James Thomson
James Thomson

James Thomson is a British editor and travel writer who has been based in Slovakia for more than 10 years. He started working with The Slovak Spectator in 2008, when he wrote the 14th edition of the Spectacular Slovakia travel guide. He has also lived and worked in Austria, Australia, Britain and New Zealand. He teaches undergraduate courses on news and information, 20th-century European history and modern China.

List of author's articles, page 3

Springtime in the Slovak countryside.

Few places do fresh air and "nothing" better than Slovakia

A change in the weather and – finally! – a lifting of restrictions prompts James Thomson to take his chances in the Slovak countryside.

When feelings count for more than lives

Why are Slovaks still dying in horrific numbers from a preventable disease?

PM Igor Matovič

Hall of mirrors

What Slovak politicians mean when they say sebareflexia.

Russel Lunday

In Memoriam – Russel Lunday

A good friend of The Slovak Spectator passed away on Sunday.

Banská Bystrica

Surviving, so far as we can tell

Does anyone understand Slovakia’s pandemic rules any more?

Igor Matovič celebration his election victory on March 1, 2020.

It was a long time ago and it never happened anyway

How much of the present will be intelligible through the kaleidoscopic lens of digital media in just a few years – or even months?

What do you want for Christmas?

A vaccine would be nice. But a state that inspires trust would be the gift that keeps on giving.

Dobroslav Trnka (left) and Jozef Čentéš (right), the candidate who was eventually selected by MPs in 2011, never got to take up the post because the then president, Ivan Gašparovič refused to appoint him for reasons that were never clearly explained.

Secret votes and public lies

There are uncanny echoes today of Slovakia’s agonies over its choice of chief prosecutor ten years ago.

The second US presidential debate.

Pity the nation

Americans’ choice of president on November 3 will affect Slovaks too.

Congratulations, you’ve won a thousand euros!

Slovakia will get about €7.5 billion – but for what?

Foreigners’ Police department in Bratislava

How a marginal part of Bratislava became pilgrimage spot for foreigners

Unable or unwilling to travel abroad this summer? Why not enjoy an excursion to the Foreigners’ Police, where a full day (at least) of excitement awaits!

Speaker of Parliament Boris Kollár holds a press briefing on June 23, 2020, in Bratislava, explaining his plagiarism.

Selling (out) the future

The behaviour on display in the latest plagiarism scandal is mirrored by that of some educational institutions too.

The deserted Auckland airport, New Zealand's busiest, in May 2020.

From lockdown in New Zealand to home quarantine in Slovakia. A COVID-19 odyssey

In which your correspondent inadvertently circumnavigates the globe in the middle of a pandemic.

Find out more about region of folklore, national parks and modern attractions.

The Spectacular journey: Getting to know Slovakia

James Thomson recalls some of the highs and lows of a summer spent on the road researching the 14th edition of Spectacular Slovakia.

Red Stone Castle (Červený Kameň) in Častá, Bratislava Region, easily accessible by public transport, serves as a furniture museum in the first place.
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Red Stone Castle houses a replica of Michelangelo’s Madonna of Bruges

The Renaissance fortress, located in Častá in the Bratislava Region, is a well-preserved castle set in the Small Carpathians.

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Igor Matovic, the kingmaker who became the king.

What Slovakia and New Zealand (don't) have in common

We are all struggling with the new reality. Some more than others.

Robert Fico celebrates his 2012 victory.

Men of appetites

Slovakia’s voters face some unappetising choices on 29 February.

Once upon a time in the east

In which your correspondent is doused in holy water and discusses the economics of collective farming.

Andrej Danko

Onwards and upwards

Slovakia is changing, and (whisper it) some things are getting better.

The idea of demonstrators waving EU flags in Westminster would have seemed faintly ridiculous before 2016; now it is a common sight at moments of parliamentary drama.

Strange parallels as Britain and Slovakia go to the polls

‘Who should I vote for?’ Slovak friends sometimes ask. I am in no position to offer advice any more.

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