Slovakia - My Homeland

The Slovak Republic is a new state which came into existence on 1st January 1993 when former Czechoslovakia was divided into the Czech Republic and the Slovak Republic. Slovakia is situated in the heart of Europe, the geographical centre of Europe being on the hill Krahule, near Kremnica. The Slovak Republic covers an area of 49,039 sq km and borders \susedí\ the Czech Republic to the west, Austria to the southwest, Hungary to the southeast, Poland to the north and the Ukraine to the east.

The Slovak Republic has a population of 5 and half million people (as of 31 December 1994), of which 85,6% are Slovak, 10,8% Hungarian and the remaining \zvyšných\ 3,6% of Romany, Czech, Ruthenian, Ukrainian and German. The density \hustota\ is 106 inhabitants pre sq km. The official language is Slovak. The majority of the population is Roman Catholic religion. Slovakia is a mountainous country. Its territory is rich in fauna and most animal species \druhy\ live in the mountainous woodland regions. The climate is a mixture of continental and ocean climates with four seasons. The coldest month is January, the warmest is July.

The National flag consist of three horizontal stripes: white, blue and red. The left half of the flag bears the state emblem of the Slovak Republic - a double cross with mountains in the background. The capital of the Slovak Republic is Bratislava (466 800 inhabitants) - the largest city, the centre of political, governmental, economic, educational and research \výskumných\ institutions.
The system of government of the Slovak Republic is divided into three branches: the legislative \zákonodarná\ branch represented by the National Council of the Slovak Republic (Parliament), the executive \výkonná\ branch represented by the Government (the Prime Minister and his cabinet) and the President, and the judicial branch (the courts). The National Council of the Slovak Republic is the law \zákon\ making body; it consists of 150 members elected \volený\ every four years. The President is elected every five years and is the commander-in-chief of the armed forces.

The Slovak Government consists of the Prime Minister, vice-prime ministers and ministers. The judicial power is represented by courts \súdy\ at various levels, starting with the Constitutional \ústavný\ Court and the Supreme \najvyšší\ Court. Slovakia is a small country but it has a long and rich history. The territory of the Slovak Republic has been settled since the 5th century.

Interesting places in Slovakia:
Bratislava is the capital. There is: the Slovak President; the seat of the country’s government and parliament; the Comenius University; the Slovak National Theatre; the Danube; the Castle of Bratislava; the Old Town Hall \radnica\; the Primaciálny Palace /a residence of the President/; the Michal Tower, with its famous Michal Gate, which is the gate to Old Town.
In Košice you can find Minster of St. Elizabeth; St. Michael’s Chapel \kaplnka\; The East-Slovak Museum; Town Hall, Rakoczi’s Palace, etc.

The smaller towns and villages are frequently visited by tourists because of \kvôli\ their rich cultural history and beautiful architecture./e.g. Banská Štiavnica, Kremnica, Bardejov, Levoča /with the largest wooden altar in the world made by Master Paul//. Many smaller towns such as Bojnice, Zvolen, Trenčín, Spišská Nová Ves, Krásna Hôrka etc, are famous for their castles.
The High Tatras - it’s one of the most attractive places in Slovakia both for Slovak and foreign tourists. They’re popular for their beauty, modern hotels and excellent sports facilities. They’re the highest mountains in Slovakia with the highest peak Gerlach /Lomnicky, Krivan, Slavkovsky peak/. In the territory of the HT there are about 100 lakes such as Strbske, Hincovo or Modre Pleso. There are also many streams \potoky\ with crystal/clear water and numerous waterfalls. The Tatra national park was created to protect and conserve unique nature, plants /edelweiss \plesnivec\/ and animals /bear, lynx, wild cats, otters, eagles, chamois \kamzík\, marmot \svišť\, squirrel/. The HT haven’t been the same since November 2004. A hurricane /whirlwind badly damaged our pride. Trees fell down like matches. Tatras are injured but they’re not dead. Rocks are still there. Three quarters of the forests remained. A hundred-year-old wind has changed Tatras incredibly. They need help. Ecologists believe the Tatras will survive and a newborn again and TANAP will be restored \obnovený\ again.

Slovakia offers lots of attraction that are worth seeing \stoja za videnie\. One unique sight in Slovakia is Spiš Castle dates back to the time before the 13th century and is known as one of the most extensive \najrozsiahlejší\ Gothic castles in Europe. In 1993 Spiš Castle including Spišské Podhradie, Spišská Kapitula and the church in Žehra were listed among 300 of the most important monuments in the world.

Slovakia is rich in mineral and curative \liečebné\ springs which led to \viedli\ the establishment \založenie\ of many well-known spas. The most important is Piešťany, Sliač, Trenčianske Teplice, Bardejov and so on. The Bardejov spa is situated in the north eastern part of Slovakia. There are 8 precious \vzácny\ mineral springs. The curative properties \vlastnosti\ of the mineral water and climatic conditions enable \umožňovať\ the treatment of digestive tract.

Wooden churches
are one of the most remarkable \pozoruhodný\ architectural sights in Slovakia. In Levoča there is St. Jacob’s Gothic Church built in the 15th century. Its main altar is worth seeing is the work of Master Paul of Levoča.
Zones.sk – Zóny pre každého študenta
https://www.zones.sk/studentske-prace/anglictina/2636-slovakia-my-homeland/