Global - Technology - Review

Since the Velvet Divorce of 1993 and the break with the Czech Republic, Slovakia has been an independent country, lying between the Carpathian Mountains in the North, and the River Danube in the south. Bratislava, the capital, is bounded by both Austria and Hungary. Centred on the historic Old Town, the city contains some beautiful palaces and churches, notably the baroque Grassalkovich Palace, now the home of the President, and the gothic St Martin’s cathedral, where the Kings of Hungary were once crowned. The massive Bratislava Castle towers over the city on its rocky hilltop. The second city, Kosice, is the site of Slovakia’s largest church, the fourteenth century St Elisabeth Cathedral. The national dish of Slovakia, Bryndzove Halusky, is a dumpling made of potatoes and flour. The lakes and valleys of the High Tatras make Slovakia an ideal winter sports destination. In the south there are vineyards along the Danube. A popular souvenir, deriving from Slovak folklore, is the fokos or peasant axe, carried by the heroic outlaw Juraj Janosic, whose legend is reminiscent of Robin Hood.