For many centuries the area of today`s Slovak Republic was centre of interrests of many nations. Romas, Germans, Turks and Hungarians. All of them wanted to conquer the territory between the Danube and High Tatras and settle there. But none of them were able to subjugate Slavs and stay here forever. But right because of these interrests Slovakia is influenced by many nations now and they take part in Slovak citizenship.
The biggest minority group, with about 10% of inhabitans, is hungarian minority. They inhabit mostly the southern part of Slovakia, along the boarder with Hungary. The fact is that they have their own political party, which is widly supported also by non-hungarians, and has its place in coalition.
However, in real life, there are different relations between hungarian and non-hungarian people. In minds of Slovaks is deaply engraved, that we had to live under pressure of hungarian reign for many years. And so people behave. Generally unfriendly. But when one gets any clocer contact with them, he realizes that they are like other normal people. What a surprise!
The political scene is often revived by the statements of politician Jan Slota, the president of Slovak National Party. His maybe best known statement concerning hungarians is: “We`ll get into tanks and set out to Budapest!”
With our EU enterance is joined the discussion about some racial problems with gipsy ethnic group. Actual problem is illegal interruptions of young gipsy girls. However is the truth, everybody knows how these people live, in what conditions. We know it, and people from abrod know it as well. But they believe this is because of big discrimination and generally bad social conditions for ethnic groups in Slovakia.
I think, maybe as most Slovaks, that they caused it themselves. They have this way of life simply in their blood. Such “free” style of living. And the fact is, that every employer rather employes a guy with a good social hinteland, and whom he can trust. So then the bigger half of gipsies does not have any job. It means no nice income, what reflects in bad home and social hinterland. This is a very simple view, but we can call it vicious circle.
Anyway, there live many other minorities in Slovakia. For example czechs, germans, many other slovans like croations, slovenians, russians, ukrains, polish people and so on. The newest minority wich is rising are people from east Asia. We can see “chinese” shops on every corner.