Marek_T

Slovakia is situated in the central Europe. The population of Slovakia is over 5 millions people. The capital of Slovakia is Bratislava, lying on the both banks of the biggest river in our country, called Dunaj.

Another big towns are Kosice and Presov in the east, Banska Bystrica in the centre, Zilina and Trnava in the north, Trencin in the west. Slovakia is divided into 3 regions - eastern, central and western Slovakia.  Except Dunaj there are another chief rivers e.g. Vah, Hron ... . The southern parts of our country are mainly plains, in the north there are the biggest mountains, including Slovak Eden, Low and High Tatras and the best known High Tatras with it´s highest peak called Gerlach. We have some reservaires in our country, too, for example Zemplinska Sirava, Domasa, Liptovska Mara, Oravska priehrada and so on.

Tourism
There are over 270 castles in Slovakia. The most famous are Spišský, Oravský, Strečno and Bojnický. Slovakia has also many historical towns: Kremnica, Banská Štiavnica, Banská Bystrica. Many small towns and castles are in the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage List, for example the Spišský castle, Sppišské podhradie, Spišská Kapitula, Žehra, Vlkolínec, Banská Štiavnica. I recommend to visit our capital city Bratislava, the High Tatras, the Slovak Paradise and the spa town Piešťany.

History
Slovakia is a small country but it has a long history. In 833 The Great Moravian Empire was founded. In 863 Byzantine brothers Constatntine and Methodius came to Great Moravia and brought the oldest Slavic alphabet. In 907 The Great Moravian Empire broke up and Slovakia became a part of the Hungarian state. In 1843 Ľudovít Štúr codified the literary Slovak language. In 1918 the Czechoslovak Republic was founded. In 1944 The Slovak national uprising against the Nazi Germany started. In august 1968 was the invasion of the Warsaw Pact troops into Czechoslovakia. In November 1989 was the Velvet Revolution. In 1st of January 1993 the independence of the Slovak Republic was declared.

Traditions
On 1st January we celebrate the New Year. The next custom is Fasiangy. People are dressed in various costumes, singign, dancing and they have a party all night long. The next feast is Easter. In Slovakia there is an old custom of making easter eggs. Easter is also funny holiday. On easter Monday men and boys spring women and girls with water. Very nice and popular feast for children is Saing Nicolaus Day on 6th December. On this day children put their shoes on the window. They get sweets, fruits or small toys into their shoes. Adults dress a mask of St. Nicolaus, devil and angel. On Christmas we send Christmas cards, we buy and decorate the Christmas tree. On Christmas Eve many people go to church. Sauerkraut soup and fried carp with potato salad are the traditional meals.
Slovakia is really great place, where to live.