(source: SME.sk / Hej,ty)
Good evening. Here is the Friday, October 28 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 Spectator Slovakia newsletter.
Rare fossil site in Bratislava gets camera surveillance
Sangberg (source: TASR)
The prominent fossil-rich site of Sandberg, in Bratislava’s Devínská Nová Ves district, now enjoys rather more protection after a monitoring camera was installed there.
Installation of the 24-hour camera is a response by the city district to the increased number of violations by visitors in the past. The camera also offers views of the surrounding countryside.
“Thanks to the cooperation of our surveillance centre with the water utility company, we launched this panoramic camera project,” Dárius Krajčír, mayor of Devínská Nova Ves. “[The aim is] that such an important natural reserve can be accessed by residents, conservationists and security forces via a live broadcast."
Today's feature story
Try out a Slovak ski star's home slope: Winter in the Low Tatras is approaching
Jasná ski resort (source: Courtesy of TMR)
For many, the coming winter months prompt hopes of abundant snow, which would mean excellent skiing conditions in Slovak resorts.
There is a lot to choose from in the north of Slovakia, from smaller, locally important ski resorts to those that are also known abroad. Many go to Liptov for a winter vacation or a weekend away from home, which is attractive for tourists not only in the summer but also in the colder months.
Jasná in the Low Tatras, which is the home ski resort of Slovak ski star Petra Vlhová, offers more than 50 kilometres of pistes and 23 lifts and cable cars on the north and south sides of Chopok peak.
More stories on Spectator.sk:
MONUMENT: The Slavín monument has never been just a cemetery with buried soldiers from the end of World War II. It also manifests the former – and continuing – influence of Moscow.
TRAVEL: Mountain rescuers from the Veľká Fatra Regional Centre helped four intoxicated tourists from Poland last weekend.
FOREIGNERS: Top 10 events in Bratislava.
ELECTIONS: Slovakia's municipal and regional elections take place tomorrow, Saturday, October 29. It's the first time ever that both will be held on the same day.
Picture of the week
Construction at Birds Island on the Danube in 2000. (source: TASR)
Birds Island is one of the few original wild areas that survived construction of the Gabčíkovo hydropower plant on the Danube in the 1980s and 1990s. Monday, October 24, marked 30 years since the Danube was dammed.
In other news
Daylight Saving Time ends in Slovakia on Sunday, October 30, when clocks will be set back one hour from 3:00 a.m. to 2:00 a.m. CET.
On Friday, Austria temporarily extended border controls with Slovakia by 15 days. It will later consider extending them by another 30 days. Originally, border controls on the Austrian-Slovak border were to be valid until Friday, October 28.
On Friday, October 28 and Monday, October 31, all public transport lines and regional lines in Bratislava and its vicinity will operate according to the timetables valid for the school holidays.
Slovak painter, graphic artist and illustrator Dušan Kállay has received the Japanese Ambassador's Award for his long-standing contribution to deepening friendship, mutual relations and cultural exchanges between Japan and Slovakia.
Following the pandemic, people are more dissatisfied at work, and lack motivation and enthusiasm, but two-thirds of them have changed their life priorities as a result, according to a survey by Profesia, Slovakia's biggest jobs website, and Slovenská Sporiteľňa bank, which was conducted between August 9 and 31 on a sample of 113 companies and 4,910 employees.
The Slovak company GreenBat has put into operation the first battery energy storage of its kind in Slovakia, as well as in the countries of the Visegrad Four (V4). It has an output of 1.25 MW (1.2 MWh), is certified for primary regulation (FCR) and is located on the premises of the former ZŤS plant in Martin. It is intended for ancillary services in the energy sector or energy deviation regulation.
Batteries at the Greenbat energy storage facility. (source: Courtesy of GreenBat)
Anyone who discards waste except in a designated litter bin can be fined €20 for pollution of a public space, the Environment Ministry has been warning users on social networks. The offence is considered a misdemeanor under the law.
Cemeteries in Bratislava will have extended opening hours during and after All Souls' Day. In the period from November 1 to 8, they will be open from 7:00 to 20:00.
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Anniversary of the week
Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk (source: TASR)
The joint state of Slovaks and Czechs was founded following the collapse of the Austro-Hungarian monarchy 104 years ago, on October 28, 1918, when the Czechoslovak National Committee in Prague officially announced the creation of Czechoslovakia. One of the instrumental figures was Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk, the first president of the interwar Czechoslovak Republic. His statute stands in front of the headquarters of the Slovak National Museum on the Danube embankment in Bratislava.
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