Weekend: Cross-country skiers hit the beach in Banská Bystrica

A hike to Veľký Choč, dinosaur footprints, and a US hip hop legend. Read the latest culture and travel news from Slovakia.

Bronze sculptures of three late Slovak comedians - Milan Lasica (right), Július Satinský (left) and Jaro Filip (middle) on Lužná Street in Petržalka, Bratislava. Bronze sculptures of three late Slovak comedians - Milan Lasica (right), Július Satinský (left) and Jaro Filip (middle) on Lužná Street in Petržalka, Bratislava. (Source: Dano Veselský for TASR)

Hello. This week, we are writing about a display on the history of the Tatras mountains and a pre-WWII viaduct. You can also read an interview with the new Slovak Philharmonic head.


The 19-year-old Belgium-British pilot Zara Rutherford has set a world record as the youngest woman to fly solo around the world. Flying on a Slovak ultralight plane, Shark, she made a stop in Senica, western Slovakia, on January 15, 2022. Click on the picture to read the full story.The 19-year-old Belgium-British pilot Zara Rutherford has set a world record as the youngest woman to fly solo around the world. Flying on a Slovak ultralight plane, Shark, she made a stop in Senica, western Slovakia, on January 15, 2022. Click on the picture to read the full story. (Source: Lukáš Grinaj for TASR)

TRAVEL

Cross-country skiing on the beach

In the summer, Banská Bystrica residents enjoy their free time in the local outdoor pools and lakes in the hopes of cooling down in the heat and tanning on the beach, but the city has temporarily turned outdoor pools and the adjacent beach into a place of winter sports.

An 800 metre loop around the lake serves cross-country skiers. Ice skaters have fun moving around on the frozen lake.

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“Due to the limited possibilities of cross-country skiing in the hills around Banská Bystrica, we expect a large number of visitors,” said Gardening and Recreational Services (ZAaRES), the city’s company.

The site is open from 7:00 to 19:00 on weekdays and from 9:00 to 17:00 on weekends. “We groom the loop every day after 20:00, so we ask that cross-country skiers no longer go there at that time,” the firm said.

As for ice skating, people should follow the firm’s Facebook page for the latest updates due to the fickle weather in the past few days.

More travel stories

  • Hiking trip: Veľký Choč in the Žilina Region.
  • Town: Smolenice boasts a beautiful castle, but also the only open cave in western Slovakia.
  • Cave: No visitor has ever entered the Cave of Peace. The wait will take a few years longer.
  • Reserve: The Vydrica Nature Reserve, to be established on February 1, will cover the popular tourist locations Spariská, Malý Slavín and Biely Kríž.

EXHIBITION

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Dinosaur footprints from the Tatras

Pieces of the Tatras, at least geological ones, have been moved to the Tihányi Manor House in Banská Bystrica as part of the TRITRI exhibition presenting the geological history and diversity of the Tatras.

Visitors can admire a cast of dinosaur footprints found in the Tichá Dolina valley, a skull of a cave bear, or samples of gold from the peak Kriváň, the TASR newswire wrote.

The exhibition in the manor house, home to the natural sciences department of the Central Slovakia Museum, will last until March 13.

In addition to photographs, the exhibition includes a large number of collection items from the Slovak National Museum in Bratislava and the Department of Geology and Paleontology, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Comenius University in Bratislava. From the Central Slovakia Museum collection, visitors can see, for example, a mammoth tooth or a life-size Eubrontes tatricus dinosaur cartoon model.

“The exhibition will take people for a back-in-time walk,” curator Csaba Tóth said.


ARCHITECTURE

Viaduct becomes a national monument

The Na Vode Railway Viaduct in Dolná Štubňa, a Turčianske Teplice borough in central Slovakia, is one of several breath-taking features of the railroad running between Vrútky and Zvolen, but it is this viaduct that has recently been declared a national cultural monument by Slovakia’s Monuments Board.

The viaduct stretches between Čremošné Railway Station and Horná Štubňa Railway Station.

It was built as a part of the Banská Bystrica - Dolná Štubňa railroad, which was the most demanding railroad construction of the interwar period. Construction of the railroad began in 1936. The grand opening took place four years later.

“Built in the rugged mountain terrain, it required the construction of 22 tunnels and 112 bridge structures, of which four were viaducts,” Adriana Reťkovská from the Žilina Office of the Monuments Board told the TASR newswire.

The Na Vode Viaduct was the only viaduct on the railroad that was not damaged by bombs at the end of World War II.

Music news:

  • The Dutch singer Kovacs will perform at Majestic Music Club in Bratislava on May 11, and the hip hop legend Arrested Development will play a gig three days later, on May 14, at the same venue.
  • Korben Dallas, a Slovak band, has released a single called Pekne Zomrieť (To Die Nicely) from their upcoming album, which will be released in February.

WEEKEND READ

Art cultivates. Without it, our arrogance grows large

He started as a flutist, played with the orchestras of Slovak Public Radio, the Slovak Philharmonic, and the Slovak folk dance companies Lúčnica and SĽUK. He studied foreign languages and received an offer to take on a managerial role in an international orchestra. In the mid-1990s, he started preferring managerial work over playing the flute.

Marián Turner was head of Lúčnica for almost 15 years before he was named the General Director of the Slovak Philharmonic in January, following a prior public hearing.

In an interview, he argues that the Slovak Philharmonic has a good reputation and wants to maintain continuity while feeling the need to give classical music a fresh and modern face.


That is for now. Have a great weekend! - Peter

Do you have any tips? You can reach Peter at peter.dlhopolec@spectator.sk

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