News digest: Bratislava offers plenty of places to cool down over a hot weekend

Russia continues to cut natural gas supplies to Slovakia, the Defence Ministry has endured a large-scale cyber attack, and Medzilaborce's Andy Warhol Museum offers new exhibitions.

(Source: SME.sk / Hej,ty)

Good evening. Here is the Friday, June 17 edition of Today in Slovakia – the main news of the day in less than five minutes.

For weekend events and news on travel and culture in Slovakia, see the latest edition of our Spectacular Slovakia newsletter.

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Petržalka's Dove of Peace sculpture emerges after restoration

The Bratislava borough of Petržalka has restored one of its most famous monuments, an 18-metre-tall steel sculpture called the Dove of Peace. The artwork, designed by Karol Lacko, stands at the intersection of Dolnozemská and Betliarská Streets. In the process of renovating it, the borough discovered that no one seems to actually own the statue, and so is trying to obtain formal possession. The fact that it stands on private land is further complicating the situation.

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During the previous communist regime Bratislava was dubbed "City of Peace" and developers were obliged to spend a portion of their budgets on pieces of art in public spaces: the Dove was one such artwork.


In other news

  • The website of Slovakia's Defence Ministry faced a large-scale cyber attack overnight on June 16, 2022. The attackers failed to obtain any data, Defence Minister Jaroslav Naď (OĽaNO) reported today, June 17.
  • Russian natural gas supplies to Slovakia have continued to fall: while Russia decreased supplies to the state natural gas utility, SPP, by 10 percent on Tuesday (June 14), by 15 percent on Wednesday (June 15) and by over one third on Thursday (June 16), gas supplies will be half of the volume stipulated in contracts on Friday, said SPP general director Richard Prokypčák, as quoted by the TASR newswire. Prokypčák stated that the reduction would not threaten Slovakia, noting that SPP has signed a contract for supplies from gas fields in the North Sea, which are already flowing to Slovakia, while gas from an LNG tanker that recently unloaded in Croatia is on its way as well.
  • Natural gas prices supplied by the state gas utility SPP to households will increase by 34 to 59 percent from the beginning of next year, with the lower amount to be paid by customers who sign a four-year contract with SPP from August to the end of the year, and the higher increase applying to households that have a one-year contract, Economy Minister Richard Sulík (SaS) said on Thursday.
  • On Thursday evening, parliament adopted the second package to improve the business environment, sponsored by the Economy Ministry. The new legislation, which amends some acts in connection with the improvement of the business environment, contains almost 200 final measures.

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Feature story for today

Where to cool down in Bratislava

With temperatures approaching 30 degrees Celsius, people are naturally looking for places to cool down. Residents and visitors to Bratislava can do so at open-air swimming pools, lakes and even in the Danube. Hot-water lovers can visit a thermal spring just beyond the city limits.


More stories on Spectator.sk

The band’s top Spotify song is political, but many think it’s a drinking song Read more  Historical train takes tourists to unexplored parts of southern Slovakia Read more  Young people in Slovakia struggling to afford homes Read more 

Good news before you go

CONCERT: Talented Slovak soloists soprano Slávka Zámečníková and bass Peter Kellner, who are successful members of the prestigious Vienna State Opera, will perform in Bratislava on Monday, June 20.

EXHIBITION: The Andy Warhol Museum of Modern Art in Medzilaborce (MMUAW), in eastern Slovakia, has opened its summer season with several exhibitions presenting works of underground culture from the 1960s, including the project "The Valley" by painter Keith Haring and writer William S. Burroughs, plus a portrait of Joseph Beuys, a prominent representative of conceptual art during the second half of 20th century who was a personal friend of Andy Warhol and Keith Haring.


You can read travel and culture stories on The Slovak Spectator website.


If you have suggestions on how this news digest can be improved, you can reach us at editorial@spectator.sk.

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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