Slovakia Hotels

Slovakia formally the Slovak Republic, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is surrounded by Austria to the west, Czech Republic to the northwest, Hungary to the south, Poland to the north and Ukraine to the east. With numerous medieval Gothic and Baroque towns, nine national parks, plenty of caves, well preserved folk architecture and traditions, a lively and cosmopolitan capital city and probably the highest number of castles and chateaus per capita in the whole world, there's something for every traveller to enjoy in Slovakia. Much of the central and northern part of Slovakia is rugged and mountainous. Gerlachovský štít at 2,655 m in the High Tatras is the highest point. The Tatra Mountains in the north, shared with Poland, are interspersed with many scenic lakes and valleys. The lowlands are in the south with the lowest point of the Bodrog River being 94 m above sea level. Slovakia is also a country of massive medieval castles built on the rocks, beautiful detailed ones located on plains (there is about 180 castles and ruins) as well as country of caves. Only a small number of over 3000 caves (12) is open for public forever. Mostly traditional karst caves, ice caves, aragonite cave etc. In 1918 the Slovaks joined the closely related Czechs to form Czechoslovakia. Following the chaos of World War II, Czechoslovakia became a communist country within Soviet-ruled Eastern Block. Soviet influence collapsed in 1989 and Czechoslovakia once again became free. For many years overshadowed by their north-western Czech neighbors, political representations of Czech and Slovak decided to strike out on their own. The Slovaks and the Czechs agreed to separate peacefully on 1 January 1993 and Slovakia became a country in its own right. Historic, political, and geographic factors have caused Slovakia to experience more difficulty in developing a modern market economy than some of its Central European neighbors. Finally, however, Slovakia joined the European Union and the NATO in 2004, and finally the Euro on January 1st 2009. There are some similarities between the Czech and Slovak cultures. However, although the Slovaks may talk and eat like the Czechs, they are not the same. One of the most striking differences is that while Czechs are largely atheists, Slovaks are largely Catholics. This they share with the Poles. As a Hungarian territory for approximately thousand years, there is a Hungarian-speaking minority of 9.7%, mostly in southern Slovakia. The Slovak language is similar to Czech and Polish, but it is different. On the other hand, you won´t have a problem to understand the Slovaks, if you speak Polish or Czech. In the eastern part of the country, there are many Romas/Gypsies and some Rusnacs/Rusins and Ukrainians. There are also some Czechs, Poles and Germans living in Slovakia. Slov-what-ia? Aren't they at war? Ok, so wee, peaceful Slovakia isn't among the most-touted destinations. Big mistake. Here, you can climb alpine peaks in East Slovakia like the High Tatras, explore a clifftop castle in Trenèín, ski in Malá Fatra National Park and sit in as many old-town cafés as your rear can stand in Bratislava. Having emerged from its frumpy, communist-era chrysalis in time to welcome a horde of low-cost carrier junkies, the increasing numbers of flights and EU membership have pushed costs up in the capital. Outside the city and you'll find traditional villages, terrific trails and prices a fraction of those in Western Europe.