by Andrea Matušíková, Veronika Mazalánová and Katarína Polášková


Our country is small and with its population of about 5.5 mil. it doesn´t seem to make much difference in such a large community as the EU is with its more than 100 mil. citizens. But I think there is a lot of things we can share with other European countries. After 40 years without real freedom we feel differently about some things. Sometimes we do not trust the new way of life but we can work very hard and our education is also very good. We have a lot to offer e.g. in the cultural area. Our traditions are rich and Slovak folk songs are known worldwide. Our literature is interesting and of high value. The problem is, that sometimes it is difficult – if not impossible to translate all the nuances. Our people are also physically strong . Some of the world best hockey players as well as tennis players, swimmers (Moravcová) and figure skaters are Slovaks. Our university graduates are very well educated and they are successful at home and abroad. Our factories and producers sometimes have financial problems but even though they are ale to produce high quality goods (e.g. wines – Tokaj, cheese – oštiepok, parenica). I think the only problem is we are too humble and unable to advertise our products abroad. Slovakia is also a really beautiful country. There are many fascinating spots to be seen. The national park Slovak Paradise has more plant species than any other place in Europe. The name Slovak Paradise appeared for the first time in an article for a local tourist magazine and since then it has been used to describe this heavenly destination in eastern Slovakia. Among other famous tourist resorts of Slovakia we have to mention the Tatras, mountains of Fatra and Pieniny. Historical buildings or what is still left of them overflow with history. Spiš castle is the largest castle in central Europe and it has become a part of World Cultural Heritage. The romantic castle in Bojnice is one of the prettiest in Slovakia. Annual Ghost and Spirits Festivals take place there. Slovakia has got also many spa towns, mineral water springs and places of natural wealth. So as you can see, there are many things we can bring to the large European family. We just need to be aware of them and be assertive enough. On the other hand we can gain a lot from other nations of united “new” Europe.