The Slovak Republic is no mere adjunct to the Czech Republic. It is well deserving of attention in its own right. It is a country that sweeps from the mighty Tatra Mountains through lowlands, canyons, caves and meadows. There are year-round activities, from hiking in the summer to skiing in the winter, and its capital, Bratislava, is a highlight amongst a sprinkling of appealing towns and cities.

The Slovak Republic may have been the ‘junior partner’ throughout its alliance with the Czech Republic, but it is now emerging as part of the expanded EU and is an increasingly popular business and leisure destination.

The separation of Czechoslovakia into its constituent parts (the Czech and Slovak Republics) on 1 January 1993 in the ‘Velvet Divorce’ was achieved peacefully. It had not been a long marriage as at the end of WWI, when the Austro-Hungarian Empire dissolved, came the birth of Czechoslovakia. WWII brought Nazi occupation with the Russians moving in during the aftermath to make Czechoslovakia part of the Soviet Union. 

Democracy finally came in 1990 with the appointment of Václav Havel as president. However, the Slovaks were worried about the crash economic reform program planned by Havel and the two nations parted amicably.

Geography
The Slovak Republic is situated in central Europe, sharing frontiers with the Czech Republic, Austria, Poland, Hungary and Ukraine. Mountains, lowlands, canyons, lakes, cave formations, forests and meadows provide many examples of the Slovak Republic’s year-round natural beauty. The Slovak Republic is a small country but its terrain varies impressively. Almost half of the country is taken up by the Carpathian Arc - a range of mountains stretching across the north. The smaller ranges include the Lesser Carpathians, White Carpathians, Malá (Lesser) Fatra, Vel’ká (Greater) Fatra, High and Low Tatras and the Slovenské rudohorie Mountains (Slovak Ore Mountains).