Archive of articles - June 2014, page 9
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Sweden: General facts
Political system: constitutional monarchyCapital: StockholmTotal area: 528,447 square kilometresPopulation: 9.1 millionOfficial language: SwedishCurrency: Swedish krona (SEK)
Four brides from one family wed simultaneously in Veľká Čausa
THE MUNICIPALITY of Veľká Čausa (near the western-Slovak town of Prievidza) saw a traditional wedding featuring not one, but four brides, when three sisters and their mother married simultaneously on the same day, May 17.
Saviour of Jewish children from Czechoslovakia turned 105
SIR NICHOLAS Winton, a former British broker and humanitarian worker, who saved 669 children (mainly Jewish) from Czechoslovakia before the Second World War, celebrated his 105th birthday on May 19.
New honorary consulate
SLOVAKIA has extended the network of its consulates in Sweden. Petrer Burian, the state secretary of the Slovak Foreign Affairs Ministry, opened an honorary consulate in the Swedish town of Lulea last November, the SITA newswire reported.
More than heavy metal and crime novels
SWEDEN holds a special appeal for Slovaks, some of whom still have ties to the country, as many Slovaks emigrated to Sweden in the past, especially during communism.
Record in number of trees planted in one day fell in Low Tatras
EMPLOYEES of the company Lidl broke their own tree-planting record from last year in a single day. In 2013, they planted 5,200 trees in the High Tatras, and in early May, 70 volunteers planted 6,000 trees in the Low Tatras between Malužiná and Nižná Boca.
Finnish institutions in Slovakia
Embassy of Finlandwww.finlandembassy.skChargé d'Affaires: Henna Knuuttila
Nordic films strike a chord with Slovaks
SLOVAK audiences seem to be receptive to Nordic films, as evidenced by the popularity of the NordFest film festival, which in spring 2014 enjoyed its seventh year in Slovakia.
Racer Loeb visited PSA Peugeot Citroen Slovakia
FRENCH car racer Sébastien Loeb won the fourth event of this year’s World Championship series of touring cars FIA WTCC on May 11 at Slovakia Ring in Orechová Potôň. The next day he celebrated his victory at the Trnava branch of the PSA Peugeot Citroen Slovakia carmaker.
SE gets loan from Sberbank
SLOVAKIA’S dominant power producer, Slovenské Elektrárne (SE), will get a loan at €870 million for 7.5 years from Russian Sberbank. The money should be spent on buying nuclear fuel or technologies and completing the nuclear power plant in Mochovce, but also to pay off part of its previous loans, the Sme daily reported in its June 11 issue.
Folklore, glass and a soft spot for tango
WHEN comparing two countries as different as Finland and Slovakia, people would have to look for parallels between culture, art, and more generally, the lifestyle. However, on closer inspection, these two countries do have more in common, in sometimes unexpected ways.
Valuing the teacher
TEACHERS are highly valued in Finland, with only 10 percent of the applicants accepted into teacher education programmes, explains Henna Knuuttila, who leads Finland’s diplomatic micro-mission in Bratislava, when asked about the top performance of her homeland in international education rankings. She also suggests that Finland’s challenging geographical location has made Finns natural problem solvers. The Slovak Spectator spoke to Knuuttila about education reform, innovation, Finland’s economic challenges as well as the potential of the tourism industry.
Chemko sold its part to Perstorp Group
SLOVAK chemical producer Chemko, in Strážske, sold its pentaerythritol (Penta) and calcium formate businesses to the Swedish Perstorp Group for an undisclosed sum, the TASR newswire wrote on June 5. Chemko will use the money from the sale to finance new projects which it will announce later.
Gašparovič gives farewell address
IN HIS exit speech, President Ivan Gašparovič listed successes and nearly a dozen issues he said that Slovakia is dealing with. While no mistakes or regrets were noted, there were some parting shots at what he called a politicised media.
Can Kiska, Fico work together?
AS OF June 15, Slovakia will have a president and a prime minister with a history that hardly lays a good basis for their constructive cooperation. The pair faced each other in the run-off of the presidential election, which was preceded by two weeks of intensive, and at times very unpleasant campaigning.
Hail classical music!
ENRICHING Bratislava’s cultural life for 10 years, the Viva Musica! Festival is a unique summer open-air festival that presents classical music in a non-traditional way, thereby busting notions held by some that the genre is elitist and dull.
Bus accident claims four lives
FOUR teenage girls were killed in an accident involving a bus carrying secondary-school students on the D1 cross-country highway between Piešťany and Trnava on June 6. Several of their classmates and teachers suffered serious injuries.
Swedish company appeals to Slovaks
SWEDISH furniture producer and exporter IKEA has become quite popular among Slovaks. Although it has only one complex in Slovakia, in Bratislava, it attracted three million visitors in 2013.
Swedish proposal wins in Trenčín
THE SWEDISH team Mandaworks AB and Hosper Sweden AB from Stockholm won the international urban design competition ‘Trenčín – City on the River’, with their Tracing Trenčín proposal, the Trenčianske Echo weekly wrote on May 22. According to the jury, the proposal meets the requirement of the city’s inhabitants by finding a smart way to link the historical city centre with both banks of the Váh River. “This is a work that takes into consideration all aspects of the assignment and the criteria of the competition the best,” said Thomas Matta from the HSR Rappersvill University in Switzerland and the vice chairman of the jury, as cited by the weekly. The 11-member jury assessed 59 proposals from more than 15 countries between May 14 and 15. They chose the three best projects and granted two special awards. The second prize went to a team of designers from Bratislava, consisting of Martin Berežný, Daniel Šubín, Katka Boháčová, Michal Ráchela, Martin Rariga, Danka Jurkovičová and Eva Fabová, for their proposal ‘Trenčín -water-life’. The APROX architects from Bratislava (Ľubomír Mezovský, Vladimír Hrdý, Peter Dolinajec, Branislav Groch, Marián Kriššák, Ján Vykroč and Milan Skýva) ended third. Special prizes went to Marko&Placemakers from London (UK) and GutGut from Bratislava for their joint project ‘Pohodové mesto’ and the proposal of Siebert + Talaš from Bratislava. “The proposals will become the backgrounds for the master plan of the central urban zone,” said Martin Beďatš, the senior architect of Trenčín and a member of the jury. “Before the final decisions are made, the winning works will undergo, apart from expert analyses, also a public discussion. We plan to start the public discussion in September, when we will also present the competing proposals publicly.” Trenčín Mayor Richard Rybníček sees the evaluation of the competition as an important historical moment for the city. “We are starting a new era of forming the future of the central urban zone and the city centre in connection with the Váh River,” said Rybníček. “Of course, there is a very difficult path in front of us but I am convinced that we will me manage it in cooperation with Trenčín’s citizens.” Drahan Petrovič from the Institute of Urban Development and the head of the expert jury considers the competition to have been exceptional. “For last 20 years I have not seen such a well-prepared competition,” Petrovič said, adding that this involves a quality process leading to the competition and workshops organised.
Višňové tunnel to be finished by 2019
THE NATIONAL Highway Company (NDS) signed an agreement over the construction of the D1 cross-country highway stretch between Lietavská Lúčka and Dubná Skala on June 11. Part of the section is the longest highway tunnel in Slovakia, the Višňové. The construction should be completed in 2019. Preparation for the construction of the tunnel took 16 years.
- The law changed. Our family papers were ready. Now my kids are Slovak citizens
- Maria Theresa on the banks of Bratislava
- Slovak female triathlete shatters barriers with historic win at Himalayan event
- From eight to thousands of runners. How Košice marathon rose to prominence Photo
- The Kremlin’s security agency has a Russian contractor in Slovakia - no one has noticed
- No more photos or bank statements? Slovakia moves to ease residence process
- Iconic Slovak barn still draws crowds. Without donors, it might have been lost Photo
- Slovakia loses another EV model to Spain as Stellantis chooses Zaragoza over Trnava
- The law changed. Our family papers were ready. Now my kids are Slovak citizens
- Slovak female triathlete shatters barriers with historic win at Himalayan event
- Top 10 events in Bratislava for foreigners
- Slovakia loses another EV model to Spain as Stellantis chooses Zaragoza over Trnava
- No more photos or bank statements? Slovakia moves to ease residence process
- Convicted of multiple murders, Slovakia’s mafia boss seeks release from prison
- Weekend: Celebration of fun comes to Malacky Photo
- News digest: Prosecutor seeks jail for NBS Governor Kažimír as his political support wanes
- Maria Theresa on the banks of Bratislava
- No more photos or bank statements? Slovakia moves to ease residence process
- Weekend: Celebration of fun comes to Malacky Photo
- 3 free things to do in Bratislava in the next seven days
- Top 10 events in Bratislava for foreigners
- Digital Jarvis is real now. He is coming for your to-do list
- The law changed. Our family papers were ready. Now my kids are Slovak citizens
- The Kremlin’s security agency has a Russian contractor in Slovakia - no one has noticed
- Maria Theresa on the banks of Bratislava
- No more photos or bank statements? Slovakia moves to ease residence process
- A mayor resigns over €2.7 million fraud scandal at town hall
- Fico praises China and Vietnam as models, says liberal democracy has failed
- He designed Gatwick. But this is his masterpiece
- News digest: Violent gang in Bratislava is under arrest
- The Kremlin’s security agency has a Russian contractor in Slovakia - no one has noticed
- Weekend: Celebration of fun comes to Malacky Photo
- The law changed. Our family papers were ready. Now my kids are Slovak citizens
- News digest: Prosecutor seeks jail for NBS Governor Kažimír as his political support wanes
- Slovakia loses another EV model to Spain as Stellantis chooses Zaragoza over Trnava
- Slovak female triathlete shatters barriers with historic win at Himalayan event
- Weekend: Celebration of fun comes to Malacky Photo
- News digest: Fico’s bloc wants to save money by restricting electoral access
- Slovakia plans to restrict access to new medicines amid funding shortfall
- No more photos or bank statements? Slovakia moves to ease residence process More articles ›
