Crowds were estimated at 42,000-45,000 in the capital of Bratislava, and at more than 20,000 in the eastern Slovak city of Košice, according to SafetyCrew, an event safety consultancy Unlike previous demonstrations this week’s unrest also rocked smaller rural towns that until now have been bastions of support for the ruling leftist-populist Smer party But the moment they get 300 people protesting in Gelnica it’s all over [for the Fico government].” and even on the train I started messaging people to ask if they could help,” said Janáč who in addition to writing and bartending also serves as the spokesperson for the Gelnica mayor’s office “Robert Fico has a lot of voter support where I live no matter how many people turn out in Gelnica but if these protests start spreading further among these smaller towns we’ll be in a new reality,” Janáč said Fico, who before 1989 belonged to the Communist Party of then-Czechoslovakia, returned to power in October 2023 for his fourth term as prime minister. Along with Hungarian leader Viktor Orbán, he has formed a pro-Russian salient within the European Union, and before Christmas last year paid court to Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow spurning an unofficial EU ban on meeting with top Russian officials More recently Fico has claimed, without providing evidence, that legionnaires from Georgia along with Ukrainian military counterintelligence were fomenting the protests in Slovakia to overthrow his government Janáč said the protests were indeed aimed at preventing Fico from “pulling us back to the past into the embrace of the Kremlin,” but noted they had other goals as well we went from being the economic tiger of Europe to one of the poorest countries in the EU,” Janáč said and our health care is so bad that 10,000 people die needlessly every year Our young people see no prospects here and have left the country urged the protesters “not to let men from the past steal our futures and those of our children.” “I ask myself, really, why people are going to protest today,” Fico wrote Russia-friendly Robert Fico says pro-Trump MAGA movement represents “a vision that resonates urgently.” But Kurti’s ruling party fell short of a majority and will need to find a coalition partner if it hopes to continue in power Bratislava and Kyiv have been at loggerheads since the Slovak leadership cut off weapons flows to Ukraine and embraced Moscow talking points Those who want to live in our little Slovakia but in a civilized Europe,” said Eva Kulová Photo Credit: Future7Media | Andrea Belluschi Create a personal Enduro21 account to access our new forum receive exclusive competitions and money saving offers Enduro21 is all about motorcycle enduro and off-road riding. Read more Donations to Enduro21 can make a huge difference to what we do Learn more We're on the lookout for writers, photographers, videographers and enduro enthusiasts, from all around the world. Read more This website uses cookies that are necessary to its functioning and required to achieve the purposes illustrated in the privacy policy By accepting this OR scrolling this page OR continuing to browse recently made headlines over claims of racism A man who was set on fire in the centre of Gelnica a former royal mining town in eastern Slovakia died from severe injuries in a hospital in Košice on Monday morning.   Police are treating the case as bodily harm but the suspect is a minor and cannot be prosecuted The victim, 28-year-old Vasiľ Bandy, was confirmed by a family member to the Korzár newspaper as being mentally disadvantaged The girls who lived nearby made fun of him and ended up setting him on fire in the street,” a relative said while Bandy was still fighting for his life The rest of this article is premium content at Spectator.skSubscribe now for full access Immediate access to all locked articles (premium content) on Spectator.sk Special weekly news summary + an audio recording with a weekly news summary to listen to at your convenience (received on a weekly basis directly to your e-mail) PDF version of the latest issue of our newspaper Access to all premium content on Sme.sk and Korzar.sk A post shared by EnduroGP (@enduro_gp) RAW video highlights showing the speed these guys are pulling through the trees: 2024 EnduroGP Slovakia RAW highlights – flying through the trees! | Copyright 2025 FIM Europe | Terms of use - Privacy statement | causing 1 fatality and prompting evacuations The Slovak Hydrometeorological Institute (SHMÚ) said that the rain was brought by an area of low pressure which moved from the central Mediterranean Košická Belá municipality in Košice-okolie District in the Košice Region recorded 123.1 mm of rain Piesok in Modra municipality in the Bratislava Region recorded 65.5 mm and Kľak in the Žarnovica District The heavy rain caused several rivers to break their banks in particular the Hornád river in the Košice Region Levels of the Hornád river in the city of Košice jumped from around 1 metre on 12 October to 4.17 metres on 14 October which is well above the highest warning mark (level 3) of 4 metres Firefighters responded to over 250 interventions during the severe weather including rescue and evacuation of around 60 people in the Košice Region The worst affected areas were the districts of Spišská Nová Ves and Gelnica in Košice according to the country’s Fire and Rescue Service (HaZZ) Other badly affected areas as of 15 October were Revúca and Zvolen in Banská Bystrica Region and Prešov and Poprad in Prešov Region One fatality was reported in Trencín Region as a result of flooding As of 16 October the Nitra river at Nové Zámky in Bratislavský región and the Morava river at Kopčany and at Moravský Svätý Ján in Bratislavský región were still above the highest danger mark (level 3) a yellow (second level) warning was in place for heavy rain for the whole country along with several flood warnings including 5 level 3 warnings Cookies | Privacy | Contacts © Copyright 2025 FloodList More information and schedules, results and links, on the official website: http://european-enduro.com/ Slovak player killed a hockey referee in 2008 Luleå wins their second title in Sweden, 29 years after the first one. Read more» The Nashville Predators and Pittsburgh Penguins will face off in Stockholm, Sweden, on November 14 and 16, 2025, as part of the NHL Global Series. These games at the renovated Avicii Arena mark the 47th and 48th NHL contests held in ... Read more» You don't have permission to access the page you requested What is this page?The website you are visiting is protected.For security reasons this page cannot be displayed Kicking off the action at round five of the Paulo Duarte FIM EnduroGP World Championship the AKRAPOVIC Super Test saw Brad Freeman take the win for the first time this season The Polisport GP of Slovakia is already proving to be action-packed with Freeman topping the timesheets at the closely fought Akrapovic Super Test in Gelnica and starting his weekend off on a high Nathan Watson and Zach Pichon went head-to-head in front of the packed crowd to cross the finish line with the exact same time As the FIM EnduroGP World Championship visits Slovakia for the third year in a row the Friday evening Akrapovic Super Test provided no shortage of entertainment for the stands full of eager fans quickly developed a clear racing line as the classes went through with the EnduroGP class taking to the track last In what will certainly be a memorable moment this season Enduro3 class leader Brad Freeman put down a time that no one could beat and denied the joint fastest-time holders of a historic win It was only a small margin of victory but I’m really happy It’s going to be a hard weekend so I’m glad to get it started with a victory and a great feeling on the bike,” Freeman said Nathan Watson took on the Akrapovic Super Test against Zach Pichon with the pair clocking the exact same time down to the millisecond to finish as joint runners-up The last two riders to take to the start were Andrea Verona and Josep Garcia the pair both made a few small mistakes to finish fourth and fifth respectively In the GALFER FIM Junior Enduro World Championship it was Czech youngster Matej Skuta who clocked in fastest for the first time in 2024 Less than half a second behind was Kevin Cristino Clearly suiting the AKRAPOVIC Super Test setup Romain Dagna set the fastest time in the Enduro Youth class for the second time this season Alex Puey completed the top three after an impressive lap The incident happened during the early stages of the Friday night Super Test in Gelnica just as the World Cup classes had opened the show at 2023 GP of Slovakia Jaroslav was among the first riders taking to the Super Test course but crashed heavily Medics treated him immediately at the track but we understand the injuries sustained were catastrophic Enduro21 wishes sincere condolences to Jaroslav’s family and everyone who knew him We know he was part of the local off-road scene in Slovakia and was passionate about helping the world championship event in Gelnica Homeless people speak about being abused at a Bratislava shopping mall Good evening. Here is the Friday, February 7 edition of Today in Slovakia - the main news of the day in less than five minutes mass protest gatherings have been taking place in more than 50 cities across Slovakia The demonstrations are in response to the actions of Prime Minister Robert Fico’s government which organisers claim is weakening Slovakia’s alliances within the European Union and NATO "Slovakia belongs to a free and democratic Europe We will not allow our country to be dominated by authoritarian practices and pro-Russian propaganda Citizens have the right to assemble and express their views in a respectful yet firm manner," the organisers emphasised organised by non-profit organisation Mier Ukraine (Peace for Ukraine) and local civic activists and platforms In a repeat of a similar demonstration two weeks ago Freedom Square in Bratislava was filled with people with an estimated 42,000 to 45,000 attending the company that ensures safety at the gathering pastors and activists spoke to the assembled crowd Among the speakers in Bratislava was Boris Kršňák a long-time reporter from Prague for public broadcaster RTVS (which last year was reformed as a state-controlled broadcaster and renamed STVR) "A public broadcaster must spread truthful information That cannot be done by putting the truth at one end of the table and a lie at the other What’s in the middle is not the truth," he addressed the crowd the Czech Supreme Court issued a ruling to cancel the acquittal of a primary school teacher who taught students that there was no war in Ukraine And that’s true even if the perpetrator is convinced it is The fact that there is a war in Ukraine is not a matter of opinion It is a fact," Kršňák told the people Representatives of nine student organisations also spoke, including Simon Omaník, who refused to shake hands with President Pellegrini at a recent awards ceremony – something for which Prime Minister Fico said the student should have been "slapped" Omaník urged young people not to let themselves be "intimidated by attacks from government officials but to stand up for their opinions and not be afraid to defend them." that's what Robert Fico wants," Omaník told the crowd Slovaks have also been holding protests abroad among other locations; around 40 people expressed their opinions in Stockholm Prime Minister Fico questioned the protests via a Facebook post headlined: "I am asking why people are actually protesting today." He also shared an article from the TASR news agency reporting that Paula Pinho the chief spokesperson for European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen had told TASR that the commission has no indication that Slovakia is considering leaving the European Union Opinion: As organisations seek more control and agility, the shift towards in-house operations, coupled with advances in AI and evolving work models, is reshaping the future of global business service centres Bribery: The European Public Prosecutor’s Office is investigating alleged bribery involving millions in EU funds that were supposed to be spent on hospitals in Slovakia The hospitals and private companies involved deny any wrongdoing Abuse in shopping mall: Security guards at the Nivy shopping centre in Bratislava have been accused of assaulting homeless people and minorities with the recent death of a Ukrainian man raising concerns of systemic abuse and ethnic bias a non-profit organization that works with the homeless is calling for better training and protection for marginalised groups Good news: A ride-hailing firm is rolling out a female-friendly feature, Slovakia achieved a historic result at the Bocuse d’Or 'culinary Olympics', and a scientific advance by the Slovak Academy of Sciences – these are our feel-good stories to brighten up your day Weekend: There are plenty of things to keep you captivated this weekend. Why not try a new board game with friends, admire a LEGO exhibition, or try out dog-sled racing in the High Tatras? And that's not all – discover these and more activities here If you like what we are doing and want to support good journalism, why not get our online subscription with no ads We'll send a copy of the monthly print edition of The Slovak Spectator to your home anywhere in Slovakia Ready to escape the hustle and live off the grid? Ecocapsule's new Box is changing the game with affordable, sustainable and mobile housing. Starting at €55,000, this innovative, energy-independent home could be your answer to minimalist living. Want to learn more about this revolutionary design? Keep reading Have you ever tried soy candles? Learn how to create these low-smoke, long-lasting candles from 100-percent natural soy wax that will beautifully decorate your home. For more details about when and where check out our Top 10 events for foreigners in Bratislava with 7.8 percent doing so occasionally and 4.9 percent regularly Entrepreneurs use remote work more than employees with nearly 39 percent of business owners with staff working from home Austria leads in homeworking (27.9 percent) while the Netherlands (51.9 percent) and Sweden have the highest rates in the EU Regional Development and Informatisation (MIRRI) is launching a national project aimed at mapping brownfield sites across Slovakia To identify underutilised industrial areas the first headliner of the weekend on Friday General Prosecutor Maroš Žilinka has strongly urged politicians to avoid undue interference in the work of law enforcement authorities and to refrain from publicly undermining their activities His statement comes in response to media remarks made by Juraj Gedra (Smer) Gedra stated that he fully respects law enforcement bodies he considers it both the right and duty of politicians to publicly ask questions and convey the public's concerns regarding the scrutiny of the Covid-19 pandemic period This public exchange of opinions was the first to take place between the ruling coalition and Žilinka who has so far refrained from criticising the government Zdenko and Gabriela are the lucky ones celebrating their name days this weekend If you have suggestions on how our news overview can be improved you can reach us at editorial@spectator.sk Follow The Slovak Spectator on Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram(@slovakspectator) The promoters behind the Paulo’s Duarte FIM EnduroGP World Championship have announced a slight change to the 2024 season calendar The previously scheduled eight-round series they were aiming for has dropped to seven as the “TBA” at the end of July gets dropped and Spain also gets removed in a season which will see the RFME hosting the ISDE The Portuguese double-header which concluded the ’23 season will start 2024 with round one in Fafe and a week later in Valpacos both not a million miles from the Spanish border up North Western region The change in the middle of the year the Slovakian GP on the weekend of July 12-14 now stand alone with no back-to-back buddy geographically close – although the date July 26-28 remains a reserve one It means the series runs more or less one GP a month from April through to an earlier finish than this year in September The seven GPs include some well-established host venues where the series has visited historically numerous times in recent years like Valpacos in Portugal and Gelnica in Slovakia Plans are well under way for the UK round in Rhayader which becomes the sixth stop of the season at the start of August ahead of a conclusion at another historical location of Briode At time of writing we don’t know which weekends will feature the four Women’s World Championship rounds you can get things rolling if you’re planning on riding or spectating and/or supporting at any of the race next season The number of solar energy consumers is increasing in Slovakia As a source of heating it is used by people in 1,225 flats This stems from the Population and Housing Census 2021 In the lead is the district of Gelnica with 43 flats using the renewable energy for heating The municipality of Veľká Ves nad Ipľom had the largest share of all municipalities in terms of using solar energy for heating flats Almost 15 percent of all apartments in the village were heated by the green energy the Žilina region is in the lead with 258 flats in total Solar energy is on the rise in the Trnava region where 176 flats-a share of 0.07 percent-are heated in this way The Banská Bystrica Region and Trenčín region follow with 154 and 143 flats respectively heated by the sun In both cases the share is 0.06 percent of all flats solar energy is least used in the Bratislava region The demand for green electricity among Slovak households is increasing from year to year the largest household electricity supplier in Slovakia controlling a market share of almost 40 percent saw a strong increase in interest in 100 percent green electricity last year At the end of 2022, the first phase of construction of the largest solar plant in Slovakia is set to begin It should be built in the village of Jaslovské Bohunice in the Trnava Region Planned by the semi-state Jadrová Energetická Spoločnosť Slovenska (JESS) company the new solar park is expected to cost €60 million already title partners of the FIM EnduroGP World Championship in 2023 have extended their support into the 2024 season The 2024 FIM EnduroGP World Championship got underway this month with a Portuguese double-header which saw fierce battles come to light across all classes Returning to locations favoured by riders and spectators alike the series will also pay long-awaited visits to Romania and Wales on its seven-stop 2024 tour Carla Alvarenga – Prime Stadium Eventos Managing Director: “We are excited to have Paulo Duarte Group on board as Title Partner of the championship again this year It’s going to be another exciting year of EnduroGP action and their support is greatly valued by us as promoters We look forward to continuing to help Paulo Duarte Group promote their company in the discipline of enduro and ensuring the championship runs smoothly.” Paulo Duarte Group is a distribution logistics company with over 2,000 vehicles in its fleet Committed to fleet renewal and prioritising sustainability Paulo Duarte Group’s average vehicle age is three years old with 95% of the total fleet comprising Euro 5 and Euro 6 sustainability standards Round 6 – ForSiteServices GP of Wales © Enduro21 / Future7Media Limited. All rights reserved. This website uses cookies that are necessary to its functioning and required to achieve the purposes illustrated in the privacy policy. By accepting this OR scrolling this page OR continuing to browse, you agree to our privacy policy. IN THE midst of bad news about layoffs and the departure of foreign investors from Slovakia, more positive tidings have arrived with the news that several tens of million of euros are being allocated to five Slovaks towns in order to revitalise their old industrial premises. These towns, of which four are in or near eastern Slovakia, will reconstruct and modernise their brownfield sites, create new jobs and thus aim to reduce jobless rates near to – or in some cases exceeding – 20 percent. The Slovak Investment and Trade Development Agency (SARIO) announced in early January that Trnava, Bardejov, Tornaľa, Gelnica and Stropkov will receive a total of more than €37 million from European Union structural funds to revitalise brownfield sites. Individual contracts should be signed later this month. “The selection committee of the Slovak Economy Ministry and SARIO picked five projects from a total of nine applications, requiring a total of €62.9 million,” Jana Murínová, SARIO’s spokeswoman, told The Slovak Spectator. The towns of Švedlár, Turčianske Teplice, Humenné and Brezno failed in their bids to attract funding. All of Slovakia’s regions except Bratislava Region qualify for financial assistance from EU structural funds in this call. “When picking the winners, the committee gave preference to regions with higher rates of unemployment, the sustainability of the project, the impact on employment in the region and other factors,” Murínová said. “The applicants were able to apply for assistance of between €200,000 and €10 million, while the total costs of the project could not exceed €50 million.” This was not the last chance to obtain money from EU structural funds to revitalise brownfield sites. “We expect that another, similar call will be published, perhaps even later this year,” Murínová told The Slovak Spectator. Out of the towns in eastern Slovak regions, Bardejov will receive the largest sum this way - €9.94 million. It will use it to revitalise the former premises of footwear producer JAS Bardejov. “The ambition of the project is to employ at least 240 people here,” said Semanišin. The town suffers from a jobless rate of 18.2 percent and prepared the project in order to help unemployed people find jobs. “When working out the project, we endeavoured to get a project which was feasible, but also in line with real needs of the town with regard to employment,” according to Semanišin. Ján Novotný, the Bardejov project manager, is not worried about low interest from investors because of the global crisis. “So far we have closed agreements with the Finnish company Jalas, India’s Bachi and the German firm Van Elten,” he told the Hospodárske Noviny financial daily. “Puma, a producer of sports footwear, should continue the tradition of footwear production in this region.” Another eastern Slovak town, Stropkov, will get €3.54 million to revitalise its former tractor maintenance company, Strojno-Traktorová Stanica. “After the first phase, the revitalised premises should provide employment for 60 people,” said Eduard Cichý of EC–EDMA, which is acting on behalf of Stropkov in the project.The town hopes that when the whole project is complete, within five years, a total of 300 people will work here. “We are intensively communicating with potential investors active in the metalworking and electro-technical industries and in the production of materials for the construction industry,” Cichý told Hospodárske Noviny. The revitalised industrial park should prevent a repeat of the situation in which a French delegation was unable to start more detailed negotiations because there were no preparations in the town for the arrival of potential investors, according to Cichý. Stropkov, which is the district town of an area which had an unemployment rate of 12.82 percent at the end of 2008, is also pondering plans to build a solar power station within the industrial park with an output of 1 megawatt, which would cover the electricity consumption needs of 1,100 households. Gelnica will support small and medium-sized companies and their innovation activities with the €4.04 million it was allocated. According to Gelnica’s mayor, Anna Nemčíková, the town will invest the funds into the former premises of electro-technical company SEZ, Hospodárske Noviny wrote. Nemčíková hopes that they will manage to attract four or five investors from the electro-technical and light industrial sectors, and create 240 jobs. This should help the district, which suffers from an unemployment rate of 16.51 percent. The remaining two towns which succeeded in obtaining EU structural funds lie outside eastern Slovakia’s two self-governing regions. Trnava will invest €9.58 million into re-building the former premises of Technical and Recreation Services into a town industrial and technology park. And Tornaľa, located just a few kilometres from the borders of the Košice Region in southern Slovakia, will get €9.94 million. “We got the money to revitalise the former premises of the clothing producer Ozeta,” Tornaľa Mayor Ladislav Dubovský told The Slovak Spectator. “We will modernise one existing hall and build three new halls. We hope that 600 people will get jobs here.” Tornaľa plans to start reconstruction work in April 2009 and complete the project by 2010.“A new production programme, focused on light industry, may start here as soon as this September,” said Dubovský. The town worked out the project in order to help those presently unemployed find jobs.“1,200 women used to work in the state-owned Ozeta factory,” said Dubovský. “The focus was on the clothing industry and people were used to working in continuous production. So we have held talks with potential investors who do something similar.” Dubovský is optimistic and hopes that they will manage to draw investors to the town, which reports a jobless rate of about 22 percent. “Primarily we have applied for this project to create new jobs, because unemployment in this region and the town is high,” said Dubovský. “The prospects are positive. We have a strong currency and producers in neighbouring countries are interested in moving their production here.” WHO comes to mind when you think about national minorities in Slovakia? The Hungarians? Ukranians? Ruthenians? Perhaps, but what about the 5,500 Germans who also belong to the national family?In the time of the Hungarian monarchy the German minority was the engine that powered economic progress in Slovakia. After World War II, many ethnic Germans escaped or were expelled from Slovakia, which threatened the very existence of a German community here. Carpathian Germans have a rich history.photo: Courtesy of Carpathian German Culture Museum WHO comes to mind when you think about national minorities in Slovakia? The Hungarians? Ukranians? Ruthenians? Perhaps, but what about the 5,500 Germans who also belong to the national family? In the time of the Hungarian monarchy the German minority was the engine that powered economic progress in Slovakia. After World War II, many ethnic Germans escaped or were expelled from Slovakia, which threatened the very existence of a German community here. According to Pöss, 90 percent of the Carpathian Germans found new homes in Germany, Austria and overseas. The situation of the Germans who, for various reasons, stayed in Slovakia, was more difficult. In the first post-war census, in 1950, 5,179 Slovak citizens declared themselves to be of German origin. However, the estimated real number at that time was five times higher. In 1960, there were 6,250 people of German descent, ten years later only 4,760 and in 1980 just 2,918. "Intentional assimilation, a non-existent school system for Germans, and no opportunity to develop their culture, almost led to their disappearance in the late 1980s. Yet the year of the Velvet Revolution, 1989, brought new hope. In the 1991 census, 5,629 citizens declared themselves to be of German origin. In the last census, in 2001, there were 5,406. However, the real number is estimated to be twice as high," he added. Pöss pointed out that relations between Slovaks and Carpathian Germans are not as damaged as the relations of the Sudeten Germans and Czechs, for example. Proof can be found in the fact that Carpathian German associations are recognised and welcomed by foreign, as well as Slovak, officials. "It is true that in Slovakia, as well as in the Czech Republic, post-war decrees that deprived Carpathian Germans of property and social status are still valid. But for a majority of them today, it is more of a moral issue. We can imagine that the problem could be solved, for example, by creating a fund for compensating injustices done to Carpathian Germans in Slovakia," said Pöss. The World War II decrees, issued by then-Czechoslovak President Eduard Beneš in 1945, adopted the principle of collective guilt and resulted in barring thousands of Germans and Hungarians from land and citizenship, and deporting them abroad. The Germans had been coming to the territory that is now Slovakia since the period of the first Hungarian king Stephen (1000-1038) in the 11th century. These "guests" had the privilege of living here according to their traditional "German" laws. Following the Tartar raids in 1241 the Hungarian kings invited Germans in large numbers to settle down in their empire and to bring life to empty areas of land. The main German wave ended in the late 14th century. During the Middle Ages the real number of Germans living in Slovakia was approximately 200,000 - about one-fifth of the total population. Later, wars and assimilation brought a significant decrease to this number. In 1945, before the decrees were adopted, there were 150,000 Germans living in Slovakia, about 5 percent of the total population. The first Germans coming to the Hungarian monarchy were miners, craftsmen and merchants, but also knights and clergy. It is well known that German miners could process ores of precious metals. Central Slovak mining towns such as Kremnica, Banská Štiavnica, and Banská Bystrica were the centres of the economic and monetary system in the Hungarian monarchy of the 14th-16th century. Thanks to the cooperation of two merchant families - the Fugger family from Augsburg and the Thurzo family from the eastern Slovak region of Spiš - ore mining in the Hungarian monarchy reached its peak in the 16th century. The first Mining Academy in the world was founded in Banská Štiavnica in 1762. Germans were also founders of the first guilds, in the 14th century. Initially, only Germans were members. As a result, a greater part of Slovak craft terminology has its origin in the German language. Thanks to Germans lots of world-famous historical treasures were built in Slovakia, such as St. James' Church in Levoča, with its 18.62 metre gothic altar, the highest in the world, and the historical and technological mining sights of Banská Štiavnica. German law predominated in most Slovak towns. Many famous scientists, technicians and artists were Carpathian Germans as well. "Let's just mention Ján Andrej Segner who discovered the reactive power principle, technician Wolfgang Kempelen, Jozef Maximilián Petzval, the inventor of the photographic lens, or Filip Lenard who was nominated for the Nobel Prize. "Famous artists, too, are to be found, such as compositor Ján Nepomuk Hummel; Sigismund Kusser, the founder of the Opera in Hamburg; Goethe's teacher Adam Friedrich Oeser; and sculptors Viktor Tilgner, Jozef Damko and Alojz Rigel," says Pöss. The Carpathian Germans were living mainly in three areas in Slovakia. The first one was located in and around Bratislava, on the border with Austria and Hungary. Bratislava itself had a majority German population until 1900. German settlers in central Slovakia, known as Hauerland were attracted by the quantity of precious metals there. During the 13th and 14th centuries seven important mining towns were founded in the region, among them "golden" Kremnica, "silver" Banská Štiavnica and "copper" Banská Bystrica. Some of the German villages in the region kept their German character until 1945. In eastern Slovakia, Germans were living in the Spiš area with its centres in Kežmarok, Gelnica, and Medzev. "The origin of the Germans can be identified very well by their dialect. In the region of Bratislava, the Bavarian dialect prevails. In Hauerland, the dialect can be described as a mixture of the eastern-central and Bavarian dialect. The situation is similar in the Lower Spiš. Germans living in Upper Spiš have their origin in Silesia and the Sudetes," explains Pöss. The Carpathian German Association is one of the main institutions to represent the German minority in Slovakia. It was established in 1990 and has 4,800 members. In 1994 the Museum of Carpathian German Culture was established. "We are pleased that the history of Carpathian Germans is being gradually revised from an impartial point of view. It is shown, for example, in a new exhibition at the Slovak National Uprising Museum in Banská Bystrica," Pöss says. The significant contribution made by Carpathian Germans to Slovak culture is also being acknowledged by politicians. Pavol Hrušovský, for example, the speaker of the Slovak parliament, on the occasion of Slovakia's accession to the European Union, asked, "What would Slovakia be without the Carpathian Germans?" Jamie McCanney won his first round of the FIM World Enduro Championship for five years in the Košice region of Eastern Slovakia on Sunday. He took several years out of the world championships when contesting Rallye Raid events, including two editions of the Dakar Rally in 2020 and 2021. McCanney finished sixth overall in the EnduroGP class at Gelnica on Saturday, runner-up in E1 capacity, some 17 seconds behind Theopile Espinasse (Beta) of France. On Sunday he went one better on his Fast Eddy Husqvarna to finish fifth in EnduroGP and first overall in E1, almost 29 seconds clear of the returning-from-injury double world champion Josep Garcia (KTM) of Spain. McCanney was second British rider home on each occasion behind Steve Holcombe in what was by far Jamie’s best ride at world level since 2018. Holcombe won day one outright and was runner-up on Sunday behind Andrea Verona of Italy (Gas Gas). Jed Etchells also had a brace of podium finishes in the junior class over the weekend with two second places overall behind fellow Fantic rider Albin Norrbin of Sweden. Each of those were victories in J1 class for Etchells. The series now has a three-month break before the final two rounds at the end of September/early October. l The event was marred by the tragic death of a local Slovakian rider, Jaroslav Diro, in Friday’s evening’s Super Test at Gelnica. Tel: 01624 695695[email protected]Follow us Further Links Owned or licensed to Tindle Newspapers Ltd | Independent Family-Owned Newspapers | Copyright & Trade Mark Notice & 2013 - 2025 A BIG protest started by wives of local ironworks employees 95 years ago got out of control cost six lives and caused a massive rebellion and harsh crackdown The reduction in meal vouchers for employees of the Krompachy ironworks was the imminent cause for a rebellion a dissatisfied crowd of women gathered in front of the Krompachy Hornád-region Stock Company (Krompašská pohornádska účastinná spoločnosť) then the biggest metallurgy plant in Slovakia The director of the company tried to explain that the vouchers had been decided upon by the Grain Institute in Bratislava but the heated crowd’s emotions escalated even anti-Czechoslovak invectives in Hungarian were heard after false rumours spread that one of the works delegates was beaten and imprisoned the head of gendarmes order shooting and four men were killed The workers managed to invade the building and killed the deputy director and the main clerk martial law was imposed and 64 workers were detained who were later sentenced to several years in prison A general strike began to support the protesters in Krompachy – who continued until March 17 – in municipalities like Slovinky Banská Bystrica and other towns and bigger cities A parliamentary investigation committee was established afterwards and the case came before the Supreme Court in Brno (the now Czech city of the then common Czechoslovak State) which was the biggest ironworks in the former Austro-Hungarian Empire at the break of the 19th and 20th centuries this event is commemorated at the Memorial of the Krompachy Rebellion near local railway station