Good evening. Here is theWednesday, December 20 edition of Today in Slovakia - the main news of the day in less than five minutes.
Nováky mine ceases operation
Miners on the last day of operation of the Nováky mine. The inscription reads: The last mining cart with Slovak brown coal. (source: TASR)
After 70 years, the production of electricity and heat from lignite at the Nováky power plant finally ended when the last turbine shut down on Wednesday.
The last coal train arrived at the power plant on Sunday, December 17.
The last mining cart with brown coal was pulled from the Nováky mine at the same time.
The power plant went active in 1953. Over the years, it gradually lost its place as a key electricity producer to nuclear power plants. In addition to electricity production, it has also served as the central source of heating for the Prievidza region since 1987.
"Despite large investments in making its operations greener, production in the power plant was gradually reduced and, following a government decision, coal was burned in the so-called general economic interest," electricity supplier Slovenské Elektrárne stated.
The only remaining coal-fired power plant in the country. Vojany, in the Michalovce district, eastern Slovakia, will be shut down in the first half of next year.
MORE STORIES FROM THE SLOVAK SPECTATOR WEBSITE
OPINION: Slovakia has changed since I first visited it in the 90s. I used to come to Slovakia as a tourist, now I'm a refugee.
TRAVEL: Railways to lay on more trains, carriages, for Christmas.
HISTORY: New tourist attraction created in Banská Štiavnica, lost mining castle seen through app.
LIFE IN THE CAPITAL: Bratislava outskirts teem with culture, drawing people from the city centre.
CHRISTMAS COOKING: How to make Medovníky, Slovak spiced honey cookies.
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FEATURE STORY FOR WEDNESDAY
Domestic market was not enough for this Slovak furniture maker
The founding and successor generation of the Zajko family (from left: sons Martin and Michal, and father Jozef). (source: Courtesy of Idona)
Idona broke into the market producing atypical, custom-made furniture in small-batch production. The name Idona is an abbreviation of the first syllables of the Slovak words for interiors, accessories and furniture.
The family business is growing and expanding into foreign markets.
EVENT FOR FRIDAY
One concert ahead of Christmas
This Friday, popular Bratislava-based band Billy Barman will play a special concert to say goodbye to their old playlist ahead of a new album release. The event will take place in the Kácéčko venue in the city centre. Tickets are limited, so get yours here.
IN OTHER NEWS
Had an election taken place in mid-December, Smer would have won with 24.1 percent of the votes, followed by Progresívne Slovensko with 19.4 and Hlas with 15.7 percent. The SaS, KDH, and far-right Republika parties would have also made it into the parliament. Meanwhile, the Slovensko movement, Kresťanská Únia and Za Ľudí coalition, and current government coalition member SNS, would not have got into parliament, according to a survey by the Ipsos polling agency. (TASR)
Parliament approved the establishment of a new Tourism and Sport Ministry via fast-track proceedings. The ministry, officially to be established on January 1, 2024, will be headed Dušan Keketi, former director of the Bratislava airport. (TASR)
Approximately 70 public figures have launched a petition to allow Zuzana Denková to continue as director of the Slovak Mining Museum in Banská Štiavnica, central Slovakia. She was dismissed from the post on December 14 by the Environment Ministry. No reason was given for her removal. In response to the petition, the ministry stated that Minister Tomáš Taraba (SNS nominee) wants to cooperate with people he can trust in terms of management. (TASR)
On Wednesday, the revitalized park at the Račianske Mýto locality has been opened to the public following a comprehensive renovation, including water retention measures to make it better adapted to droughts and summer heat. Its official opening will be next spring . (TASR)
Slovakia rejects any form of compulsory migrant quotas and related financial compensation from the European Union, Slovak Foreign Affairs Minister Juraj Blanar said at a meeting with his Hungarian counterpart Peter Szijjarto in Budapest. (TASR)
A small bear cub named Linda spends time on a tree in the Košice Zoo. The orphaned cub was brought a month ago from the rescue station in Zázrivá. (source: TASR)
WEATHER FOR THURSDAY
Cloudy and overcast, snow in many places. Windy. Daily temperatures between 0 °C and 8 °C. With the exception of parts of western Slovakia, several weather warnings, including for ground ice, snowfall, and wind, have been issued for the rest of the country. Find out more here. (SHMÚ)
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