Good afternoon. Here is the Friday, October 6 edition of Today in Slovakia - the main news of the day in less than five minutes.
National gallery wows, monument demolition stuns
The renovated Slovak National Gallery in Bratislava has won a CE ZA AR architecture award. (source: SME)
The Slovak National Gallery in Bratislava, the town hall in Leopoldov, a park in Bratislava's Karlova Ves borough, a Bratislava family house and a single flat ('29A') are among the winners of this year's CE ZA AR architecture competition.
The competition, organised by the Slovak Chamber of Architects, featured 95 projects.
The awards were given in six categories: Family Houses, Apartment Buildings, Civic and Industrial Buildings, Interior and Exterior, and the Phenomena of Architecture.
The Slovak National Gallery won in the Phenomena of Architecture category.
CE ZA AR winners:See the photos.
Some of the Merina buildings in Trenčín have been demolished. (source: Facebook/Culture Ministry)
Earlier, Slovakia also learned about its worst architecture of this year. The Brutus awards are decided by an anonymous jury of professionals to recognise architectural debacles. There are only two categories: Absolute Brutus and Dilemmas of Aesthetics.
The demolition of a national cultural monument, an industrial building in the former Merina industrial complex in Trenčín, won the Absolute Brutus award. The low-quality design of a swimming pool in Ružomberok and the stopping of the expropriation of the Machnáč spa house in Trenčianske Teplice also received this award.
Several Bratislava projects are listed in the Dilemmas category: the new statue of Methodius, Cyril and Gorazd at Bratislava Castle, the colourful Octahedral Body installation near the capital's Eurovea shopping mall, and the Pasienky sports centre.
The statue of Cyril, Methodius and Gorazd outside Bratislava Castle. (source: Milan Illík)
"The Brutus anti-prize is not only about ugly buildings that some people don't like visually, but about criticism of deeper phenomena within construction and architecture," said Brutus spokesperson Zuzana Duchová.
Architectural competitions are currently a big topic within the architectural community in Slovakia. The new design of Aréna Theatre, the oldest theatre in Bratislava, which is currently undergoing renovation, was not selected via a competition.
More stories from The Slovak Spectator website
Politics: A court document describes how a Bratislava paramedic allegedly drugged and assaulted his victim. The incident happened in early September.
Business: Train services connecting Bratislava with Vienna through the Austrian town of Marchegg will be suspended for a month due to renovation work on the railway in Marchegg. The suspension will start on Monday.
Bratislava public transport changes: Bus services across the capital are being affected by the closure of part of a tram line for reconstruction.
Opinion: How Ukrainians are helping Slovak people to leave the periphery.
Weekend: The White Night festival moves to Košice, Zvolen will host a culinary "Olympic" event. Check out the tips on how to spend the weekend.
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WHAT'S ON IN BRATISLAVA
Top 10 events: From dance to film festival
The Bratislava In Motion dance and perfomance art festival is currently taking place in the capital. (source: Facebook/Bratislava V Pohybe)
The popular Apple Feast, a regular flea market, and the legendary 'Days of Cabbage' festival (in nearby Stupava) will be held on Saturday – but there is much more to look forward to. See our selection of events for the days to come.
FEATURE STORY FOR FRIDAY
Hike to Kôprovský Štít
The path to the summit of Kôprovský Štít. (source: Matúš Beňo)
Kôprovský Štít remains somewhat overlooked. Still, the hike is well worth the sweat. You will be rewarded with stunning views of the Western, Polish and High Tatras, not to mention a walk around the largest mountain lake in the Slovak portion of High Tatras.
In other news
Schools in Slovakia will lack an additional 1,500 teachers by 2024, and subsequently 2,100 teachers per year over the following five years, an analysis by the Institute of Educational Policy suggests. The most serious shortage is in Bratislava Region. There is also an acute lack of teachers of physics, mathematics and informatics.
Smer politician Robert Kaliňák has told Aktuality.sk that the announcement of a new government might come next week. His Smer party leader, Robert Fico, claims that most reports about the post-election negotiations are not true. Observers expect Fico to become prime minister, with Hlas leader Peter Pellegrini serving as speaker of parliament. In addition to Smer and Hlas, the Slovak National Party (SNS) is expected to join the coalition.
The Ukrainian delivery group Nova Post opened its first Slovak branch in the centre of Bratislava on Friday.
A traditional wooden house in Podbiel, a village in the Orava region of northern Slovakia, as pictured on September 2, 2023. (source: TASR - Daniel Stehlík)
SATURDAY'S WEATHER: Expect clear skies on Saturday, with daytime temperatures of up to 26°C. Sunday will be cloudy and windy. Many places will see showers or rain, and even snow at high altitudes, but precipitation will stop later in the day. The highest daytime temperature should be 21°C.
Wind warnings are in place in the Tatras region during the weekend. On Sunday, wind warnings will be extended to most of Slovakia, except for Banská Bystrica Region and border areas in Prešov and Žilina Regions.
The weather is expected to turn colder from Monday. (SHMÚ)
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