Pohoda Festival will return to Trenčín airport next week. Black Pumas, Sigrid, Lianne La Havas, Wolf Alice, Slowthai are some of the artists to perform at the festival. (source: Radovan Stoklasa for TASR)
In the Spectacular Slovakia Roundup, we’re writing about a new Mexican restaurant and a map museum.
You can spend hours at this map museum
A miniature model of a Slovak village at the Slovak Museum of Maps in Kynceľová near Banská Bystrica. (source: Peter Dlhopolec for The Slovak Spectator)
Entrepreneur Milan Paprčka decided to open the museum of maps in central Slovakia because he wanted to give something back to the community. The museum welcomed its first visitors in 2018.
In a span of five years the museum of maps has grown into a popular destination for school trips. Students often come here with their teachers to learn more about geography.
“The aim is to help students see the connections between these subjects,” he said, “Their studies will then become easier.”
The tourists don’t bypass the museum either, even though it is open only during working days. There, they can create their own map or learn more about the importance of contour lines.
Culture news in short:
During research of an archaeological site in the Skalica district, a rare archaeological object was found.
Authors’ Reading Month, the largest literary festival in central Europe, will take place from July 3 to August 3, promoting the works of Icelandic writers. The event will be held in Košice, Bratislava, and Prešov.
The largest travelling summer film festival, Bažant Kinematograf, will take place in 16 cities, including Bratislava. The event, whose typical feature is a retro bus, will run until September 3. Film screenings will be held under the open sky.
Fest Anča, a festival of animated films, takes place in Žilina, northern Slovakia, until Sunday, July 3. Film goers can, for example, look forward to the oldest animated feature, The Adventures of Prince Achmed (1926). This year, the event focuses on women in animation.
A bit of Hollywood in the north
Cycling near Trstená. (source: Tomáš Pallo)
Trstená is probably one of the places a tourist would want to avoid, but that would be a mistake.
From the town, tourists can set out on a bike trip – a cycling route is built on a former railway – and enjoy nice views on mountains as they cycle to Poland.
Moreover, the town has its own “Hollywood” sign, except it says “Trstená”. Still, it is worth a selfie.
Foodies can try local potato chips and a drink called the Bear, which is an absolute “alcoholic bomb”.
MORE TRAVEL NEWS
Farm: Get lost in lavender fields of a farm in eastern Slovakia.
Shelter: KST Hikemates, a civic association, is going to start building a six-bed shelter, “Sláviček”, in the Tŕstie nature reserve in Muránska Planina National Park. The work on it should come to an end in the autumn.
Pools:Pools in Martin, central Slovakia, will open on Saturday, July 2.
Tours: Walking tours in Trnava, which will present local churches and other history of the city, will take place every working day at 10:30.
Mezcalli: Mexican restaurant in Bratislava
Jeremy Hill and Annel Bautista explore the topic of reinvention through the story of one Mexican entrepreneur in the latest episode of the Na Slovensku Aj Po Anglicky podcast. (source: Brian Navarro )
Becoming a professional chef was not something Brian Navarro, a Mexico City native, envisioned for himself after finishing high school, but fate steered him toward a culinary school fair that presented him with an intriguing career path.
Later on, in America, he found the love of his life and the reason for moving to Slovakia. He fell hard for a Slovak girl who enticed him to use his knowledge and experience to bring his dreams of authentic Mexican food to central Europe.
Mexican food is still mostly unknown to the average Slovak; so Chef Navarro has set out to educate the public on what this food is and is not.
He opened his restaurant in the Slovak capital in early 2022.
Before you go, here are some final recommendations
LISTEN: Porsche Boy is a Slovak rap artist who will perform at Pohoda Festival next Friday. On his 2022 album “Z Domu Preč” [Away From Home], he mixes rap with house, techno and garage music.
WATCH:Dežo Hoffmann was a Slovak photographer who photographed The Beatles. The latest documentary looks back at his life and iconic photographs.
Slovak photographer Dežo Hoffmann worked with The Beatles regularly. (source: TASR)
READ: People living in Poloniny National Park have, historically, bittersweet feelings towards the state. Some mayors have dismissed the state’s recent tourism plans for the area.
EVENT: Visitors to one of the largest folk music festivals in Slovakia, Východná, can use trains to get to the festival. The national carrier, ZSSK, has said trains will stop in the Východná village during the festival, which takes place this weekend.
That’s it for this week. Have a great weekend! - Peter
Do you have any tips? You can reach Peter at peter.dlhopolec@spectator.sk
