of the lower elevations of the Carpathians, and the spruce forests of the middle and upper slopes. The highest elevations support taiga and tundra vegetation. The timberline runs at about 5,000 feet (1,500 metres). At these upper elevations, particularly in the Tatras, the tree cover below the timberline consists largely of dwarf pine. At about 7,500 feet (2,300 metres), alpine grasses and low-growing shrubs give way to lichens. Slovakia’s wildlife is abundant and diverse; Tatry (High Tatras) National Park shelters an exceptional collection of wild animals, including bears, wolves, lynx, wildcats, marmots, otters, martens, and minks. Hunting is prohibited in the parks, and some animals, such as the chamois, are protected nationwide. The forests and lowland areas support numerous game birds, such as partridges, pheasants, wild geese, and ducks. Raptors, storks, and other large birds are protected. People - Ethnic groups More than four-fifths of Slovakia’s population are ethnic Slovaks. Hungarians, concentrated in the southern border districts, form the largest minority, making up less than one-tenth of the republic’s population. Small numbers of Czechs, Germans, and Poles live throughout the country, while Ruthenians (Rusyns) are concentrated in the east and northeast. There is a sizable and relatively mobile population of Roma (Gypsies), who live mainly in the eastern part of the country. Languages Although the majority of the population identifies Slovak as its mother tongue, a law that came into effect on January 1, 1996, establishing Slovak as the country’s official language was controversial primarily because of its impact on Slovakia’s Hungarian minority. Widespread fluency in Czech is a legacy of the period of federation. As members of the West Slavic language group, Slovak and Czech are closely related and mutually intelligible; both use the Roman rather than the Cyrillic alphabet. In addition to Hungarian, Polish, German, Ukrainian, Rusyn (related to Ukrainian), and Romany are among the other languages spoken in Slovakia. Croatian speakers, living in a small number of villages in western Slovakia, make up a tiny linguistic minority. Religion Four decades of official atheism ended with the collapse of communist control in 1989, and the widespread persistence of religious affiliation quickly manifested itself in both the sectarian and political spheres. The majority of Slovaks are Roman Catholic, but Protestant churches, particularly the Evangelical Church of the Augsburg Confession (Lutheran) and the Reformed Christian Church (Calvinist), claim a significant minority of adherents. Greek Catholics and Eastern Orthodox Christians are found in Ruthenian districts. More than one-tenth of the population professes no religious belief. More … Source: https://www.britannica.com/place/Slovakia/Manufacturing

Bezpieczeństwo na wschodniej granicy Polski i Unii Europejskiej było głównym tematem rozmów marszałek Sejmu Elżbiety Witek z przewodniczącym Rady Narodowej Republiki Słowackiej Borisem Kollárem. Podczas spotkania, które odbyło się w środę, 13 października 2021 roku omówiono też m.in. dwustronną współpracę parlamentarną oraz kooperację w formacie Grupy Wyszehradzkiej i Trójmorza. Poruszona została również kwestia Konferencji o przyszłości Europy. Sejm podczas spotkania reprezentowała też Agnieszka Kaczmarska, szef Kancelarii.

Rondo Republiki Słowackiej – taką nazwę w czwartek, 16 września zyskało oficjalnie skrzyżowanie położone w Dzielnicy XII Bieżanów-Prokocim u zbiegu ulic Mieczysławy Ćwiklińskiej, Heleny i Barbary. Warto podkreślić, że jest to pierwsza tego typu inicjatywa w Polsce. W wydarzeniu wzięli udział Prezydent Krakowa Jacek Majchrowski, Sekretarz Stanu Ministerstwa Spraw Zagranicznych i Europejskich Republiki Słowackiej Martin Klus, Ambasador Republiki Słowackiej w Polsce Jego Ekscelencja Pan Andrej Droba, Konsul Generalny Republiki Słowackiej w Krakowie Tomáš Kašaj, Marszałek Województwa Małopolskiego Witold Kozłowski oraz Zastępca Przewodniczącego Rady Miasta Krakowa Sławomir Pietrzyk, a także przedstawiciele krakowskiego korpusu konsularnego.

W dniu 12 maja 2021 br. ambasador Krzysztof Strzałka spotkał się z wiceministrem spraw wewnętrznych Republiki Słowackiej Vendelínem Leitnerem. Spotkanie ambasadora z wiceministrem spraw wewnętrznych Słowacji. Przedmiotem rozmów były przede wszystkim kwestie związane z pandemią COVID-19 oraz koordynacja wspólnych stanowisk na poziomie unijnym. Spotkanie posłużyło w szczególności do wymiany opinii na temat procesu szczepień w obydwu państwach oraz stopniowego znoszenia restrykcji epidemiologicznych.

Discussions on current European and international issues as well as topics concerning bilateral and regional cooperation are on the agenda of the two-day foreign working visit of the Minister of Foreign and European Affairs of the Slovak Republic, Ivan Korčok, in the capital cities of the Republic of Poland, the Republic of Croatia, Romania and Ukraine. The first diplomatic stop of Minister Korčok on Monday, 15 February 2021, was Warsaw, where he met with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Poland, Zbigniew Rau, and the Minister for European Affairs of the Republic of Poland, Konrad Szymański.

Wojewoda małopolski Łukasz Kmita oraz członek Zarządu Województwa Małopolskiego Edward Czesak spotkali się z Andrejem Drobą, który od stycznia tego roku pełni funkcję ambasadora Słowacji w Polsce. Ambasadorowi towarzyszył konsul generalny Tomas Kasaj. Wizyta w Małopolsce ma charakter oficjalny, a podczas spotkania w Małopolskim Urzędzie Wojewódzkim w Krakowie rozmawiano głównie o polsko-słowackiej współpracy turystycznej.

W czwartek, 17 września 2020 roku Prezydentowi Krakowa Jackowi Majchrowskiemu wizytę złożył nowy Ambasador Republiki Słowackiej w Polsce J.E. Pan Andrej Droba. W spotkaniu uczestniczył również Konsul Generalny Słowacji w Krakowie Pan Tomáš Kašaj. Była to pierwsza oficjalna wizyta Pana Ambasadora Andreja Droby w naszym mieście od czasu rozpoczęcia misji dyplomatycznej w Polsce z końcem lutego br.

Cieszymy się z bardzo dobrego stanu relacji między Warszawą i Bratysławą, które cechuje zbieżność poglądów na współczesne stosunki międzynarodowe – podkreślił szef polskiej dyplomacji podczas rozmowy ze słowackim ambasadorem Andrejem Drobą. Najważniejszym tematem spotkania było zbliżające się polskie przewodnictwo w Grupie Wyszehradzkiej i planowany na 3 lipca szczyt premierów V4, przy okazji którego będzie miała miejsce robocza wizyta premiera Słowacji Igora Matoviča.

V nadväznosti na opatrenie Úradu verejného zdravotníctva Slovenskej republiky (Opatrenie ÚVZ SR č. OLP/5089/2020), pristúpila Slovenská republika k ďalšiemu uvoľňovaniu na hraničných priechodoch. Od 20. júna 2020 od 6:00 hod. platí režim uvoľnených hraničných priechodov pre osoby pri návrate z: Bulharska, Cyprusu, Česka, Čiernej hory, Dánska (vrátane samosprávneho územia Faerské ostrovy), Estónska, Fínska, Grécka, Chorvátska, Islandu, Lichtenštajnska, Litvy, Lotyšska, Maďarska, Malty, Monaka, Nemecka, Nórska, Poľska, Rakúska, Slovinska a Švajčiarska.

Due to the current situation, the planned event of the Czech Presidency in the Visegrad Group (V4) did not take place in Prague, but by means of a video conference. Germany is the most important trading partner for the Visegrad 4 region. In addition, it will be taking over the presidency in the Council of the European Union from Croatia on 1 July 2020, at a time when the Union is facing a number of serious challenges. The situation regarding the corona crisis, the economic recovery of the EU Member States, the EU’s Multiannual Financial Framework for 2021-2027, and the gradual opening of borders and the return to a functioning Schengen Area were the areas discussed by the leaders this morning.

Podsumowanie dotychczasowej współpracy z konsulatem Generalnym Republiki Słowackiej oraz regionami partnerskimi WM – Krajem Preszowskim i Krajem Żylińskim były głównymi tematami spotkania Tomáša Kašaja, konsula generalnego Republiki Słowackiej z marszałkiem województwa małopolskiego Witoldem Kozłowskim. W spotkaniu uczestniczył także wicemarszałek Tomasz Urynowicz.

W dniach 4-5 lutego 2020 r. ambasador Krzysztof Strzałka przebywał służbowo w Rzeszowie, zaproszony przez organizatorów (Instytut Studiów Wschodnich i Samorząd Województwa Podkarpackiego) na II Forum Słowackie w Jasionce. Forum poświęcone zacieśnieniu relacji sąsiedzkich obu krajów z uwzględnieniem dotychczasowej współpracy i geopolitycznych uwarunkowań odbyło się w panelach dyskusyjnych poświęconych kwestiom: ochrony środowiska naturalnego ; wykorzystania funduszy europejskich w praktyce regionalnej; transgranicznej współpraca; potrzeby rynku pracy i kształcenia; priorytetów dyplomacji kulturalnej; rozwoju turystyki, jako narzędzia lepszej współpracy

W piątek 10 stycznia 2020 roku wizytę u marszałek Sejmu Elżbiety Witek złożył Ambasador Republiki Słowacji Dušan Krištofík. Spotkanie miało związek z zakończeniem jego misji dyplomatycznej w Polsce. Wśród poruszonych tematów znalazły się m.in.: podsumowanie dotychczasowej współpracy na poziomie parlamentarnym oraz znaczenie i rozwój relacji w ramach Grupy Wyszehradzkiej.