Roundup: Three castles in one go: Lietava, Hričov and Súľov

Read this week’s overview of culture and travel stories from Slovakia.

The Trnava hashtag sign, having a new design, has returned to the city's Main Street ahead of this year's summer season.The Trnava hashtag sign, having a new design, has returned to the city's Main Street ahead of this year's summer season. (Source: Facebook)

PHOTO OF THE WEEK

A hashtag has reappeared on the high street in the city of Trnava. Several artists, not all of them from Trnava, painted letters. Even though the motifs differ, solidarity is a key message of this year’s hashtag. Similar hashtags appeared in Zvolen and Košice in the past.

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TRAVEL

1| A new video promotes a holiday in Banská Štiavnica

People from around the world describe the city and its surroundings, where visitors can swim in local lakes, cycle, and wander down touristic routes. The video was filmed in Jamaica, India, Egypt and far Asia.

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2| The existence of a Romanesque church confirmed in Žíp

Archaeological research proved the existence of an older Romanesque church at the site of a current Gothic church in Žíp near Rimavská Sobota.

3| Liptovská Mara cleaned up before summer season

Dozens of volunteers helped clean the banks of the Liptovská Mara dam, gathering trash into 285 bags. The summer season has kicked off.

4| Hiking trip: The castle triangle of Beskydy

A 27-kilometre-long route starts at Lietava Castle and continues to Hričov Castle, where the Stony Monk is located. The trip ends at Súľov Castle.

5| A precious discovery from the Bronze Age

A sword from the Bronze Age with a full Liptov-type handle was found in a forest in the Liptov region. Similar swords were found here in the past.

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HISTORY CALENDAR

Zuzana Smatanová, born on June 14, 1984, is one of the most successful Slovak singers. She rose to fame in 2003 when she won Coca-Cola Popstar, a contest for talented Slovak singers/songwriters. Even though her music was compared to Alanis Morissette and Avril Lavigne at the early stage of her career, she has paved her own way. Despite singing in Slovak, she has also recorded several English songs, most of which can be found on her debut album, Entirely Good. However, it was another song off her debut record - Tam, kde sa neumiera (A place where nobody dies) - that made her a pop star.

QUOTEWORTHY

A Christian without mercy is like a cathedral without God or a car without petrol.

Anton Srholec, a priest and fighter for freedom, was born on June 12, 1929. He died in 2016.

Súvisiaci článok Funeral celebrates life of dissident priest Srholec

WEEKEND READS

1| THROWBACK: Eugen Bárkány’s passion was to collect things

The communist regime deprived this war survivor of his firm and expelled him from Prešov. He found a home in Bratislava. Despite injustices, he kept collecting all sorts of things.

2| Lock-downed in New Zealand, home-isolating in Slovakia

Brit James Thomson writes about his stay in New Zealand amid the pandemic and his eventful return to Slovakia. Read more about his Odyssean experience.

3| THROWBACK: US designer shared her views of Slovak brands

Designer Debbie Millman visited Bratislava in 2017. She rose to fame with her work for commercial brands, including Burger King, Star Wars and Pepsi.

The next Spectacular Slovakia Weekly will be published on June 19, 2020.

Read last week's roundup.

Top stories

Stock image.

Twice as many Ukrainians work in Slovakia now than before the Russian invasion.


Píšem or pišám?

"Do ľava," (to the left) I yelled, "Nie, do prava" (no, to the right), I gasped. "Dolšie," I screamed. "Nie, nie, horšie..." My Slovak girlfriend collapsed in laughter. Was it something I said?


Matthew J. Reynolds
Czech biochemist Jan Konvalinka.

Jan Konvalinka was expecting a pandemic before Covid-19 came along.


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