Frequently Asked Questions
Table of Contents
What are people like in Slovakia?
Can you tell me
about the Slovak flag and National Anthem??
Where can I
find more information?
Where (what?) is Slovakia?
Slovakia is right in the Heart of Europe.
Bordering countries include the Czech Republic, Poland, Hungary, Austria
(Bratislava is about 1 hour from Vienna), and the Ukraine.
Slovakia has an area less than 50,000
sq. miles (about the size of South Carolina) and a population of a little under
5.5 million. That’s approximately 180 people per sq. mile!
The official language of Slovakia is
Slovak. It is similar to Czech in vocabulary, but there are enough differences
in grammar and syntax that they are considered to be separate languages. It is
part of the Slavic language family, but thankfully, they use the Latin
alphabet.
What are people like in Slovakia?
People are just like you and me. When
I was in the MTC, we used to wonder the same thing – how do the people differ
from us? Well, they are just people. They laugh. They cry. They bleed (although
they try not to do that too often). The main difference is experience. Most of
them have had experiences that most of us can’t even begin to comprehend –
mainly that of Communism. Some people were very embittered by the experience
and have become very suspicious of everyone and everything (especially foreign
guys walking around in white shirts, suits, and name tags). Others have been
humbled by the experience and have turned to God for support. (Alma 62:41) It
will be interesting to see how the rising generation grows up without the
“ideals” of Communism forced upon them.
However, with all that being said, after living there for a
while, people begin to have a very “Slovak” or at least “European” way of
looking – either in appearance or dress. You can’t put you’re finger on it, but
after a while you seem to just know who is Slovak and who’s not.
How old is Slovakia?
Slovakia has it’s birthday every
January 1. On January 1, 1993, Czechoslovakia split (mainly at the insistence
of the Slovak government (or rather of Prime Minister Vladimir Mečiar)) to for the Czech and Slovak
Republics. Most people I talked to while I was there felt either that they
could have cared if they had stayed together or not, or they feel that it would
have been better for them to stay together.
For our generation, and for the few before us, it seems odd
that there is no longer a Czechoslovakia. Historically, there was no such thing
as Czechoslovakia until 1918. Before 1918, the Czechs and Slovaks existed
together, but separately. Czechs were constantly oppressed by German/Austrian
rule while Slovaks contended with Hungarians and Magyarization – or, the
forcing of Hungarian culture upon the Slovaks. They were two different people
with two different histories. Similar cultures, yes, but enough so to become
one country? There are still some that say the union should never have taken
place.
During WWI, Czechs and Slovaks at home and fighting abroad
campaigned for an independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire. In 1915, Czech
and Slovak Americans signed the Cleveland Agreement authorizing the formation
of an independent state formed of the two nations.
3 notable people worked hard to bring this about: Tomaš Masarýk, who became Czechoslovakia’s first president; Edvard Beneš, and Milan Rastislav Štefanik, a Slovak. In May 1918, Masarýk signed the Pittsburg Pact
along with Czech and Slovak organizations. Later that year, Czecho-Slovakia (as
it was originally supposed to be called at Štefanik’s demand) was recognized by France, the UK,
and the US. In October of the year, the Slovaks issued the Declaration of the
Slovak Nation proclaiming their part in the Czecho-Slovak Republic and thus
ending Hungary’s reign over them. Unfortunately, Štefanik died in a plane
crash on his way back to his beloved Slovakia and never saw the Czecho-Slovakia
for which he had fought so hard. Along with his death, the hyphen disappeared
and Slovakia lost their equal status in Czechoslovakia.
And so, with the fall of Communism and the Velvet Revolution
in 1989, Slovakia began again to evaluate their status. The central government
was still in Prague and the government in Bratislava began to feel a lack of
representation. They felt the time had come to again be independent nations.
And so, in 1993, the Slovak Republic was born with the advent of the Velvet
Divorce.
Who is the current President?
Rudolf Schuster is currently the
President.
Slovakia operates under a
Parliamentary Democracy.
Mikulaš Dzurinda – Prime Minister
Next general election – September 2002
Can you tell me about the Slovak flag and National Anthem?
To be perfectly honest, I can’t tell you a whole lot about
the flag. This is one area I’m not an expert on without tons of plagiarism. So,
instead of stooping to that, you can click here to find everything I would have
plagiarized if I didn’t feel guilty about it.
![[Slovakian Flag]](http://www.crwflags.com/fotw/images/s/sk.gif)
As for the Narodná Hymna (National Anthem), Nad
Tatrou sa Blyska by Janko Matuska, I can give you the text:
Nad Tatrou sa blyska,
hromy divo biju -
zastavme ich bratia,
ved sa oni stratia -
Slovaci oziju.
To Slovensko nase
posial tvrdo spalo -
ale blesky hromu
vzbudzuju ho k tomu,
aby sa prebralo.
Where can I find more information?
Here are a couple of links to Slovak pages that I have really found helpful in compiling some information for this site.
Slovakia.org
– one of the more popular sites about Slovakia
Slovakia-slovakia.com
– Slovakia – Heart of Europe (SHoE) – great information about Slovakia – easy
to use site.
Slovakian.info – great links
to whatever you want to know about Slovakia
Slovensko.com
– another great Slovakia site.
Last revised: 8-26-02