(source: SME.sk / Hej,ty)
Good evening. Here is the Friday, October 21 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.
Slovakia’s central bank exhibits rare coronation objects
The atrium of the National Bank of Slovakia building is hosting an exhibition of coronation objects. (source: Courtesy of NBS)
In Bratislava now and over the weekend, residents and visitors alike have a unique opportunity to view not only some valuable coronation objects – but also to visit the normally inaccessible premises of the National Bank of Slovakia (NBS), the country’s central bank. Its atrium, under which the bank's safes are located, is hosting an exhibition on the theme of coronations until Sunday, October 23.
The first part of the exhibition, which the NBS has organised in cooperation with the Bratislava Tourist Board (BTB) and other partners, captures the monarchs and their consorts who were crowned in Pressburg – i.e. present-day Bratislava – in the form of precious coronation medals and tokens.
The second part features photographs by Jan William Drnek depicting the coronation cathedral of St Martin in Bratislava. The art photographer captured its form and atmosphere in the publication Metropolitan Cathedrals. The book and enlarged photographs from it are displayed in the NBS atrium.
Feature story for today
FAQ: How can foreigners vote in municipal elections in Slovakia?
It will soon be time to vote. (source: TASR)
Foreigners living in Slovakia can participate in the upcoming municipal and regional elections, which will take place next Saturday, October 29. Here is what you need to know before visiting a polling station.
The Slovak Spectator has set out to answer the most frequently asked questions about voting in municipal elections with the help of the Human Rights League. The questions include which foreigners living in Slovakia are eligible to vote, whether they need to register, what they need to vote, and more.
More stories onSpectator.sk:
WASTE: One person's trash is another person's treasure. Bratislava gets first reuse centre.
CYCLING: The cycling path in the village of Oščadnica offers an unconventional viewing terrace above the level of the Kysuca River.
ELECTION: Foreigners are turning to online translation apps and Slovak partners ahead of municipal and regional elections.
HIKING: Mountain rescuers are warning of winter conditions in mountains, calling on hikers to respect warnings by the Slovak Hydrometeorological Institute and Mountain Rescue Service and urging them to wear proper clothing as the weather turns.
Picture of the day
Hikers have only two weekends left to hike in the High Tatras: most of its hiking trails will be shut from November 1. They will reopen in mid June next year. (source: TASR)
In other news
Slovakia is satisfied with the outcome of talks on cutting energy prices in Europe, said Prime Minister Eduard Heger (OĽaNO) on Friday morning, following the first part of a two-day EU summit in Brussels.
Had a general election taken place in October, it would have been won by the Hlas party of Peter Pellegrini with 19.1 percent of the votes, according to an opinion poll carried out by the AKO agency for TV JOJ. It would have been followed by the opposition Smer party of Robert Fico with 16.1 percent, and then Freedom Solidarity (SaS), which recently quit the governing coalition, with 11.5 percent. Other parties that would have made it into parliament were Progressive Slovakia (11.2 percent), OĽaNO (8.1 percent), Sme Rodina (7.7 percent), the far-right Republika party (6.6 percent) and the Christian Democratic Movement (KDH) (5.8 percent). Two parties that currently hold seats in parliament wouldn’t have reached the necessary 5-percent threshold: Za Ľudí of Veronika Remišová (1.6 percent) and the far-right ĽSNS (2.6 percent). AKO carried out the survey on a sample of 1,000 respondents between October 12 and 19.
Almost 14 percent of Slovaks admit that they have sometimes driven a car under the influence of alcohol, a survey by the AKO agency conducted on a sample of 1,000 respondents indicates. On a per capita basis, this suggests that more than 611,000 Slovak men and women have driven a car under the influence. Of those surveyed, 6.2 admitted to driving under the influence several times. According to 7.6 percent of respondents, they drove under the influence only in critical situations, such as imminent childbirth or to get a loved one to hospital.
Slovakia ranks second, behind only Romania, in private ownership of residential real estate in the EU. As much as 91 percent of housing units in Slovakia are privately owned, real estate services company CBRE reported.
The city of Trenčín has received 2,000 tulip bulbs as a gift from the Dutch Embassy. A special variety of dual-coloured red and white tulips called Slovensko (Slovakia) has been chosen to symbolise the cooperation and good relationship between Slovakia and the Netherlands.
Dutch Ambassador Gabriella Sancisi and Trenčín Mayor Richard Rybníček planting the tulips. (source: Courtesy of FB Dutch Embassy)
The vast majority of drone flights in the airspace over Bratislava are uncoordinated. In the past month alone, 2,541 drone flights were recorded, of which only 150, or some 6 percent, were coordinated, Štefan Dusza of Slovakia’s Air Traffic Services, said at the Drontex conference in Piešťany. Thus, the vast majority of drone pilots are violating the current rules.
The main goal of skier Petra Vlhová is to win gold at the World Championship. “I already fulfilled my dream at the Olympics. Now we would like to win gold at the World Championship: that is our goal and that is where our motivation is directed,” the successful skier said during an online press conference on Thursday. Last season, in addition to gold in the slalom at the Olympics, Vlhová also won a small crystal globe in the same discipline. She finished in 2nd place in the overall ranking of the World Cup last year.
Cemeteries in Bratislava are extending their opening hours as All Saints Day approaches. It will be celebrated in Slovakia with a public holiday on November 1. Cemeteries will be open daily from 7:00 to 20:00 until November 8.
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Anniversary of the week
Although Miroslav Žbirka was a Slovak singer, he had lived in Prague for many years before his death on November 10 last year. (source: TASR)
A concert, Tribute to Miro Žbirka 70 on Monday, October 17, was held in Bratislava to mark whay would have been the 70th birthday of the legendary Slovak singer, dubbed “the fifth member of the Beatles”, Miroslav “Meky” Žbirka (October 21, 1952 – November 10, 2021).
If you have suggestions on how this news overview can be improved, you can reach us at editorial@spectator.sk.
