Archive of articles - February 2004, page 13

Carnival in Bratislava

A PARADE of masks, performers, and musicians will fill the streets of Bratislava's centre from February 9 to 14 before the end of the period of dance and fun - Shrovetide or fašiangy. Visitors may look at a melting ice cube that hides a secret, or listen to an Immortal Double-Bass concert while eating traditional pretzels.

No more inflated tourist prices

Saudek opens a gallery

THE PICASSO Gallery in the western Slovak town of Partizánske has been inaugurated with a display of photographs by the world-famous, controversial Czech artist Jan Saudek. The 35 exhibited photographs include some of Saudek's most famous works, but consist primarily of those created over the last five years.

Bratislava? Easy!

IT IS not unusual to look for a guidebook about a city you plan to visit or even move to. Most people browse bookstores or search for information online. They do not often write their own guidebook. But that is exactly what two French women living in Bratislava have done.Easy Bratislava (also published in French as Bratislava Facile, both by Ikar Press, Sk699) is the brainchild and labour of love of Florence Nys and Christine Franz.

Parliament adopts five excise tax laws

Accidental reunion results in exhibition

SLOVAK sculptor Zuzana Rudavská, 41, emigrated to the US in 1986. Her compatriot, painter Robert Hromec, 33, followed a few years later after the 1989 defeat of communism. The two first met by accident in their newly adopted home a decade ago.Recently, they accidentally met again, but in Slovakia. This reunion in their birth country resulted in the opening of a joint exhibition.

Around Slovakia

Happy flourNewsagent sends robber home unhappyIllegal booze bustMan goes to doctor, sets himself on fireRevenge by sex adDog sledding watched by 25,000 spectatorsWhen a tourist meets a touristCop, some heroinLovin' in a churchyard

Slovakia invited toglobal music festival

FROM New York to London, Paris to Sydney, and in many other cities worldwide, thousands of musicians and volunteers are busy preparing the 2004 One World Beat Global Music Festival, which is set to be one of the largest musical charity extravaganzas since Live Aid.So far, 25 countries and 100 performers are readying for the festival's second year.

Children, touching paintings is allowed!

EVER listened to a garrulous creek, felt the earthy ground, and smelled the blossoming trees in a painting? Adults should have no problem.But how does one make children mobilise their senses and simultaneously appreciate a unique work of art?Landgame, the latest in a series of playful exhibitions about art running at the Bibiana art house in Bratislava, aims to do just that. With reproductions of original paintings from the realist period up to the present time, it tries to introduce the landscape-painting genre to children through various interactive techniques.

The best in building

ELITE players on the central European real estate market, which has become one of the world's property-investment hotspots, met in Warsaw to recognise projects, companies, and individuals from 10 countries that demonstrate the top quality in the field.The CEE Real Estate Quality Awards for 2003 brought together a panel of industry experts from across the region to judge nominations from Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Russia, Slovakia, and Ukraine.

Slovaks willing to live in debt

Map office gets picture

SLOVAKIA has taken the obligation to make its land market transparent and fully functional by the end of 2005. To succeed, the country needs to update its information on original landowners and record all the changes that have taken place over the past half-century.

Ballet awards distributed

AT THE premiere of the original Slovak ballet Caligula on January 30, The Philip Morris Ballet Flower Awards was given to the most significant ballet dancer of 2003.The recepient, Nina Poláková, 18, was deemed the best Slovak ballet dancer, the youngest in the award's history, for her portrayal of Nikie in La Bayadere and her two roles in Swan Lake. Roman Novitzky, 19, became the most significant new talent thanks to the main characters he played in The Wooden Prince and La Bayadere.Poláková and Novitzky, both soloists at the Slovak National Theatre (SND), also appeared in the Caligula premiere.

Volkswagen's mistake shakes foreign trade

LAST year's surprisingly high boost in exports was presented as the main motor of Slovak economic growth. However, due to a statistical mistake, actual exports were probably lower than previously thought.At the end of this January, the Statistics Office of the Slovak Republic announced that it had to postpone publishing the December 2003 foreign trade numbers because the Customs Directorate had to review export data.

Mečiar wins a lawsuit against Pravda

Reader feedback: Jobs not cops

SDKÚ's Kukan the most popular presidential hopeful

PM Dzurinda says Slovakia has no problem with former communists

Seven companies place bid on PPC privatisation