The opening of another traditional rafting season on the River VĂĄh in StreÄno, Ćœilina Region, in late April 2022. (source: TASR)
The world celebrates jazz on the last day of April, as it is International Jazz Day. Slovakia will even learn which new Slovak jazz album will win the Esprit award. See this year’s nominees.
Jazz is not necessarily everyone’s cup of tea. You can therefore find in this week’s Spectacular Slovakia Roundup other tips on how to spend your April 30 and Labour Day. Boating, hiking and exploring old school buildings are the activities we offer this time unless you want to erect your own maypole before May arrives.
LubenĂĄ, a folk group from Poluvsie in the Prievidza district, TrenÄĂn Region, is going to erect a maypole in the open-air Museum of Slovak Village in Martin, Ćœilina Region, in late April 2022. (source: TASR)
You can also help a good cause. Regardless of what you will go for, spend your weekend well.
TRAVEL
BaƄa Canal ready for the summer
The new boating season on the BaĆ„a Canal, a unique waterway connecting Slovakia’s Pomoravie region with Moravia, the Czech Republic, will start in the town of Skalica on May 1.
The BaƄa Canal is 55 kilometres long. Eight ports are built on it. The last of them, Otrokovice in Moravia, can be reached from Skalica in five to six days.
“This event shows that Skalica is not just a royal town with historical monuments,” Zdenko Äambal from the Záhorie regional tourism organisation told the TASR newswire. People also have the opportunity to discover natural and tourist beauties associated with tasting local food and drinks, he added.
The launch of a new boating season on the BaƄa Canal in Skalica in 2018. (source: TASR)
The only Slovak port on the BaƄa Canal was opened in Skalica 16 years ago. The canal was created as an artificial inland waterway in the thirties.
Other tourism news
Bratislava should put its chairlift on the Kamzík hill back into operation on May 5. The tourist attraction, which will mark the 50th anniversary in July, has been partially renovated.
The Koruna Turca hiking challenge will take you on an adventure around the Turiec region, central Slovakia.
Šamorín is a quiet town by the River Danube, an ideal place for a weekend walk.
ART
Slovak singer to tour with Imagine Dragons
Slovak radio stations rarely play her music, though it is recorded in English. The young Slovak artist Karin Ann does not seem to be bothered. Instead, she is making her way to the world of music in other places.
The artist has announced that she will be an opening act for Imagine Dragons during three European shows in early June. “It is a great honour,” the singer said,” I like them, and I agree with their views, for example when it comes to LGBT rights.”
Only recently did Karin Ann return from a tour with the UK music sensation Alfie Templeman. She also appears on The Great Escape line-up, which takes place in Brighton in May.
The singer will promote her new EP, “side effects of being human”, which was released in February.
Karin Ann comes from Äadca, northern Slovakia. (source: Facebook)
Karin Ann, who is compared to Billie Eilish, is not completely unknown to UK audiences thanks to DJ Jack Saunders from BBC Radio 1, one of the most listened to radio stations in Great Britain. In February, he played Karin Ann’s single “looking at porn” to listeners. A month later, he chose “almost 20”, a personal song for the singer, for his show devoted to future artists.
“The single addresses my feelings during adolescence, which was strongly influenced by a two-year, involuntary isolation from my peers,” the voice of Generation Z said about the song. In her songs, she often discusses discrimination, relationships and sexism, which are the topics that very few artists sing about in Slovakia.
In March, Vanity Fair Italy decided to introduce Karin Ann to Italian readers.
Books for Ukrainian children
The TrenÄianska Nadácia foundation in TrenÄín, western Slovakia, has recently come up with the idea of printing off children’s books in Ukrainian and giving them to Ukrainian children “so that moms with children can read and calm their minds at least for a while”, as Nikola SedláÄková from the foundation told TASR.
The foundation obtained a temporary copyright from RANOK Corporation, Imprints & Publishing Houses, a Kharkiv publishing house, to print the five most popular books of this publisher.
A printed-off fairytale book in Ukrainian. (source: TASR)
People can support the initiative on here. They can either donate money or and gift Ukrainian children with them.
Hungary’s coronation crown
Four hundred years after the Hungarian coronation crown was once kept safe in TrenÄín for three months – a story unknown to people in Slovakia at large - local jewellers are working on its replica to mark the anniversary.
TrenÄín Castle said that in summer it would exhibit the gilded replica, placing it next to a 17th century painting that depicts the crown.
The Crown of St. Stephen, part of the coat of arms of today’s Hungary, has been stolen, hidden and lost many times throughout history. In 1978, the USA returned the crown to the Hungarian people after almost four decades.
A replica of the Hungarian coronation crown will be exhibited at TrenÄĂn Castle in the summer. (source: TASR)
At present, it can be found in the Hungarian parliament building in Budapest.
EVENTS
Jazz and wine
It was two years ago when “Vínšpacírka”, a popular wine festival, was held in Banská Bystrica the last time. The event will return to the city’s SNP Square on Saturday, April 30, but organisers have said they modified it slightly.
Winemakers from all over Slovakia will come to Banská Bystrica with new and proven varieties from their vineyards. “The change, which only applies to this year, is that visitors will not have to buy a ticket in advance,” said Andrej Patráš from the Cech Hostinských guild. Visitors will pick up a wine tasting cup for a €3 deposit at designated spots. They will then buy wine samples from winemakers.
The one-day festival will start at 14:30 when the Banská Bystrica mayor launches a fountain on the square to kick off the summer season in the city.
The "VĂnĆĄpacĂrka" wine festival will return to BanskĂĄ Bystrica after two years. (source: Courtesy of Cech HostinskĂœch)
In addition to wine tasting, a jazz festival will be held in the square at the same time.
Bratislava events
Food: The borough of RaÄa organises the traditional “hody”, a festival of local food, wine and folk music, on April 30 and May 1. Main events are held on Alstrova Street and in the KniĆŸkova Valley, where an amphitheatre is located.
Community:The Good Market, a community festival, returns to Panenská Street on April 30.
Festival: “Majáles”, a festival of street food and craft beer, takes place on Uzbecká Street in the borough of Podunajské Biskupice until May 1.
Doors Open Day: NovĂĄ Cvernovka, a cultural hub housed in former school buildings, will open all of its doors to visitors on May 1, from 10:00 to 22:00. Admission: âŹ5. (source: TASR)
Concert:Malta’s philharmonic orchestra will perform at the Reduta building on May 4.
WEEKEND READ
Falconry saved the school
Falconry at Štiavnické Bane, near the picturesque popular tourist destination Banská Štiavnica, lives on thanks to the headmaster Pavol Michal. A new chapter in the history of the school started with his arrival.
“The school was about to be closed. Every year there were fewer and fewer pupils. They attended a school in nearby Banská Štiavnica,” says Michal, who is a fervent longtime falconer himself.
Pupils at MaximilĂĄn Hell Primary School in Ć tiavnickĂ© Bane study falconry as a compulsory subject from Year 5. (source: Nikola KĆaĆŸkovĂĄ/srdcovky.nadaciavub.sk)
“Falconry is my lifestyle. We started teaching it with my arrival. In the first year it was only a club, a year later it became an elective subject, and since 2010 it's been a compulsory subject.”
That’s it for this week. Have a restful weekend! - Peter
Do you have any tips? You can reach Peter at peter.dlhopolec@spectator.sk
