Slovakia - My Homeland

My essay is about country in which I was born 17 years ago, my essay is about Slovakia.

Slovakia has a very rich history. At the beginning of the 9th century there were two Princedoms in the territory of the country: Pribina’s Princedom in Nitra and Mojmír’s Princedom in western Slovakia and southern Moravia. These Princedoms formed the basis for the establishment of larger state unit - the Great Moravian Princedom. Two Byzantine missionaries, Constantine and Method were called to Great Moravia in 863. They made the Slavonic script and brought Christianity to this region.

After broke the Great Moravian Princedom up, the territory of Slovania was occupated of Hungary aggressive tribe. Since 918 till 1918 was Slovania part of Uhorsko. In revolution years 1848-49 was take place national uprising against Hungary. It was the first trial to created the first independent state unit. In 1918 the state unit Czecho-Slovakia came into existence. 

In 1939 an independent Slovak republic was declared in Slovakia. During the 2nd world war, in 1944 was Slovak National Uprising and in 1945 Slovakia became the part of Czecho-Slovakia again.

In January 1993 was created two independent states – Slovak Republic and Czech Republic.

Slovakia is various country situated in the interior of Central Europe and it is country with lowlands and high mountains (f. e. High Tatras in which is the highest peak in Slovakia – the Gerlach Peak, the White Carpathian Mountains...), with many rivers (f. e. the Danube which connect the country with Black Sea and trough the Rhine-Main canal with the Northern Sea, the Váh, the longest river in Slovakia – 378 km) and thermal springs… We often say that Slovakia lies in the heart of Europe. Slovak climate is mild. The most typical feature of the Slovak climate is the alteration of four seasons. It isn’t big country. It has size approximately 49 000 km2 and is populated by more than 5 million inhabitants.

Slovak Republic has 5 neighbours. In the south it borders with Hungary, in the west with Czech and Austria, in the north it has border with Poland and it has the shortest border with Ukraine in the east.

Slovak Republic is divides on 8 regions (regional town-Banská Bystrica, Bratislava, Košice, Nitra, Prešov, Trenčín, Žilina) and 79 districts.
When the Slovak Republic came into being in January 1993, Bratislava became capital. It is the biggest town. Bratislava is a cultural, social, business and political centre with many institutions. It is rich in cultural monuments. In historical centre are more than 300 interesting places. I would like to mention some of them: the Bratislava Castle (the seat of government), the Grassalkovich Palace (the President of the Slovak Republic seat), St. Martin’s cathedral in which was realize coronations of many famous and unknown world sovereigns (f. e. Mary Therese and other).

In Bratislava are many universities and colleges (f. e. the University of Jan Amos Komenský, the University of Economics, the Slovak Technical University…)

I wasn’t born in Bratislava but in Banská Bystrica. This town has very rich history too. It’s old mining town. Here extract prevailingly copper. This town came into being in 1255 and privileges grand the king Belo IV. Old name of Banská Bystrica in latine was Nova Villa Bistriciensis. At present it’s Banská Bystrica more modern town. It’s very changed since the year 1255. It’s very nice town, not only because I was born and grew here. Here are a lot of churches, (f. e. Church of the St. Crucifix caled too the Slovak church, Germany church or the Cathedral of František Xaverský), lot of galleries and museums and a lot of interesting memory places. For example it’s the famous monument of the Slovak National Uprising. In the most frequent square Slovak National Uprising is one fountain and one leaning hourly tower, which declines about 69 cm. Apart from hourly tower and fountain is here too the monument pillar for killed in 2nd world war. In square SNU are a lot of pigeons, which small children feed or chase…

It is all about my borntown. Simply Slovakia and concretely Banská Bystrica is beautiful and my opinion will never change.