(source: SME.sk / Hej,ty)
Good evening. Here is the Friday, September 9 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.
Queen Elizabeth II was a role model and an inspiration, top Slovak state officials say
Queen Elizabeth II, pictured in 2008 during her visit to Devín, near Bratislava. She unveiled a memorial there to victims killed while trying to cross the Slovak-Austrian border during communism. (source: TASR)
Queen Elizabeth II's seven decades of steadfast leadership and dedication to the service of her country through many global changes have made her a role model and an inspiration for us all, President Zuzana Čaputová wrote on Twitter in reaction to the news of the death of the world's longest-serving monarch.
"Her passing is the end of an entire era," the president posted on Facebook.
Queen Elizabeth II was a respected sovereign, a role model and a symbol of stability and continuity, Prime Minister Eduard Heger stated as he sent his condolences to the British royal family, and the people of the UK and the Commonwealth.
Foreign Minister Ivan Korčok wrote on Twitter that at this difficult time, people in Slovakia are thinking of her family and those closest to her, and express sincere condolences to all the people of the United Kingdom.
Feature story for today
Famous British producer shoots movie about Slovak nature
Nigel Marven. (source: Facebook/Divoká príroda Slovenska)
With more than 150 documentaries under his belt, British television presenter, producer and wildlife documentary filmmaker Nigel Marven has been shooting a movie called Wild Beauty of Slovakia about the country's natural riches.
After filming in the Little Carpathians and the Muráň Plateau National Park, Marven also visited the High Tatras.
More stories onSpectator.sk:
MUSIC: Read about the and what role the communist-era secret police played in it.
NATURE: Ornithologists have discovered a great bustard’s nest near Bratislava for the first time in 12 years. The bird is the most endangered species in Slovakia, making this a significant find.
ELECTION: See who is running for election to municipal and regional bodies in Bratislava and Bratislava Region next month.
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Picture of the day
Karl von Habsburg, the head of the House of Habsburg-Lorraine, under the table marking the Parkway of Maria Theresa. (source: TASR)
Bratislava finally has a public space bearing the name of Maria Theresa, a Habsburg monarch who had close ties to the city. On Wednesday, September 7, Karl von Habsburg, the head of the House of Habsburg-Lorraine and a direct descendant of Maria Theresa, along with Old City Mayor Zuzana Aufrichtová and city councillor Gábor Grendel, unveiled the official street sign marking Maria Theresa Parkway, which is in the city centre.
In other news
Commissioning of the third unit of the nuclear power plant in Mochovce, Nitra Region, began shortly after midnight on Friday when operator Slovenské Elektrárne began loading nuclear fuel into its reactor.
Industry as a whole is experiencing fluctuations in its performance, with production in some industries changing drastically even from month to month, Matej Horňák, an analyst at Slovenská Sporiteľňa bank, said when commenting on a year-on-year decrease in industrial production of 6.4 percent in July reported by the Statistics Office.
Travel-tech company Kiwi.com opened a new branch in Slovakia on Thursday, as the travel business gets back on track. Like its existing office in Bratislava, the new branch in Košice will focus on developing the key products of the online flight booker.
The exhibition Fluid Territories, Maps of the Danube Region, 1650–1800, highlighting the Danube’s history as the border between the Habsburg and Ottoman worlds will be prolonged in Bratislava until September 25.
Public and private developers can use paving stones featuring an original design created just for Bratislava. The Metropolitan Institute of Bratislava (MIB) will grant a free license to use the design to interested parties – including on privately owned land – under precisely defined conditions.
TheBratislava Transport Company (DPB) will open its doors to the public again on Saturday, September 10. The open house event will take place at the trolleybus depot and historic park next to Villa Jurajov Dvor, which is being made accessible to the general public for the first time. A programme has been prepared for visitors from 10:00 until 17:00.
Bratislava’s Rusovce borough will go back in time almost 2,000 years on Saturday, September 10, when it will host the traditional Roman Games event. This will take visitors back to the times of the Romans and the period when Rusovce was part of the northern border of the Roman Empire for several centuries and the Gerulata military camp was located there. This year, the event will be held as a celebration of the inscription of ancient Gerulata into the UNESCO World Heritage List.
By 2030, the annual production of hydrogen from low-carbon technologies in Slovakia should increase to 45,000 tonnes. Of this, 20,000 tonnes are to be produced in electrolysers powered by electricity from renewable or nuclear sources, and 20,000 tonnes are to come from waste and biomass. The costs of realising these goals should reach €955 million, reads the Action Plan of Measures for the Successful Implementation of the National Hydrogen Strategy. The Economy Ministry has now submitted the paper for interdepartmental review after several months of delays.
Anniversary of the day
The Holocaust Museum in Sereď (source: TASR)
Slovakia today marks the Day of Victims of the Holocaust and of Racial Violence with an array of events. On September 9, 1942, 81 years ago today, the wartime Slovak State passed its harshly discriminatory Jewish Code.
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