List of author's articles, page 44
British students help to restore wartime bunker in Petržalka
The historical BS 3 “Paseka” bunker in the Petržalka borough of Bratislava is being restored by British students as part of an international work camp. The students, aged 14 to 16, are primarily helping to reconstruct the bunker’s interior. The bunker itself used to be part of a military defence line on Petržalka territory. As the Petržalka administration’s spokesperson Mária Grebeňová-Laczová informed the SITA newswire, the end of July already saw the second turn of young volunteers from Great Britain who engaged in renewing the neglected structure.
Theme of photography competition is reading in public spaces
The focus of an international photography competition for young people aged 14 to 19, called Pristihnutí pri čítaní / Caught Reading, is to photograph Slovaks and Poles reading in public spaces. The competition, with a September 20 deadline, is being organised by the Regional Library in Žilina and the Ksianzica Beskidzka in Bialsko-Biala.
Castle Games in Trenčín culminated at local castle
A celebration of local history took place at the beginning of August in the old town of Trenčín, culminating on Saturday, August 4, at the town’s famous castle. The core of the festivities took place in the local Mierové Square, but on Saturday, they were moved to the castle where Trenčianske hradné slávnosti / Trenčín Castle Celebrations were organised.
Biggest pirohy eaters are in Hrabkov
The popular Pirohy o tri rohy (Tri-corned Pies) event hosted its fourth competition on August 18 in Hrabkov in the Prešov District. The local pies are unique due to their triangular shape, while the object of the competition is to eat as many pies in the shortest amount of time possible.
Penguin flock at Košice zoo has two babies
The flock of Humboldt Penguins (Spheniscus humboldti, also termed the Peruvian Penguin, or Patranca) at the zoo in Košice, which has been plagued by a series of mishaps and deaths, has finally recorded some good news: one of the females, Žofka, laid eggs at the end of June and on August 2 one baby penguin was born, followed by another on August 4. Both young penguins are male – which works out well given that the flock lacked males after a series of deaths and infections.
Historical church in Rimavské Janovce to be repaired
At the beginning of August, renovation began of the most precious local monument – the Romanesque Roma-Catholic Church of St John the Baptist in Rimavské Janovce (in the Rimavská Sobota district in southern Slovakia). The church, which dates back to the 12th century, is part of the Gothic Route and its restoration will be funded mainly by a grant worth more than €16,000.
Napoleon comes to life in hands of graffiti artists in Petržalka
PETRŽALKA inhabitants will now be able to admire part of the Bratislava borough’s history on the local Gessayova Street. A transformer station will be adorned with a scene depicting the months-long 1809 siege by the army of French Emperor Napoleon I, in which it was attempting to force its way across the Danube River. The project, Historical Connections in the Footsteps (Urban Gallery), seeks to enhance the perception of Petržalka’s inhabitants of its local historical dimension.
Masaryk residence renewed
THE MASARYK Yard, where the president of the first Czechoslovak Republic, Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk and his daughters spent their summers, is currently being reconstructed.
Trnava stairs might lead to underground tunnels
ARCHAEOLOGICAL research on Kapitulská Street in Trnava has recently unearthed stairs leading to the underground cellar of a medieval house. Some speculate that the stairs could possibly lead to a complex of nearby underground tunnels.
Vranov library has a new biblio-box
THE UPPER Zemplín library in Vranov nad Topľou in eastern Slovakia, has had a new biblio-box since August 2. The self-service device enables readers to return books to the library even after opening hours, the TASR newswire wrote.
Monetary reform brought crown to Slovakia 120 years ago
ONE OF several monetary reforms in the Austro-Hungarian Empire took place 120 years ago. On August 2, 1892, a law introduced the crown currency, which was to be covered by gold. Golden coins called “zlatý” (golden) and smaller grajciars were replaced by crowns and hellers. One kilogram of pure gold was the equivalent of 3,280 crowns. Golden mono-metallism was necessary, as silver kept devaluating after rich silver mines were opened in South America. The new currency established itself with difficulty, and the gradual withdrawal of old coins and banknotes lasted for eight years. The crown was finally in use by 1900. Its name was derived from the minted picture of a king or emperor with the royal symbol, a crown. In Great Hungary, the crown was called the korona, and the heller was the fillér. Coins were minted in two places: in Kremnica, marked with K.B. (the Hungarian type), and in Vienna without the mint mark. The basic nominal coin since 1892 was – also on the current territory of Slovakia – a silver crown. Coins with a value of 1, 2 and 5 crowns were minted in silver, while the 10, 20 and 100 crown coins were made from gold. The one-crown coin weighed 5 grams and was 23 millimetres in diameter. 200 coins were made of 1 kilogram of minted silver. Banknotes appeared only in 1901 in denominations of 10 and 20. Since 1902, 50, 100 and 1,000 crowns could be paid by banknotes, the TASR newswire wrote.
Cibulafest brought music, fun and charity
THE FOURTH year of the biggest Czecho-Slovak music festival, Cibulafest, which takes place in Holíč near the border between the two republics, attracted 8,000 people this year on the weekend of July 20-21, the highest turnout in the festival’s history.
Eagle released into the wild welcomed by another one
THE LESSER Spotted Eagle (Aquila pomarina) that was found injured this past May in a family garden in the municipality of Hrušov, was released after being treated and given time to heal near the Jablonovské sedlo ridge, also known as Soroška, close to where it was originally found. By that time, another eagle had been spotted circling above the village and it seemed to be looking for something.
Tatra Gallery revitalises the dilapidated complex of the sculptors’ symposium in Vyšné Ružbachy
THE GALA concert in the complex of the former International Sculptors’ Symposium (MSS) in Vyšné Ružbachy was the culmination of a project by Tatra Gallery (Trantranská galleria) in Poprad, aimed at saving and reviving this unique cultural monument. The concert featured singers Terézia Kružliaková-Babjaková, Martin Babjak, Daniel Buranovský and Alexander Jablokov.
First festival of Jewish culture was organised in Košice
THE MAZEL Tov festival - which means “good luck” in Hebrew - is the first festival of Jewish culture in Slovakia, and it took place between July 7 and 15 in the eastern Slovak city of Košice. The summer festival offered a taste of rich Jewish culture to a wider public, featuring guided tours, concerts, exhibitions, workshops, literary and film events, and lectures.
Banská Štiavnica is festive in the summer
THE CENTRAL Slovak town of Banská Štiavnica comes to life in the summer, during the high tourist season, when every weekend a different historical, cultural or folklore event takes place. On the last weekend in July, it saw the 13th year of the Festival of Nice Music (Festival peknej hudby) as well as the Knights’ Tournament.
Studia Academica Slovaca still attracts foreigners to learn Slovak
THE 48th YEAR of Studia Academica Slovaca, SAS, opened on August 6 in the Auditory of the Comenius University in Bratislava. The annual event aims at teaching foreign students basic Slovak language during a three week long course. Organisers prepared 80 to 100 hours of Slovak-language lessons for 161 participants coming from 38 countries.
Brides competed in a Wedding Run
IN BÁNOVCE nad Bebravou, the first “run in a wedding gown” in Slovakia took place. Organised by a wedding agency that rents wedding gowns and other necessities for the ceremony on July 20, the competition had simple rules: girls between 17 and 99 had to bring their own sneakers and wedding gowns, and had to run across the local square.
Municipality of Jelšava organised its first Cherry Days
In early July, the municipality of Jelšava in the east of central Slovakia held its first Cherry Days festival. “This is a so-called ‘zero year’, meant to commemorate the more than 200-years’ old tradition of the first Cherry-growers’ Club in the Austro-Hungarian Empire,” mayor Milan Kolesár told the TASR newswire. The weekend event, starting on July 6, was timed to commemorate the 270th anniversary of the birth of the club’s founder, Pastor Pavol Valaský.
Levice synagogue aims to join nationwide project
The synagogue in Levice should become a part of the Slovak Jewish Heritage Route. The synagogue in this western-Slovak town could thus officially join other important monuments of Jewish culture which are united via the project, which aims to promote them and fully integrate them into the cultural and tourist offering of Slovakia.
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