The countryside east of Bratislava. (Illustrative image) (source: Matúš Beňo)
Residents of several settlements around Bratislava have saved an important patch of forest from being cut down to make way for a road connecting the D1 and D4 highways. After three years of pressure, they have succeeded in getting the road diverted, reports the Pravda daily.
The forest in question lies between the villages of Ivanka pri Dunaji and Zálesie, next to a lake called Štrkovka. Known to locals as the Jesuit Forest or the Beňo Grove, wild animals use the wood during migration.
Locals have been battling the construction since 2020. Approximately 1,200-1,400 trees would have to be cut down to allow the construction, changing the microclimate and increasing the temperature in its vicinity by several degrees.
Moreover, the road would have caused increased emissions and noise, and would have cut access for residents of Zálesie from a safe cycling route to the neighbouring village of Ivanka pri Dunaji. Almost 3,000 residents signed a petition opposing the construction.
"Sometimes, one felt more like a sheepdog who had to be on the alert all the time – to pay attention to calls for comments, to look for the results of various negotiations and especially to meet the deadlines. That is also why we are very happy that all our efforts have been fruitful," said Lucia Mešková, initiator of the petition.
