(source: SME.sk / Hej,ty)
Good evening. Catch up on the main news of the day in less than five minutes with the Friday, August 6 edition ofToday in Slovakia . We wish you a pleasant read.
For weekend tips and reads, check out our Spectacular Slovakia roundup. This week, Peter Dlhopolec is covering Louis Armstrong's visit to Czechoslovakia, veteran cars in Bratislava, and race walker Matej Tóth. The latest travel podcast episode is on the Orava region.
Matej Tóth competing in the 50km race during the Olympics in Sapporo. (source: TASR)
In the last big race of his career at the Tokyo Olympics, the world champion and Olympic winner Matej Tóth finished 14th in the 50 km race.
“It was definitely one of the hardest races and I probably wouldn’t even have finished them if I hadn't had the motivation,” said Tóth as cited by the TASR newswire. “At forty kilometres, I felt like I wouldn’t have made it if there hadn't been that huge motivation to reach finish line and end it with honour. I’m disappointed, but it was an honour and I can look everyone in the eye that I did my best. It was the most I could do.”
Still, as the winner of the 50 km race from the 2016 Olympics, Tóth belongs among the biggest names in the history of Slovak track-and-field disciplines and sports in general. Juraj Berzedi of Sportnet brings his big story.
Habermayer Palace has been falling apart for decades. (source: Wikimedia/Wizzard)
Despite their undisputed historical value, many palaces and manor houses across Slovakia are neglected and dilapidated. One of them is Habermayer Palace in the centre of Bratislava, even though its fate might be different. Its owner has come up with a project for its reconstruction.
Picture of the day
The first Slovak prototype hydrogen bus was manufactured by Rošero P in cooperation with the Technical University in Košice. (source: FB TUKE)
The Rošero P company from Spišská Nová Ves, eastern Slovakia, has presented the first Slovak prototype hydrogen bus it has manufactured in cooperation with the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering of the Technical University of Košice (TUKE). The vehicle will be presented at the Expo in Dubai.
Feature story for today
Prϋger-Wallner garden is combination of wild and maintained greenery. (source: Bratislava City Council)
The Prϋger-Wallner garden in the Old Town of Bratislava, which recently began opening daily to the general public, was created by Heinrich Prϋger, the man behind the Savoy-Carlton hotel on today’s Hviezdoslavovo Square.
Home to a unique wetland habitat, the garden was completely forgotten about after WWII, but after restoration work over the last year it is now drawing in visitors.
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Slovaks in Tokyo:
Michal Morvay, the second Slovak in the 50 km race, ended 41st.
Speed canoeists Samuel Baláž, Erik Vlček, Denis Myšák and Adam Botek advanced to the Saturday's semifinal of the men’s canoe sprint K-4 500 metres.
In other news:
Beer consumption in Slovakia fell to an average of 69.4 liters, which was 7 half liters of beer less than the year before. Thirty years ago it was just below 100 liters or two hundred large beers per capita per year (the Statistics Office).
Despite the gradual resumption of flights, this summer season M.R. Štefánik Airport in Bratislava is operating approximately half of the scheduled flights compared to the pre-pandemic year of 2019. At present, passengers can use 21 scheduled flights at the largest domestic airport, while it was 44 flights two years ago. (SITA)
The vineyards in Pezinok, a town some 20 km from Bratislava, will host the wine-tasting event Wine Under the Stars this weekend. The operation of regional buses running on lines 520 and 522 will be expanded both evenings.
Coronavirus and vaccination news:
The vaccination rate among teachers and other workers in Slovakia's education sector stood at 66 percent as of July 30, one month before the new school year starts. Out of a total of 128,000 employees in the education sector, roughly 84,500 were vaccinated.
The Justice Ministryis not planning for the mandatory vaccination of its employees or members of the Prison and Judicial Guard Corps for now.
The State Institute for Drug Control (ŠÚKL) has recorded 7,904 suspected adverse reactions to vaccines against Covid-19 as of August 4. Of these, 780 were evaluated as serious. (ŠÚKL)
Do not miss onSpectator.sk today:
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