Franz Sacher's son who went on to found the hotel chain was born in Slovakia famous Austrian confectioner Franz Sacher (1816-1907) used to live in what is today south-western Slovakia Sacher is perhaps best known for his Sachertorte a chocolate cake that is a specialty of Viennese cuisine The historic building where his family lived is located in the town of Ĺ˝eliezovce, reports The Slovak Spectator's siste publication My Levice A helping hand in the heart of Europe offers a travel guide of Slovakia the greatest landowner magnates of the Kingdom of Hungary who invited him in 1842 to prepare meals for them Widow Rozina Esterházy de Galanta and her three children had decided to leave the hustle and bustle of Vienna for a quiet town Sacher cooked and baked for the family here for two years this historic building has been renovated; it will serve as a tourist centre and space for events during renovation windows that had been bricked up and hidden under plaster were uncovered Perhaps Franz Sacher watched his son Eduard Sacher through these windows while the latter was playing outside The boy spent the first years of his life here Eduard went on to open the first Sacher Hotel in Vienna in 1876 It is said that the Sachertorte was instrumental in spreading the fame of the hotel apricot jam and a brittle chocolate coating on top Many have no idea that it is connected with south-western Slovakia It was Eduard who improved upon his father's already delicious recipe and added the jam The recipe is a closely guarded secret by the Hotel Sacher Members of the Sacher Civic Association and volunteers worked many hours to help restore the house The restoration itself was handled by a company specialising in historical and cultural monuments The goal was to get as close as possible to the original appearance of the house historical images show windows that had been hidden under plaster for many years a number of framed black-and-white photographs a massive period table and a sofa can be seen The furniture dates back to the 19th century A helping hand in the heart of Europe thanks to the Slovakia travel guide with more than 1,000 photos and hundreds of tourist spots Our detailed travel guide to the Tatras introduces you to the whole region around the Tatra mountains Lost in Bratislava? It's impossible with our City Guide Archaeologists have also uncovered a forgotten mediaeval settlement thought to have been one of the larger trade centres Archaeologists excavating near the site of a now-vanished church, dating back to the 11th or 12th century, have uncovered remarkable evidence of a once-thriving mediaeval settlement Their research has revealed the existence of an important trade route and a vibrant community in the area Further discoveries suggest that the site has been inhabited for millennia A local historian found a reference to the long-lost church in a book from 1880 from the Neolithic to the Roman period and the Middle Ages The most significant discovery is the identification of a Roman marching camp a site that researchers have been searching for in this part of the Pohronie region for decades dates the camp to the latter half of the 2nd century AD placing its establishment during the so-called Marcomannic Wars led by Emperor Marcus Aurelius—the philosopher on the throne—operated in the territory of what is now Slovakia aiming to subdue the aggressive Germanic tribes that repeatedly invaded and ravaged the borders of the Roman Empire 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