11 Apr 2025 14:30:00 GMT?.css-1txiau5-AnswerContainer{color:var(--GlobalColorScheme-Text-secondaryText2);}Lokomotiva Zvolen won 1–0 over FC STK 1914 Samorin on Fri Predicted lineups are available for the match a few days in advance while the actual lineup will be available about an hour ahead of the match The current head to head record for the teams are Lokomotiva Zvolen 0 win(s) Have scored 4 goals in their last 5 matches Who won between Lokomotiva Zvolen and FC STK 1914 Samorin on Fri 11 Apr 2025 14:30:00 GMT?Lokomotiva Zvolen won 1–0 over FC STK 1914 Samorin on Fri 11 Apr 2025 14:30:00 GMT.InsightsHave scored 7 goals in their last 5 matches Lokomotiva Zvolen is playing home against FC STK 1914 Samorin on Fri has today been elected as the new President of the Agency He will take up office on 15 November for a four-year term who is completing his second and final term Mr Schmid (40) has represented the Austrian judicial authorities at Eurojust as National Member since 2022 he was Deputy National Member at the Agency and Justice Counsellor at the Permanent Representation of Austria at the European Union in Brussels Commenting on his election as President by his fellow National Members Mr Schmid stated: I am obviously delighted by the election and would like to thank my colleagues for giving me their confidence my goal is to further strengthen Eurojust's support for the judicial authorities across Europe criminal proceedings have grown increasingly complex increasing links to non-European countries and a more interconnected web of criminal networks It is only together that we will be able to effectively tackle these challenges and care for a more secure Europe The President of Eurojust represents the Agency and oversees the meetings of the National Members who meet regularly in the College The President also directs and monitors Eurojust’s activities and management in close cooperation with Administrative Director Mr Vincent Jamin Mr Schmid will also cooperate closely with the two Vice-Presidents of Eurojust Mr Boštjan Škrlec and Ms Margarita Šniutytė-Daugėlienė Eurojust has been a thread throughout the career of Mr Schmid he came to the Agency as a trainee via the European Judicial Trainee Network (EJTN) and later worked as a Seconded National Expert and assistant to the National Member in which capacity he held the role of Vice-Chair of the Counter-Terrorism Team the new Eurojust President took up the role of Justice Counsellor at the Permanent Representation of Austria to the European Union in Brussels he participated in numerous Council negotiations on criminal and procedural law he returned to Eurojust as National Member for Austria he chaired the Advisory Group on Organisational Development a panel which designed the priorities and internal procedures of the Agency Mr Schmid graduated in law from the University of Vienna in 2007 joining the Austrian judiciary the same year After completing the national training programme in 2011 dealing with general criminal cases and later economic crimes Mr Schmid undertook a Master’s programme in criminal justice at Leiden University in the Netherlands The new Eurojust President in the past served as a guest lecturer at numerous universities in Austria and abroad and was a teacher for practitioners at the Austrian Ministry of Justice the European Legal Academy (ERA) in Trier (Germany) and the EU Agency for Law Enforcement Training (CEPOL) in Budapest Eurojust Press TeamPhone: + 31 70 412 55 00media@eurojust.europa.eu Follow @Eurojust on X, LinkedIn and YouTube Subscribe to receive Eurojust press releases by email Subscribe to Eurojust's feeds (Press releases Management yet to say there is plan to supplant cancelled acitivities the National Gallery (SNG) has had three acting directors following the dismissal of Alexandra Kusá in August last year by Culture Minister Martina Šimkovičová who is a nominee of the far-right Slovak National Party The decision sparked criticism from the cultural community and protests against Šimkovičová at the time The goings-on in the gallery over the past few months have resulted in, for example, a hundred employees filing their resignations at the end of January digital services and the bookstore will cease to operate the activities of the art library will be at risk the gallery's educational and accompanying programs as well as visitor services will be weakened But that is not the end of it. Due to the situation, several foreign intuitions and platforms have already ceased cooperation with SNG meaning that several of this year's exhibitions will not take place because among the employees that are leaving are curators as well there is a high chance that more exhibitions will not be prepared in advance in order to take place three foreign institutions withdrew from cooperation with the SNG which led to the cancellation of an international exhibition slated for March The Museum of Mining and Gothic Art Leogang in Austria and the Dresden State Art Collections announced that they are withdrawing from cooperation on the "Red Gold Miracle from Špania Dolina" exhibition Both institutions were to loan important objects among which was a collection of hand-drawn maps that had never been on display elsewhere before SNG would have received rare silver and copper bowls 70 goldsmith's items from medieval mining towns the international standards of the joint exhibition are no longer guaranteed," Andreas Herzog and Marius Winzeler wrote in an open letter to the SNG management The international exhibition "Futurotopia: Chronicles of Hope" slated for June was to showcase works by 30 renowned artists SNG wanted to borrow works of contemporary art from the well-known collection of the German company Deutsche Telekom – Art Collection Telekom the exhibition is being postponed indefinitely current acting director Jaroslav Niňaj received a letter from two curators who were overseeing the exhibition on behalf of the German side They told him that after many personnel changes they had serious concerns about whether the gallery could still guarantee professional handling of the loaned objects the final exhibition of an international projects for students held by the Czech platform Máš Umělecké Střevo (Do you have a knack for art?) will not take place this May in the gallery The student projects will be displayed on the Internet instead "Our organisation teaches young people to make decisions freely and adhere to truth and basic moral values The recent situation at SNG clearly shows that we perceive these values ​​differently," Ondřej Horák "It is for this reason that we are withdrawing from further cooperation with the institution." This is not the only project intended for public that is endangered The "Otvorený Ateliér" (Open Studio) project which allowed anyone to come to the gallery studio every Saturday to work is also at risk as its organiser filed a resignation An exhibition dedicated to painter Ester Šimerová-Martinčeková slated for June may not be finished in time The exhibition is a curator Zuzana Gažíková's own authorial work is it possible she might be able to finish it by the end of March when she is to depart the gallery A new exhibition is also being prepared at Zvolen Castle five curators that are working on it are to depart at the end of March running the risk that an entire floor of the castle will be empty The management has yet to say they have a plan to supplant the cancelled activities and exhibitions an armoured train in the park below Zvolen Castle documents the role of railway workers in the Slovak National Uprising (SNP) Lubica Milanova of the Zvolen municipal office has told TASR August 27 (TASR) - A national cultural monument an armoured train in the park below Zvolen Castle (Banska Bystrica region) documents the role of railway workers in the Slovak National Uprising (SNP) and at the same time reminds us of the importance of armoured trains in the defence of insurgent territory Lubica Milanova of the Zvolen municipal office has told TASR.        Milanova said that it's a replica of the improvised 'Hurban' armoured train from 1944 and that it was made for a Slovak film directed by Martin Tapak called 'A Day That Won't Die' and was also used by a Russian director in his movie 'Communists' "It was manufactured at the beginning of the 1970s at Turcianske Engineering Works in Martin (Zilina region) and at the Railway Repair and Engineering Works in Zvolen the replica of the train was handed over to the town of Zvolen," she said.         Reconstructions of real SNP battles will take place in Zvolen in late August "We chose the topic of armoured trains to point out that a replica of one of them is decaying below the castle If it is to continue to remind us of the famous SNP history help from the state is necessary to finance its repair," said Zvolen mayor Vladimir Manka adding that full reconstruction would cost almost €800,000 this doesn't fit with any financing scheme we've applied for so we'll try to obtain at least a smaller subsidy for essential repairs," he stressed.        In reaction the Defence Ministry has told TASR that the film replica of the train is the property of the town of Zvolen It noted that it announces calls to submit applications for subsidies every year and that these can be provided for historical and cultural heritage dealing with military history Did you find any incorrect or incomplete information? Please, let us know Slovakian tri-champion Banská Bystrica won't join 19-20 edition of Champions Hockey League."Costs are too high - said club President Juraj Koval - so we not joining the Champions League because our participation is financially a loss Deficit means that we are threatening our own financial security."Slovakia has a spot avaiable for the competition and according to the rules HKM Zvolen Dukla Trencin announced head coach Milos Holan and assistant Robert Petrovicky both resigned for personal reasons last Tuesday following the defeat 5-2 against Poprad and I think with the team I had a good relationship Today the club announces the appointment of Josef Turek as new headcoach. Turek, 44, was fired by Zvolen last week "We needed to find a coach as soon as possible to lead the team in the last two games before the break so he can work with the team during the break " said the General Manager Jan Kobezda "After last disappointing results, the club decided today to cease cooperation with coach Josef Turek and assistant Andrei Podkonický". With a short statement HKM Zvolen chairman Dusan Mraz announced the replacement on the bench. U20 team coach Milan Stas is the new coach. Zvolen is currently 8th in the Extraliga Zvolen appoints Josef Turek as new headcoach Slovak champion HKM Zvolen announced Czech Josef Turek as head coach following the resignation of Julius Supler Joseph Turek started the season in HK36 Skalica before to move to Chomutov from November to January With Zvolen Turek signed a contract until the end of next season Julius Šupler resigned as coach of HKM Zvolen Julius Šupler resigned as coach of Zvolen: 63-year-old coach arrived on Zvolen bench in mid-October At the time of his arrival Extraliga reigning champion was in 10 place the team is in 7th with 66 points and three rounds to play not yey sure of playoffs qualification."Perhaps my departure would be a good incentive for players and clubs to mobilize targets and dragged to the desired state I would hate if my party should be the cause of the failure I gave all players a chance to show their own potential I did everything in my power: players are well prepared now it's up to them how" said in a statement Šupler Two teams changed coach in Slovak Extraliga: Andrej Výboh replaced Josef Turek while former Sanok and Kosice coach Milan Staš is the new head coach of Dukla Trencin Earlier in mid October also champion Zvolen hired Julius Supler as new coach for dismissed Lubomir Oslizlo Three clubs from Extraliga announces new coaches in last day: champion Kosice appointed Anton Tomko from 1 Liga champion Bardejov as new coach Same Bardejov announced Tomko's replacement the former GKS Tychy coach Jan Vodila.Silver medalist Zvolen signed former Kometa Brno assistant coach Lubomir Oslizlo Finally Skalica will have Josef Turek on its bench HKm Zvolen participates in season 2025-2026: Extraliga (SVK) 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» Please enable JS and disable any ad blocker 10 for W5 Europe: ‘Fortune Favours the Brave’ Zvolen Slovakian middleweight Michal Tomko welcomed 24-year-old Eygptian Karim Mabrouk to Zvolen The 33-year-old hometown fighter had 37 of his 48 career fights Mabrouk had 26 wins and eight knockouts in his 38 professional fights The co-main event of the evening featured Spanish light heavyweight Frank Munoz against Croatian prospect Antonio Plazibat had 21 knockouts in his 65 career wins prior to the contest The 23-year-old Plazibat had knocked out all but one of his opponents during his eight career victories The event aired live on W5kick.com at 1 p.m Play-off picture takes shape as Tipos Extraliga reaches semi-final stage HKM Zvolen have reached the semi-finals of the Tipos Extraliga after clobbering regular-season winners HK Spišská Nová Ves 3-0 in Game 6 on 28 March Zvolen have ousted the league’s top seed in the quarter-finals The breakthrough came deep in the third period It was the game’s turning point—and ultimately Matej Macek and William Rapuzzi sealed it late with the visitors chasing the game without a goalie.  “We came out much more aggressive in the third period which surprised me a bit given how flat we’d looked in the first two,” admitted Zvolen head coach Peter Mikula “It was always going to come down to a single goal—we got it HC Košice needed just 20 minutes to make their own statement on Friday night The five first-period goals in Trenčín silenced the home crowd and sent the Eastern giants through with a 7-2 win “We were relentless early,” said Košice captain Michal Chovan “That’s the level we need every game.” The semi-final matchups are now set: Zvolen will face Košice But for Spišská Nová Ves “It was our best game of the series,” lamented head coach Vladimír Záborský “But we couldn’t crack [Pavel] Kantor It’s hockey karma—we lost this in the first three games.” HK 32 Liptovský Mikuláš 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 he started playing hockey in his hometown of Zvolen He started as a defenseman for about three years “I just wanted to try it and liked it so much I ended up staying in the net‘” Húska explains he is back in Zvolen on loan playing for his childhood team again Húska made his debut mid-season for Zvolen’s u18 team at age 14 the goalie was watching the 2015 NHL Draft at home with his parents “I remember the Rangers scouts called me and said that I am being drafted and it was such an amazing feeling for me and my family,” he recalled with a huge smile on his face It was an important moment for a kid from a country that historically doesn’t produce as much talent as their arch rivals Húska represented his country at the u18 WJC where Slovakia finished 4th in a group behind Canada That tournament was his stepping stone to hockey in North America “Before I went to Green Bay Gamblers I played for the National team where lot of scouts go to watch young kids,” he explained “Thats how I got drafted to the USHL and then I went there and I had a really good season.” Húska was the starting goalie in his first full season in North America and being able to play against talented players of his own age was a big step and huge reason for his development early on Húska moved on and joined the University of Connecticut “I went there so that I could play more games and it was a good experience It wasnt as fast paced as the AHL but it was still good hockey.” Knowing he wasn’t ready yet After a year in Hartford and a short stint in Maine with the Mariners in the ECHL, Húska is now back home. On loan with HKM Zvolen “I am happy to be here and I am glad that the Rangers organization let me come here for 2 months before the season starts back in US.,” he joyfully expressed “Last time I played in the rink in Zvolen was 6 or 7 years ago.” Húska spent the summer practicing with several of his now-teammates after not traveling with the Rangers to Toronto for the bubble the young goalie is happy to represent his favorite team he made his regular season debut against Dukla Trenčín saving 23 of 25 shots to help his team to a 3-2 win but Húska’s expectations are to fly back to North America mid-November PS: I want to thank Adam Húska for sitting down with me and giving me the opportunity to share this story with our fanbase More About: Bratislava: The Al-Gharafa team lost to Lokomotiva Zvolen team in the first friendly during the preparatory training camp held in Slovakia Al-Gharafa's Jamal Hamad scored the goal with the team's coach rotating several players during the match to achieve the greatest technical benefit Al-Gharafa are scheduled to play three more friendlies during their preparatory camp Their next match will be against UAE Sharjah FC tomorrow Sunday and are due to face Al-Ahli Saudi FC in the third match scheduled on Jul.26 prior to concluding the friendlies by facing the Cyprus Apollon Limassol on Jul.31 Nazi troops never discovered this strategically built airfield near Zvolen equipped with Soviet-made Lavochkin La-5FN aircraft landed at a makeshift airfield near the village of Zolná It wasn’t just the Tri Duby airfield in Sliač that saw intense activity during the Slovak National Uprising (SNP); Zolná played a crucial strategic role in resisting enemy forces A helping hand in the heart of Europe offers a travel guide of Slovakia commemorating the airfield that operated there in September and October 1944 It was here that fighter planes from the First Czechoslovak Independent Fighter Regiment landed a base that enemy forces never succeeded in locating or capturing The regiment was formed in the Soviet Union at the end of 1943 bolstered mainly by pilots from the Royal Air Force September 17 is celebrated as Slovak Aviation Day This year marks 80 years since the regiment neutralised dozens of enemy targets “These Czechoslovak pilots had already endured intense combat in Poland where they were quite popular,” noted Emil Šimončík the first fighter squadron for Russia was established in England to serve within the Czechoslovak army commanded by Captain František Fajtl where they trained on Soviet LA-5FN fighters The order to form the First Czechoslovak Fighter Regiment was issued on June 1 initially under the Second Air Army and later the Eighth Air Army,” Šimončík added The organisers of the Slovak National Uprising also anticipated air support from their allies the pilots requested to be transferred to the liberated territories as soon as possible “Following reconnaissance in central Slovakia the regiment flew from Stubno to the rebel territory on September 17 in two groups It was decided that the regiment would not operate from the well-known Tri Duby airfield which the Luftwaffe was already familiar with and frequently bombed but rather from the airfield in Zolná while the remaining personnel were transported by transport planes The pilots were accommodated in the Grand and Centrál hotels in Zvolen,” explained the writer particularly from locals who cared for the pilots and soldiers as if they were their own the Czechoslovak flag flew at the makeshift airfield and remained there until the regiment departed from the rebel territory the regiment conducted its first combat mission with eight La-5FN fighters attacking the airfield in Piešťany where they destroyed and damaged several enemy aircraft and rendered the airfield’s facilities inoperative The following days were filled with active aerial operations in the Vrútky supporting the rebel units in their defensive struggle The pilots also engaged in several aerial dogfights,” he clarified with the regiment’s pilots engaged in fierce battles against a significant group of Luftwaffe aircraft The entries in the war diary were numerous documenting not only successes but also losses the regiment began preparations to leave Slovakia due to the general offensive by Nazi forces The flight over the front occurred on October 25 Some members remained in Slovakia to continue the fight in the mountains,” Šimončík explained The contribution of the First Czechoslovak Fighter Aviation Regiment to the insurgent battles was indisputable the regiment was awarded the honorary title of ‘Zvolenský’ and continued to participate in combat until the end of the war “The efforts of the residents of Zolná were also recognised The rebel village was honoured for its extraordinary resistance activities and support for the SNP with the Order of the Red Star Much water has flowed through the Hučava stream near which the La-5FN fighters of the First Czechoslovak Independent Fighter Regiment were stationed in late summer and early autumn of 1944,” he added These dramatic moments are forever etched in history The season will kick off in late September will introduce a new format for the regular season starting in 2024/2025 The 12 participating teams will face each other in a four-round robin. Additionally, teams will play 10 more games (home and away games against five opponents) within two conferences, writes The Slovak Spectator’s sister publication Sportnet The Eastern Conference will include Košice and Liptovský Mikuláš The Western Conference will consist of Bratislava These conference games will replace the regional rounds from the previous season where teams played 50 games in the regular season The new season is set to start on September 20 The last-placed team will once again be relegated and replaced by the winner of the SHL But still no trace of rumoured secret connection with nearby castle ruins The underground of Zvolen Castle has revealed more of its past in finds from the recent archaeological survey that left archaeologists surprised including what is thought to be the remains of a baroque sewer we have uncovered five metres [of the sewer] up to the border of the northern wall of the fortification Such a preserved section is really extraordinary we did not expect it," says archaeologist Peter Debnár from the Slovak Academy of Sciences there was a rumour that Zvolen Castle and the nearby Pustý Hrad castle ruins were connected by an underground passage has yet to throw up any confirmation of the legend approximately 80 centimetres high and 60 centimetres wide has a stone floor while the rest of it is of mixed stone-brick masonry Debnár said it may still have been functional in the first half of the 20th century as evidenced by a find of nails with round heads During that period the castle was reconstructed for use by the Slovak National Gallery It is not known how far the sewer continues behind the fortification three cartridges and part of a decorated pipe which is probably made of sepiolite - a white mineral that was a popular material for making pipes a 1.2-metre thick part of a hitherto unknown probably Gothic wall near the gate to the central courtyard has also been unearthed "It was probably a part of a shaft which was itself probably part of the fortification of the entrance gate It could be that a drawbridge of the entrance gate would fall on it," says Debnár The castle used to have a drawbridge until the 16th century when it was rebuilt as a fort archaeologists unearthed the Romanesque church from the 12th century which is said to be the oldest sacral building on the territory of Zvolen The hill on which the castle stands is an interesting area for archaeologists By 2013-11-10T07:00:00+00:00 As the competitive tendering of French regional passenger services becomes established the various régions are pursuing different rolling stock strategies EUROPE: The national railways of Romania and Moldova have signed a memorandum of understanding for cross-border co-operation which includes reopening of the Fălciu – Prut (Cantemir) railway electrification of the Iași – Chișinău line modernisation of customs facilities at Ungheni and the resumption of Cahul – .. Recent legislation has paved the way for the development of high-performing multimodal transport networks in 24 French conurbations centred around rail as a means of reducing greenhouse gas emissions Site powered by Webvision Cloud Sitting in his office on Tehelná Street in Zvolen is flanked by a glass case displaying dozens of office stamps Paintings hang from the walls behind him as he laughs and explains why nearly no one ever calls him by his proper name It’s like I’m still a child and never grew up,” he jokes Born into a Jewish family from Turčianske Teplice Klement is today a well-known figure in Slovakia’s Jewish community as well as among the general population of Zvolen For decades he has been at the heart of initiatives to commemorate the history of local Jewish communities and kind figure as he recounts how he first came to Zvolen and eventually created a thriving business but also how he was driven to help keep alive the memory of local Jews who perished in the Holocaust Klement came to Zvolen after finishing school hoping to establish himself as a dental laboratory technician “I had to leave the job because I had an allergy to acrylic powder,” Klement explains He was forced to take other work to support his family “I had always wanted to go into business or do something that would help or give meaning to people,” he says Klement started to make self-inking office stamps in their three-room flat after the fall of the communist regime in then Czechoslovakia in 1989 “I am glad we live in a democracy although we value it little,” he says pointedly before continuing to describe how from there he went on to create one of the largest suppliers of office stamps in Slovakia – using his childhood nickname He had been inspired by seeing a self-inking stamp which his niece brought him from Switzerland and saw an opportunity in the Slovak market which of course would then end up filthy,” he notes so did the businessman’s desire to give something back to the local community and in particular to commemorate the tragic history of local Jewish communities worked with others on initiatives to commemorate Jewish communities in Zvolen and the neighbouring city of Banská Bystrica but there are very few left in the city today but Banská Bystrica has a larger community One such initiative is the Park of Forgotten Neighbours on Tehelná Street Although people had for years walked through the area where the park stands today to reach a local hospital it had fallen into what Klement describes as a “deplorable state” with its only real features being a public toilet and a single bench which was most often used as a sleeping spot for the homeless Having bought the public toilet in an auction in 1993 creating over the years what is today’s Klemo building - which houses a café and an art gallery in the basement - and the park with the ‘On The Fence’ art gallery It includes a fountain designed by Slovak architect Igor Faško “Jewish people who worked with me on the project called it a crying fountain,” Klement says over laughter from a group of youngsters skateboarding in the small park Other projects he has been at the heart of - Klement is reluctant to call them his initiatives I cannot implement it all by myself,” he says - include efforts to reconstruct a Jewish cemetery next to a Zvolen bus station in the 1990s was the site of five mass graves which held the bodies of 128 Jews and other Slovaks who were slaughtered by the Einsatzkomando special Nazi killing squads in 1944-45 “We restored 60 tomb stones and a memorial to the mass graves,” Klement says adding that a memorial is held there every year The Unforgotten Neighbours event takes place on September 9 the Day of Victims of the Holocaust and Racial Persecution Almost 70 municipalities took part in the event in 2021 “We must not only remember the people who were deported and never returned to a free Czechoslovakia,” Klement says “but also those who helped them.” The event honours all of these people by reading their names aloud the Park of Generous Souls with the Obelisk of Hope and the Way of Humility was opened next to the cemetery honouring people who saved Jews from deportation to concentration camps “The obelisk memorial is unique to Europe,” Klement claims explaining that the only similar memorial anywhere else is in Jerusalem Locals have largely welcomed the initiatives But not everyone has been happy with what Klement who lost many members of his family in concentration camps and others have done promoting Jewish history “Somebody wrote ‘Juden Raus!’ [Jews out!] and 88 [a neo-Nazi symbolic number] and drew swastikas on our building and windows were broken,” Klement says adding that on the evening the restored Jewish cemetery was opened in 1998 the fascist group Slovenská Pospolitosť marched in Zvolen “It was not a pleasant sight for my mother-in-law She had been in a concentration camp,” Klement says The group was declared illegal because of its ideology and disbanded in 2006 Klement warns that people must not forget what happened in the 1930s and during WWII we will have to go through it again,” he says should listen to and learn from the stories of those who survived the Holocaust so the atrocities of WWII do not happen again,” he adds He regularly invites schools in Zvolen to attend the Unforgotten Neighbours event at which the story of a Holocaust survivor is read This article is part of the Our Minorities project carried out with the financial support of the Fund for the Support of the Culture of National Minorities Archaeologists gathered at Pustý Hrad the past summer for the 13th time This past summer archaeologists have returned to the Pustý Hrad castle ruins for the thirtieth time in hopes of unearthing another set of finds The amounts of pottery and animal bones from the High Middle Ages which belongs to a hitherto unknown building we focused on the restoration of a tower in the eastern part of the fortifications of the upper part of Pustý Hrad,” Ján Beljak archaeologists carried out two archaeological searches during which they again found counterfeits of mediaeval coins “They put a thin silver plate on the copper core,” Beljak explained for TASR it was unearthed while searching the lower terrace of Donč Hrad castle part of the upper part of Pustý Hrad and archaeologists are continuing to study it further they are expected to complete a renovation of the tower in the eastern part of the upper castle while renovation of another tower should be completed at about the same time as well “The restoration of an educational trail was completed in August with 21 new information boards with up-to-date information on the archaeology flora and fauna of the castle hill being installed,” Beljak concluded A helping hand in the heart of Europe thanks to the Slovakia travel guide with more than 1,000 photos and hundred of tourist spots Detailed travel guide to the Tatras introduces you to the whole region around the Tatra mountains Lost in Bratislava? Impossible with our City Guide Most castles on the territory of today’s Slovakia were built in the 12th and 13th centuries Slovakia has learned which of its many castles are the most complex and most complicated constructions built in the Middle Ages Deserted Castle (Pustý Hrad) in Zvolen followed by Nitra Castle and Spiš Castle The era of the largest construction of castles on the territory of today’s Slovakia took place in the 12th and 13th centuries which is why only constructions from this period are featured on a list of six mediaeval castles in Slovakia that were the hardest to build “The mountainous terrain of Slovakia provided many locations with difficult accessibility where it was possible to place castles in advantageous defensive positions,” explains Michal Šimkovic an expert in architectural-historical research of monuments Zniev Castle survived the Tatar-Mongol invasion in the early 1240s The legend has it that the Hungarian king Béla IV took refuge in the castle at that time It is said that not only the massive building but also a basket of roasted crayfish and two roasted pigs helped the king and the castle the Tatars eventually retreated from the castle They thought that the defenders of the castle really lacked nothing and would not surrender any time soon just like Deserted Castle on a hill above the town of Zvolen Quarry stone dominated among the building materials of mediaeval castles But the maintenance of the extensive castle grounds after their completion was also a physically demanding job others were significantly reduced to a smaller area during the Middle Ages The ranking of mediaeval megaprojects was prepared by Šimkovic in cooperation with Kláštorná elevation and the length of walls were taken into account when putting the list together About us | Advertise with us | Contact us Posted: 17 September 2013 | | No comments yet The 2013 Steam Locomotive Grand Prix recently took place at the railway station of Zvolen On 14th September the 2013 Steam Locomotive Grand Prix took place in the railway station of Zvolen This unusual event started in the morning with racing of historical rail buses type M 131.1 and continued with the women racing light shunting locomotives (t But the main event starting in the afternoon was the racing of historical steam locomotives The international participation included teams from Slovakia After a grueling race and tiring drops of sweat victory eventually belonged to the Hungarian team This annual international event hosted many visitors The main magic of this event are the clouds of steam But in contrast to the past – ŽOS ZVOLEN as the co-organizer of this event introduced the new refurbished rail bus 813-913.110 the lovers of the railways really enjoyed this event and everyone involved is eagerly anticipating next year’s event No comments yet All subscriptions include online membership giving you access to the journal and exclusive content Comment * document.getElementById("comment").setAttribute( "id" "aec0ede750fded7ab13269395fde93bd" );document.getElementById("j0f0bb4fb4").setAttribute( "id" Write for us | Advertise with us Global Railway Review is published by: Russell Publishing Ltd.Court LodgeHogtrough HillBrasted © Russell Publishing Limited Website development by e-Motive Media Limited While the US embassy has condemned recent incidents MEP Milan Uhrík from the far-right Republika party recently misled the public again when he posted on Facebook that American soldiers attacked people in a grocery shop in Zvolen Everything’s on cameras…They will not sweep it under the rug,” the politician wrote on May 22 More than 150 American soldiers are stationed at the Lešť military centre, central Slovakia, alongside hundreds of soldiers from other NATO countries. Two US soldiers decided to go shopping in Zvolen in their free time. Because they were drunk, they started to quarrel over a shopping cart, according to local media Other shoppers thought the two men would start fighting According to the police and the local store management one shouted at the police officers and declined to identify himself the police detained them until they were picked up by the Lešť military representatives 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 has been acquired by the US company Schreiber Foods from Senoble The price was not disclosed. Schreiber Foods announced in April that it plans to continue which produced milk desserts and yoghurts under the Zvolenský brand the US concern also bought two European plants in Spain from Senoble “This step enables Schreiber Foods to boost and strengthen its presence on markets in Europe and also to boost the relations with our strategic business partners,” said Francois Salamon the senior vice-president of Schreiber Foods The acquisition of the three plants increases the company’s representation in Europe to 10 production plants in seven countries Schreiber Foods is a global company based in the USA whose shareholders are also its employees It has an annual turnover of €4.5 billion and employs more than 7,000 people in its production and distribution networks The Ministry of Defence is continuing to improve Service conditions for military personnel Spending more on infrastructure and better working conditions also concerns the barracks and units based in Zvolen where the MOD is planning to invest over €1.7m over the next five years a new Operations Centre is being built at 2nd Slovak Air Force Brigade Zvolen from where military professionals will manage the safety and control of SVK airspace on a 24/7 basis the MOD has also received funding from the NATO Security Investment Programme (NSIP) thereby securing €1.4m of savings from the state budget as part of repair and maintenance services at Zvolen This year we are continuing with the repairs and upgrades of local infrastructure We have made giving our soldiers what they need for their service to the country our priority something which should have been a matter of course for years,” said Minister Naď who joined Deputy Minister Majer in inspecting the progress of construction works on the MOD estate at Zvolen and Sliač this year the MOD is planning to invest 730,000 euros in defence infrastructure at Sliač Air Base an additional €100m is expected to be invested in local infrastructure for the F-16 beddown programme The work will include the construction of new taxiways and entrance gates Additional infrastructure projects at Sliač Air Base will be realised through the NATO Support and Procurement Agency (NSPA) and the NATO Security Investment Programme (NSIP) The local water reservoir used to be a popular bathing spot among local people Fishermen who can often be seen lined up by the shores of a water reservoir in Zvolen Built on the Slatina River in the fifties, many local people began to come to the Môťová reservoir for a swim in the eighties and nineties, despite not having served as an official recreational area before, the My Zvolen website writes and even two jetties with stairs leading down to the water soon popped up here but some people still continue to swim in the area - despite a 2002 permanent ban issued by the Environment Ministry The town now plans to turn part of the reservoir into a popular swimming spot again Its previous attempts failed due to the lack of finances Cleaning the entire reservoir would cost at least €100 million as mud makes up a quarter of the volume of the reservoir Even if the national water management company wanted to clean the reservoir Maňka argues that the state could use finances from unspent EU funding Mud from the reservoir could then be used in agriculture and forestry but testing from three years ago showed that it did not contain enough organic substances mud would have to be stored somewhere safely the water management company suggests a temporary solution: a small swimming pool The water in the reservoir is said to be suitable for swimming today High levels of heavy metals have not been confirmed The mayor has confirmed that the town is already looking for money for the pool project hoping to obtain funding from the EU at some point the pool should cover 2.5 hectares and be 270 metres wide The pool and the reservoir are said to be separated by wooden posts to keep the pool clean from mud and litter 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 A detailed travel guide to the Tatras introduces you to the whole region around the Tatra mountains DUE TO their overwhelming popularity and success certain events are repeated every year in Slovakia and the annual international competition for steam engines is surely among these well-received attractions The 13th edition of the Grand Prix Slovensko was held on September 11 at the cargo railway station in Zvolen Hungary and Austria competed in the afternoon Before that competition visitors could also watch a competition between historical M131.1 diesel trains Accompanying events included viewing of the Polish state railway’s “Totus” the train that belonged to Pope John Paul II the Štefánik combat train used by partisans in the Slovak National Uprising during World War II and other historical and contemporary railway vehicles displayed at the locomotive depot Special historical trains also transported passengers between Zvolen and Banská Bystrica Banská Štiavnica and Hliník nad Hronom performances by majorettes and fencing by the Ricasso troupe completed the programme The Grand Prix Slovensko is organised by the Historical Technology Club (Klub historickej techniky) of the Zvolen Locomotive Depot along with various partners Each year the programme reliably attracts 5,000 to 6,000 visitors Looking to access paid articles across multiple policy topics Interested in policy insights for EU professional organisations Prime Minister Viktor Orbán won a third straight term in power in Sunday elections (8 April) after his anti-immigration campaign message secured a strong majority for his party in parliament granting him two-thirds of seats based on preliminary results Prime Minister Viktor Orbán waves as he attends the final electoral rally of Fidesz in Szekesfehervar 🔴 HUNGARY UPDATE |Ornan’s supporters cheers outside Fidesz election HQ as the party seems to get nearly 2/3 of electoral support. pic.twitter.com/FmwURIrjiX Orban Dominates Hungarian Ballot in Win for European Populists. https://t.co/jPTXw6JqeX pic.twitter.com/uMpdt0bHqZ Two-thirds majority or not, the result will give very strong legitimacy to Fidesz & strengthen Orban's resolve that hatemongering works. That's a race to the bottom. #HungaryElections Grande et nette victoire de Viktor Orban en #Hongrie 🇭🇺 : l'inversion des valeurs et l'immigration de masse prônées par l'UE sont à nouveau rejetées. Les nationaux peuvent être majoritaires en Europe aux prochaines #Européennes2019 In Latest Humiliation For Brussles, Viktor Orban Wins Hungary Elections In Landslide Victory https://t.co/kMqaV2LQMp A campaign where Jews were blamed for everything worked once before & led to our darkest age.Worrying that Orbán’s hate-speech is accepted by the EPP. There is an alternative & hope: It’s @MomentumHU that wants Hungary to play a constructive role in Europehttps://t.co/hUAH4xerkB — Guy Verhofstadt (@guyverhofstadt) April 8, 2018 The problem with Viktor Orban isn't that he is "conservative" or even anti-migrant The problem is that he has destroyed the media and the courts in his country and that he runs a dishonest propaganda machine which has poisoned public life — Anne Applebaum (@anneapplebaum) April 9, 2018 It is mostly middle-aged and older Slovak Americans who trace their roots A glossary of words is also published online Despite their ancestors being forced to move overseas for socioeconomic and political reasons in the past two centuries Slovak Americans have set out to reconnect with Slovakia “It is important for me to know where my roots are and why I am the way I am,” Cynthia Sandor a 60-year-old American and native of Florida of Slovak-Austrian descent A new chapter for a part of her family began in 1921 when her grandfather Mihaly arrived at Ellis Island aboard the SS Hudson and settled in Connecticut Slovaks started to embark for America on a mass scale as soon as the American Civil War ended in 1865 due to the lack of opportunities and poverty in the Hungarian part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire steel mills and on the railroads in the Midwest and Northeast As many as 619,866 Slovaks resided in the USA in 1920 Nearly a hundred years later, in 2010, about 750,000 Americans were estimated to have a Slovak background researching historical records online and touring Slovakia with the help of locals many did not have the courage and did not know what to expect,” tour guide and amateur genealogist Viera Marecová claimed adding that some Americans are afraid of not being adopted by their Slovak family even today Communists were still in power in the early eighties when Sandor and her parents visited their Slovak family for a few days They had to wait for two hours at the border because they were Americans who had flown into Germany and had driven through Austria before reaching Czechoslovakia “Communists took our rental car apart a large mirror with wheels rolled under the vehicle and they searched all the luggage,” Sandor remembered “I remember watching the German Shepherd sniff through our belongings We just sat in a little coffee shop helpless until the complete search of the vehicle was completed.” But it was the moments spent with her Slovak family in Bratislava and on a farm near Zvolen that Sandor has kept close to her heart including meals at her great-aunt Mary’s home Sandor said Mary made a gesture upon their departure from the farm that gave her chills and started rubbing it with her hand,” Sandor recalled “My great-aunt Mary said: ‘My blood runs through you.’” who somehow contacted their Slovak family in the eighties given up on the idea of finding her Slovak cousins Peter and Jozef whom she believes are still residing in Bratislava Unlike her siblings who are not interested in their ancestry and Poland in the hope of learning more and reconnecting with her family many Slovak Americans have managed to visit the places of their ancestors Being on the ground and looking for houses and graves rather than flipping through historical records Marecová from the Spiš region has assisted a number of Americans of Slovak-Jewish descent she helped an old Dallas man who had sought the courage to return to Slovakia all of his life He grew up in an orthodox Jewish household in Ladomirová and moved overseas as a youngster after an argument with his father back in the thirties he had urged his big family to move to America I stopped an old lady and asked if she knew the man’s family to which she nodded,” Marecová said “She looked at him and cried out: ‘Is that you Most of those who left for America had lived in eastern Slovakia The Uh county was hit hardest by emigration in the whole of Hungary Milan Belej from the Nitra State Archives said While many Slovak Americans succeeded in reconnecting with Slovakia and their families He has known for years that he had Slovak ancestry growing up with his mother Rita and Ohio-born grandmother Elizabeth whose maiden name was Kolenich and was half Slovak but his interest has become more intense in recent years as he found a larger Slovak diaspora community online he learned that Slovak writer Ivan Kolenič was born in Zvolen which is the area where his great-grandfather came from but he wants to put some more serious effort into finding his family’s distant relatives later this year “I have a big fantasy of making contact taking my mother to the small town or towns where they are and meeting them all,” he said Meeting relatives is “a cherry on the cake” genealogists approached by The Slovak Spectator agreed but it is the toughest thing about the family search “Even if you find someone with the same last name in the village where the ancestors of a client came from they are mostly older people who are worried about becoming victims of fraud They are unwilling to speak,” genealogist Marek Rímsky emphasised whose ancestors moved overseas as teenagers in the late 1880s “Selecky is the story of a typical migrant miners in Pennsylvania who achieved their American dream,” Rázus recalled the story sparking his interest in genealogy Today, visits to the Slovak state archives by Americans are on the decline as historical records can be found on the Familysearch and Ancestry websites those who contact the institutions are often surprised by discrepancies between what they were told and what the records say “Their ancestors left the territory of Slovakia many times as illiterate various errors occurred in the dates and names of localities,” Peter Brindza of the Trenčín State Archives said it matters in which language a name was entered in vital records Alena Bolfová of the Banská Bystrica State Archives noted After the establishment of Czechoslovakia in 1918 To make things easier before her first trip to the village of her great-grandfather near Spišská Nová Ves Pennsylvania-born pensioner Linda Stanko decided to ask genealogist Michal Rázus to do some more research After her arrival, Erik Ševčík from the Adventoura travel agency, who also helped Andy Warhol’s cousin in the past, showed Stanko around the country. There is always “a lot of excitement, tears and happiness” during genealogical tours in the east of Slovakia Although Stanko has found no living relatives she developed a nice bond with other Stankos in Hrabušice who have adopted her since Explaining why it felt important to reconnect with Slovakia Stanko said: “As people older than you start to die you feel like you are losing a connection to your past and it suddenly became important to find out where I was from.” The Spectator College is a programme designed to support the study and teaching of English in Slovakia as well as to inspire interest in important public issues among young people Registration has been successfully completed Make a new account if you don't have one yet Puedes ver la versión Española de BeSoccer.com You can see the English version of BeSoccer.com Vous pouvez voir la version French de BeSoccer.com Puoi vedere la versione Italian su BeSoccer.com Você pode ver a versão Brasileira de BeSoccer.com THE 12TH year of the international Grand Prix for steam engines took place on September 11 at its traditional venue at Zvolen railway station The first steam engine arrived in Bratislava on August 20 1848 when the newly constructed Great Hungarian Central Railway brought these engines to what was then called Pressburg or Pozsony opening the country to railway transport and gradually bringing industrialisation and connections with other European states “The competition in Zvolen included several disciplines such as ‘Ladies on the Tracks’ and ‘Beer on the Coupling Rod’ as well as a sprint race where the accuracy of stopping was crucial” the head of the Club of Historical Technology in Zvolen He added that he thought the most interesting competition this year was a new one a unique European race – a 100-metre sprint in which five modernised diesel engines raced at the same time The audience also appreciated the opportunity to view the historical train Štefánik an armoured train which was used during the Slovak National Uprising (SNP) that later underwent reconstruction and was furnished with exhibits from World War II we planned to show the train in action and make the show even more attractive but the weather marred our plans,” said Stanislav Mičev from the SNP Museum in Banská Bystrica The weather also interfered with a plan to have planes ‘bomb’ the armoured train in a simulated air attack on September 12 at Dobrá Niva – the site of actual aerial raids during the war “This was the first time we experienced such bad weather we have five to six thousand visitors but the number was reduced this year due to the weather,” Oravec told the SITA newswire The competing steam and diesel engines came from Slovakia Hungary and Austria; the Czech Republic also sent two additional engines that were just for show and did not compete Visitors also had the opportunity to ride trains pulled by steam engines between Banská Bystrica and Banská Štiavnica A steam engine also pulled a modern fast train into the Zvolen cargo station just for this occasion Even though the weather did not cooperate with this year’s Grand Prix the event’s organisers still made the racing competitions attractive for the public and let visitors view nostalgic technology that once was pioneering and modern after a short period of post-traumatic stress to be possessed of an unusually positive outlook on life with enhanced self-esteem and far lower levels of anxiety than they previously experienced It is as if their cheating of fate has offered them a powerful surge of joie de vivre Sitting in the back of Nigel Farage's Volvo as we are driven from a long lunch in Tunbridge Wells to a town hall gathering in Windsor at which the UK Independence party (Ukip) leader is due to speak I'm struggling to dispute any of those findings Farage's election-afternoon aircraft crash in 2010 from which he memorably emerged doused in petrol bleeding from a head wound but with his Ukip rosette intact seems among the most plausible explanations for the apparently irrepressible optimism that has since fuelled his restless crisscrossing of the home counties and beyond spreading his cheerful gospel of European doom he talks of the thrill of "Billy Graham moments" in which suburban doubters are spontaneously converted to the cause; his zeal for all aspects of the mission overflows Farage's earlier enthusiasm for our pub lunch of local roast lamb a couple of pints and a bottle of rioja – "I have to say I am enjoying this enormously," he announced several times as he tucked in – is now matched by the palpable pleasure he seems to take in the passing hedgerows As we crawl towards the M4 in Friday night traffic in a car driven by his aide-de-camp a Liverpudlian former Labour activist and prospective Ukip MP Farage gestures delightedly toward the landscape "Have you ever seen England looking quite so green?" he asks with the kind of ardour that might move younger men to verse Everything is just growing almost before your eyes!" he already looked a lot like the last man standing not far up the road from where we are driving and he mentions how he was raised on the tales of Ernest Shackleton and PG Wodehouse he seems to have gleaned a rare instinct for self-preservation; from the writer You don't have to spend long in Farage's company to realise that he possesses that profoundly useful political weapon shared with Boris Johnson: he is unembarrassable A discussion of the Leveson inquiry – Farage's phone was inevitably on the list of those apparently hacked – leads him to groan dramatically at some of the headlines that resulted from invasions of his privacy – "They are not good stories – but I was young!" he says the claims made to the News of the World in 2006 by a 25-year-old Latvian woman named Liga who allegedly took him to her home they made love seven times after which Farage was "snoring like a horse".) Having long been accustomed to being the butt of other politicians' jokes Farage is relishing what may yet become the last laugh as the desperate news from Brussels and Strasbourg escalated and bailout followed crisis summit followed austerity package Ukip's poll ratings have proved as fecund as the inundated English countryside Some soundings have placed Farage's party third in the UK with a projected 13% of the national vote should an election be called more than enough to make David Cameron's Conservatives from whom they are taking most of their support In discussing the implications of these figures wears the look of a man who knows he has cornered the market for good news The worse the political scenarios are painted in Europe In a political circumstance in which all three main parties find ways to resist a promised referendum on Europe which a majority of the population might arguably demand with no particular pleasure: "The current European story can go on a long time because there is still such a will to prop up both the euro and the union will be the huge and growing differential between the French and German economies but it could take years and years of agony for everyone else." Farage is astute enough to know that in the meantime he has a chance to seize his political moment also acutely aware of the two main obstacles he faces in that ambition: a sense that his party is a single-issue pressure group (a fact he seeks to challenge by offering a range of policy ideas on everything from defence to education) and the impression that it looks increasingly a one-man band (which other Ukip candidate can you name?) one of more than 1,000 such meetings he has addressed in his time in Ukip is part of a campaign to overcome those issues near Portsmouth (potential by-election territory depending on the fate of Chris Huhne); Monday sees him in a social club in Dudley (where supporting British jobs for British workers will no doubt be a theme) "It's like Bob Dylan's never-ending tour," I suggest though arguably Dylan might balk at sharing a bill with ventriloquist Roger De Courcey at Aylesbury rugby club the scene of one of Farage's livelier recent outings "I had no idea it was going to be me and him," Farage recalls He did a stand-up routine and only then did he produce the bear Even without a stuffed dummy on his knee it would be fair to say that Farage himself is not shy of forthright observation His conversation is punctuated by occasional broadsides against the media in general and the BBC in particular which he perceives as institutionally Europhiliac have proved far more reliable allies in his quest to spread his insurgent message One aspect of the generally ludicrous rules of debate at the European Parliament is that speeches are restricted to exactly a minute or two of rhetoric who leads a Eurosceptic group of 35 MEPs in Strasbourg has become a master of the two-minute tirade Farage claims more than 1m YouTube hits in Spain alone Though my search puts the figure at closer to 250,000 few other MEPs could claim comparable impact Farage got into his rhetorical stride in 2004 when he greeted the new Commission by discrediting each of its unelected members in turn such British dissent has brought looks of weary resignation; of late however and Farage angrily warms to his themes – of an Italian government having to borrow at 7% interest in order to bail out the Spanish government at 3% interest ("You couldn't make it up!") – a greater unease has crept in Farage explains the prevailing consensus among European politicians as an example of "the natural thing for human beings – to want to be popular with their peers No one wants the whole class to hate them; it's just about our biggest fear in childhood and it's the same with politics" "I was never scared particularly of being out on a limb," he says when you have grown up as stubbornly conventional as Farage – the son of a stockbroker who followed his father into the City we discuss his favourite characters from the golden age of sitcoms a land from which he sometimes seems to have emerged fully formed; "Margo and Jerry [from The Good Life] really were so real "Dad's Army works for every generation Although Farage is not above making the odd politically incorrect reference to Poles and Greeks he studiously stops short of being beastly to the Germans does his second wife and mother to two of his four children make of his insistence on divorce from Europe "like most Germans she thought it was a good thing for example that East Germany was reintegrated and they looked at their pay packets each month and thought 'We are not going to complain too much because these people have been through a rotten time.' But then just as you have finished that process you are being asked to make the same sacrifices for the people of Greece and Portugal It would be easy for Farage to make cheap capital from German expansionism "The German political class are the dominant masters of Europe," he says "and I don't think ordinary Germans want them to be They have spent 65 years wanting to be liked again and all this is seen to be reversing that process The Germans have come to this highly reluctantly Farage's problem is that for all this nuanced analysis many of his flag-waving supporters are less libertarian optimists than simple Little Englanders They hear what they want to hear and sometimes he seems to encourage them to do so he offers an unapologetic paean to Enoch Powell he suggests that "though Powell was clearly wrong on race he was right on so many other things" a distinction he does not make anything like so directly in print Farage is adamant in his assertion that the "multicultural experiment has failed" but equally so in his belief that "Ukip's potential with the black vote in this country is huge" "In Brixton market they still believe in the Commonwealth they think there is something of value in the relationship between Jamaica If he dances this fine line between nationalism and something more extreme among supporters at home the difficulties become even more complicated in Europe "A big danger we face," he suggests "is that Euroscepticism across the continent will now move sharply to the left and to the right So you will have Eurosceptic parties that are also Islamophobic or antisemitic or totally anti-free markets and broadly communist." He has to be extremely careful whom he chooses to befriend. "I am enormously friendly with the guy from Finland, Timo Soini [of the True Finns] Has he had overtures to align with the Front National in France "It's a good example," he says. "We have never had any truck at all with the old man [Jean-Marie Le Pen]. We are libertarian, not authoritarian. But then Marine Le Pen comes along "I don't think she brings any of that stuff with her Her father damaged her election campaign enormously… but still He has spoken to Marine Le Pen I've sat down and talked to her to understand who she is is that in the big magazine articles lately about the rise of the far right in Europe I think that has been a bit of a success for us." Is he still conscious of that extreme element in the party we picked up all sorts of flotsam and jetsam But then if we walked into Tunbridge Wells Conservative Club now and sat down we would likely find views there far more unpalatable than anything you are likely to hear from our supporters…" Farage was never a Conservative – "I am much more of a radical economic liberal" – though he was an admirer of Thatcherite policy he has been struck by the emergence of unlikely fellow travellers; Tony Benn has always shared his distrust of the undemocratic fundamentals of the European project but in recent TV debates Farage has been surprised to find himself apparently in league with the likes of Bob Crow (the rail union leader) and Ken Livingstone he believes he can attract supporters from across the spectrum but the thrust of his wider policy – pro-grammar schools anti-defence cuts and also anti-war – seems tailor-made for disaffected Tories mythologised Britain of Keep Calm and Carry On he took a group of friends – "Farage's Foragers" – on bibulous holiday expeditions to the battlefields of France and Belgium He is already planning a 100th anniversary trip to commemorate the retreat from Mons back to the Marne "The plan is to drive between nice little country chateaux." Farage resists too much deep introspection but reading between the lines of his memoir you would guess a lot of this military yearning is rooted in a tense relationship with his father a drinker and president of the local Territorial Army who left the family home when Farage was five Was he ever tempted to join the TA himself "Of course I was tempted," he says at the time I was still playing quite competitive golf and you just can't do it all…" Damaged vertebrae from the crash have put paid to his golf so his recreation these days centres on sea fishing he has gone out late in the evening to favourite beaches between Rye and Dungeness total and utter fanaticism about catching that fish and 40 years of doing it." He applies that kind of mindset But I would think in the next four to five years we will either win the big question as far as we are concerned or we will succeed in realigning a segment of the British political scene." "It's not completely impossible there will be some SDP-type moment a coming together of different people over this one issue this question will have to be resolved." "The wildflowers this year are just astonishing aren't they Some of these seeds can stay dormant for 50 years and then they get rain like this and up they come!" The role of Roger De Courcey this evening is taken by a dapper young Ukip councillor who recently caused a stir in Windsor by "crossing the floor" from the local Tories Bursnall knows his audience and gets them in the mood with a few quips about the European Court of Human Rights and a proposed quota of traveller sites that Brussels wants to impose Farage is then into his stride with a speech that mixes comedy with righteous anger and hits all the local hot buttons: wind farms (a nonsense) cuts in defence (unpatriotic) and dwells on some of the more egregious hypocrisies not only of "Rumpy Pumpy" Van Rompuy and his pals but also those of David Cameron and his Notting Hill cronies plays his audience like the angler on the Dungeness beach and eventually reels them in with an unashamed appeal to finest hours and the bonds of Commonwealth comes from the secretary of the local Conservative party who while acknowledging that Farage has just iterated everything in which most Tories believe wonders why he cannot make his points within the party rather than without This allows Farage to extemporise on tribalism and the new politics of dissent to present himself in his favourite role as the rebel in a blazer before having to bat away further questions about travellers and Dale Farm He ends the evening surrounded by his people grinning from ear to ear and discussing the coming European meltdown with all the passion of an evangelical preacher Farage is not naive enough to imagine that he should be preparing for government any time soon but he has survived enough crash landings to know that out of catastrophe comes opportunity This is the archive of The Observer up until 21/04/2025 The Observer is now owned and operated by Tortoise Media The highway should reduce traffic in nearby villages The new R2-express double-carriageway section between Zvolen and Pstruša (both in Banská Bystrica Region) will bring benefits not only in the form of faster driving speeds and greater safety but also better conditions for potential investors in the southern part of central Slovakia said Transport Minister Árpád Érsek (Most-Híd) “Continuing this section of the R2 is one of our priorities but to further design and seek financial resources,” Érsék claimed during the opening ceremony held on May 16 The newly built 7.85-kilometre stretch is located at the road’s eastern end and is connected to the R2’s section between Pstruša and Kriváň A four-lane almost 20-kilometre expressway stretch from Zvolen to Kriváň is thus available to drivers A good piece of news for the residents of the area is that the opening of the section will significantly reduce transit transport in the villages of Slovenská Slatina and Pstruša (all in Banská Bystrica Region) The contract price for the section’s construction is around €82.3 million The project was financed in two stages within two programme periods The construction of the new part of the R2 Zvolen east-Pstruša section was launched in August 2014 by a consortium of Corsan-Corviam Construccion and Chemkostav IS The section includes seven bridges and one elevated intersection There will be no more direct trains on the Bratislava – Zvolen – Košice route The new schedule for train transport in Slovakia will become effective on Sunday Travellers can look forward to several new connections such as trains between Bratislava and Prievidza Trains will not run from Bratislava to Banská Bystrica after 20:00 Changes will also be made to long-distance and international trains There will be no more direct trains on the Bratislava – Zvolen – Košice route with the exception of the night train Poľana The Bratislava – Zvolen – Banská Bystrica route and Zvolen – Košice route will be connected by fast trains Several connections will change over at the Zvolen train station Two more pairs of fast trains will operate between Zvolen and Košice The evening train from Bratislava to Banská Bystrica which often served as the last daily connection The morning express will not go in the opposite direction National Carrier ZSSK wants to lessen delays and better utilise the engines and staff by implementing these changes There will be two new pairs of regional express trains; their number during the workdays will go up from four to six They will not be exchanged for locomotives in Leopoldov so the set will travel with the diesel locomotive on the electrified section from Bratislava to Leopoldov The overall travel time will be prolonged by three minutes to two hours and 53 minutes ZSSK also plans to renew three commercial InterCity trains from Bratislava to Košice and back (there is only one pair currently) It will widen the offer of trains between Košice and Budapest which are run in cooperation with the Hungarian railway company a total of seven pairs of international EC trains will be dispatched from Košice every two hours between 6:01 and 18:01 and arrive in Košice between 9:59 and 21:59 The train connection between Košice – Miskolc – Budapest will thus be significantly improved Croatia with car transport will be introduced in the 2022 summer season leaving Bratislava on Tuesdays and Fridays at 15:51 the train will run on Wednesdays and Saturdays between June 4 and September 24 and will reach the Slovak capital at 10:49 the following day The trains will include carriages with beds and seats and others for car transport Dutch discount retail chain Action has continued to expand in Slovakia since opening its first store in the country in early March Having opened stores in Bratislava its first store in central Slovakia followed in mid-March The fourth one opened in Topoľčany in mid May “Especially in these difficult times we believe that our concept of low prices will make us an interesting option for Slovak customers,” Petr Juliš CEO of Action in Slovakia and the Czech Republic The first store the chain opened in the Slovak capital was in the Danubia shopping centre in Petržalka ranging from toys and tools to gardening supplies to DIY and preserved food “This [store opening] is an important step in our further expansion,” said Juliš we want to grow to all corners of the country.” is in the Zlaté Piesky shopping centre on the outskirts of Bratislava The third store is located in the Klokan shopping centre in Zvolen “The first three Action stores in Slovakia have been very successful which is why we are continuing our planned expansion across the country,” said Juliš during the opening of the fourth store in Topoľčany The retail chain plans to open stores in other cities including Spišská Nová in the coming months But it has not specified how many it plans to open in Slovakia this year “I can’t say how many stores we will open this year because we don’t know Permit processes are ongoing,” Juliš told the Obchod magazine Initial numbers will also provide a lot of information about potential future growth while the group is not worried about being in a tightly-contested market Action’s product range and prices put it in competition with retail chains like Kik and Pepco Juliš sees Action’s point of difference in its wide product range of which up to a tenth changes every month the customer comes in to look at basic necessities but they also arrive for ‘treasure hunts’,” Juliš told the magazine Action is not entirely new to Slovakia: in 2021 the chain opened a 50,000-square-metre distribution centre in Ivanka pri Dunaji near Bratislava from where it supplies Austrian Slovakia is the 11th country in which Action which claims to be the fastest growing non-food discount chain in Europe It has more than 2,200 stores across Europe Vedenie HKM Zvolen sa v pondelok dohodlo na zmluve pre sezónu 2020/21 s obrancom Andrejom Hatalom 23-ročný rodák z Trenčína je aktuálne šiestym obrancom na súpiske rytierov Andrej Hatala strávil posledné dva roky v Nových Zámkoch a v uplynulej sezóne bol s bilanciou 3+13 v 55 zápasoch tretím najproduktívnejším obrancom tímu Prevažnú časť sezóny odohral v prvej obrannej dvojici a bol najvyťaženejším hráčom tímu Hatala strávil v Tipsport lige jednu sezónu aj v Žiline a v štyroch sezónach bol súčasťou A-tímu Dukly Trenčín Bývalý mládežnícky reprezentant si zahral na svetových šampionátoch do 18 aj do 20 rokov V rokoch 2014 a 2015 bol pri triumfe trenčianskej juniorky a v roku 2015 získal titul aj s dorastom Dukly Štatistiky Andreja Hatalu nájdete TU Nováčik medzi zvolenskými „rytiermi“ brázdil doteraz len severoamerické klziská Prvý zápas v juniorskej WHL odohral iba tri dni po jeho 16 narodeninách a hneď si aj pripísal prvú asistenciu Šikovného útočníka získali v drafte v roku 2013 Hviezdy z Dallasu zo 131 čo mu zabezpečilo profesionálnu zmluvu v tíme AHL Texas Stars V druhej najvyššej zámorskej súťaži odohral Ully 123 zápasov posledné dve sezóny však už patril medzi nosných hráčov Južnej Karolíny v ECHL si činovníci spod Pustého hradu vyhliadli už dávnejšie Patrik Ryba: „Ullyho sme počas uplynulých mesiacov sledovali pre prípad že nám niekto z ťahúňov tímu po sezóne odíde preto sme podpísali zmluvu s týmto produktívnym útočníkom ktorý do nášho tímu určite zapadne po ľudskej aj hokejovej stránke https://www.eliteprospects.com/player/62241/cole-ully Add articles to your saved list and come back to them any time The teal wave that swept over inner-city electorates from Sydney’s northern beaches to bayside Melbourne and Curtin in Western Australia on Saturday night was devastating for those who had believed there would always be Liberals in the wealthy heartland seats of Australia’s big cities Up to six new teal candidates will join Zali Steggall and Helen Haines on a swollen crossbench which could grow to as many as 15 – the largest since World War II – with the addition of several Greens members and a new independent member for Fowler in Sydney and that their election would bring chaos to parliament But huge swings to them in previously safe Liberal seats showed voters were prepared to defy Scott Morrison’s scare campaign suggesting to their backers and electoral experts that they filled a real need in the community The question remains, though: Are the teals here to stay or will those seats revert to Liberals after one or two terms, once the spectre of Morrison’s “bulldozer” approach to government has faded into memory Ask the independents themselves and they all say their beliefs have not changed and they have moved away from those of their electorates addresses supporters in Claremont.Credit: Peter de Kruijff “The sensible centre independent candidates across the country have stepped up to fill the space left by the Liberal Party’s shift to the right,” said Kate Chaney, the independent likely to win Curtin in Western Australia “Like many other communities around Australia we scratched the surface of Curtin and found a deep desire for change – the Liberal Party is unlikely to feel entitled to this seat again.” Former ABC journalist Zoe Daniel, who claimed victory over Liberal assistant minister Tim Wilson in Goldstein echoed the words: “The commonality [across the country] is that the Liberal Party has lost its centre.” She also pointed to climate action and integrity as major issues but said gender equality and the “lip service” paid to it by the Coalition was also a huge factor said her priority policies had come directly from the residents and were crystal clear including urgent and strong action on climate change Independent candidate Sophie Scamps at a polling booth in Narraweena.Credit: Kate Geraghty acknowledged on the ABC’s Insiders program on Sunday that the loudest message from the election was the loss of heartland seats He blamed his party’s obstinacy on a particular culture-war issue: the drawn-out debate and postal survey over same-sex marriage in 2016 and 2017 should have been resolved with a simple conscience vote in parliament But the beginnings of the movement date back further It started with community rumblings around former Liberal MP Sophie Mirabella in the northern Victorian seat of Indi which led to the formation of the pioneering Voices for Indi group and the election of Cathy McGowan in 2013 The Voices model has been exported across the country and versions of it have underpinned most of the successful independent campaigns big-picture concerns and trends were clearly important to the election Kooyong independent Monique Ryan told the ABC on Sunday that she had benefited from huge local support in the wealthy former Liberal seat An increase in higher-density housing and an additional 5000 younger voters had entered the electorate since the 2019 election but strong local campaigns put them front-of-mind for people who have Climate change action and a national integrity body were big issues in the teal seats.Credit: Joe Armao fellow independent Haines won the seat of Indi in 2019 and again in this election with a resounding 8 per cent primary swing McGowan herself became both a mentor and an inspiration to the teal independents She told The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald on Sunday that she was not surprised by the teal independents’ strong showing which had the common characteristics of wide community involvement impressive candidates and well-organised campaigns They had big and well-organised groups of volunteers behind them These independents have been massively successful at raising funds locally raised more than $1 million for her campaign But the clincher was the financial and practical assistance of political fund-raising body Climate 200 founded and convened by clean energy investor Holmes a Court It contributed about $12 million from more than 11,000 donors Simon Holmes a Court backed climate-focused independent candidates targeting Liberal MPs.Credit: Alex Ellinghausen Holmes a Court was being low-key on Sunday after a controversial final day of the campaign when he was involved in a polling booth confrontation with former superannuation minister Jane Hume he said: “This is a moment to celebrate the success of these community independents and the support they have received across the country “Climate 200 will spend the next few days reflecting on what has been achieved and what might happen next.” He also indicated he was not content with a one-off shock to the political system and the ousting of his nemesis, Josh Frydenberg, from Kooyong and we must make sure this becomes a watershed rather than a moment,” he said former Labor strategist turned pollster who conducted research for Climate 200 said the combination of grassroots community organisation and the financial and strategic backing of Climate 200 was “more sophisticated than any Labor campaign I ever worked on” He insists the independent movement is no political fad “The independents have ripped out a significant part of the Liberal vote is that the new independents have shown how political campaigns can be organised and won “People have learned how to do it and that’s great for democracy.” The Morning Edition newsletter is our guide to the day’s most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up here The teal wave that swept over inner-city electorates from Sydney\\u2019s northern beaches to bayside Melbourne and Curtin in Western Australia on Saturday night was devastating for those who had believed there would always be Liberals in the wealthy heartland seats of Australia\\u2019s big cities which could grow to as many as 15 \\u2013 the largest since World War II \\u2013 with the addition of several Greens members and a new independent member for Fowler in Sydney about this group of professional women during the campaign: that they were fake independents that donor was a Svengali co-ordinating them as an undeclared party But huge swings to them in previously safe Liberal seats showed voters were prepared to defy Scott Morrison\\u2019s scare campaign though: Are the teals here to stay or will those seats revert to Liberals after one or two terms once the spectre of Morrison\\u2019s to government has faded into memory \\u201CThe sensible centre independent candidates across the country have stepped up to fill the space left by the Liberal Party\\u2019s shift to the right,\\u201D said Kate Chaney \\u201CLike many other communities around Australia we scratched the surface of Curtin and found a deep desire for change \\u2013 the Liberal Party is unlikely to feel entitled to this seat again.\\u201D who over Liberal assistant minister Tim Wilson in Goldstein echoed the words: \\u201CThe commonality [across the country] is that the Liberal Party has lost its centre.\\u201D She also pointed to climate action and integrity as major issues but said gender equality and the \\u201Clip service\\u201D paid to it by the Coalition was also a huge factor acknowledged on the ABC\\u2019s Insiders program on Sunday that the loudest message from the election was the loss of heartland seats He blamed his party\\u2019s obstinacy on a particular culture-war issue: the drawn-out debate and postal survey over same-sex marriage in 2016 and 2017 Kooyong independent Monique Ryan told the ABC on Sunday that from huge local support in the wealthy former Liberal seat She told The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald on Sunday that she was not surprised by the teal independents\\u2019 strong showing Holmes a Court was being low-key on Sunday after a controversial final day of the campaign when he was involved in a with former superannuation minister Jane Hume he said: \\u201CThis is a moment to celebrate the success of these community independents and the support they have received across the country \\u201CClimate 200 will spend the next few days reflecting on what has been achieved and what might happen next.\\u201D He also indicated he was not content with a one-off shock to the political system and the ousting of from Kooyong and we must make sure this becomes a watershed rather than a moment,\\u201D he said said the combination of grassroots community organisation and the financial and strategic backing of Climate 200 was \\u201Cmore sophisticated than any Labor campaign I ever worked on\\u201D \\u201CThe independents have ripped out a significant part of the Liberal vote and those voters are not going back.\\u201D \\u201CPeople have learned how to do it and that\\u2019s great for democracy.\\u201D The Morning Edition newsletter is our guide to the day\\u2019s most important and interesting stories BRITISH retail chain Tesco is pondering quitting Slovakia after 19 years and selling 155 outlets 18 filling stations and two big distribution stores “So far nothing has been decided,” a British investor informed about Tesco’s recovery plan as quoted by the Sme daily in its March 2 issue The retail chain is openly re-considering business plans in central and eastern Europe - also in the Czech Republic Hungary and Poland due to the situation on the British market where it is under pressure from discount supermarket chains Lidl and Aldi Tesco also has to cope with the burden of failed expansion to the US and Japan A possibility still exists that Tesco stays and considerably slims down its retail chain Eastern Slovak retailer interested in buying Tesco stores Analyst Ľubomír Drahovský opined for the daily that if Tesco decides not to leave Slovakia it will probably only close loss-making outlets Slovak activities of Tesco can be sold in a package together with Hungary the Czech Republic and maybe Poland,” an unnamed British investor familiar with the chain’s recovery plan told Sme The second scenario is the sale of whole chains in individual countries Tesco managers are expected to first officially discuss the recovery plans in the upcoming weeks when recent fiscal results will be published Tesco arrived to Slovakia in 1996 when it bought seven department stores from US retail chain K-Mart the Britons have not commented on the news only reacting by saying that it is widely known that they are re-considering their business plan V novej sezóne bude dres Zvolena obliekať aj útočník Peter Zuzin ktorý sa upísal svojmu materskému klubu do apríla 2019 keďže sa Zuzin do známeho prostredia vracia po roku strávenom v ruskej Vyššej lige (VHL) Vo farbách mužstva zo Sibíri odohral 27-ročný odchovanec HKM rovných 60 zápasov v ktorých sa dokázal 16-krát presadiť gólovo a 8-krát asistoval Pred svojím odchodom do Ruska sa Zuzin v sezóne 2016/2017 stal druhým najproduktívnejším hráčom HKM keď v 62 dueloch nazbieral 48 bodov za 14 gólov a 34 asistencií a v piatich zápasoch obliekol aj reprezentačný dres Slovenska Člen majstrovského tímu HKM z roku 2013 má teda latku nastavenú vysoko a pod Pustým hradom veria ktorý pribudol na súpisku Zvolena je 30-ročný odchovanec HK Trnava Marcel Holovič V najvyššej slovenskej súťaži debutoval v sezóne 2007/2008 v drese HK Nitra po jednozápasovej skúsenosti nasledovali v ďalšej sezóne štyri stretnutia za Banskú Bystricu Medzi „vlkmi“ pod Dubňom nazbieral v ročníku 2017/2018 nazbieral v 53 zápasoch 21 bodov za 10 gólov a 11 asistencií V 430 zápasoch Tipsport ligy nazbieral doposiaľ 241 bodov (93+148) Z minuloročného kádra Žiliny siahli Zvolenčania aj po perspektívnom obrancovi Michalovi Romanovi 20-ročný rodák z Kysuckého Nového Mesta strávil svoju hokejovú mladosť na severnej Morave a v Třinci prešiel cez mládežnícke kategórie až do seniorského tímu „drakov“ S dorasteneckým tímom Třinca sa v v roku 2015 tešil z majstrovského titulu Na začiatku minulej sezóny zamieril na Slovensko a v žlto-zelenom drese odohral 61 tipsportligových duelov Talentovaný zadák má z minulej sezóny aj premiérový štart v slovenskej seniorskej reprezentácii v mládežníckych kategóriách bol členom národného tímu na MS do 18 aj 20 rokov Peter Zuzin Marcel Holovič Michal Roman