Slovak Spectator

Eastern Slovakia emerges as logistics gateway to Ukraine
Volvo plant, improving infrastructure transform region into future gateway for Ukraine rebuilding and cross-border logistics.

News digest: New year, new Foreigners’ Police near the Ukrainian border
New Year speeches, a Slovak poet’s New York Times moment, and stricter ski helmet rules set the tone for 2026.

3 free things to do in Bratislava in the next seven days
Start the new year with music and stories in the city centre.

PM Fico’s New Year address: 2026 is a pre-election year, and it will be felt
The premier rejects portraying Slovakia as scorched, opposes street politics, condemns EU indifference to the war and says he wants to sing with people.

Pellegrini’s New Year address: ‘Slovakia has problems, but leaving is not the answer’
The president warns budget cuts will strain society, cautions against populism and division, and reminds voters of their responsibility ahead of local elections.

Weekend: New discoveries await in the new year
Here's what to do during the weekend of 2-4 January.

What comes after coal? A Slovak town looks to the forest
Handlová’s former mining landscape has been transformed into a lookout, trail and outdoor classroom.

Slovak poet makes New York Times’ best poetry list
Eva Luka’s The Minotaur’s Daughter, translated into English, has been named among The New York Times’s Best Poetry Books of 2025.

Slovak roots: on giving back
Learn about the Slovak banker who signed several US banknotes.

Top 10 events in Bratislava for foreigners
Jazz, Christmas cheer and curious meerkats — the perfect festive finale.

Brigitte Bardot once saved two bears in eastern Slovakia — without ever going there
A letter from the French actress forced officials in Košice to reverse a circus deal in the 1990s.

First skiers in the High Tatras
The first skiing workshop in the Tatras was in 1907.

Construction in Slovakia under pressure from inflation and investment decline
Takenaka’s Petr Urválek outlines the impact of rising costs, uncertain automotive demand, and why diversification is essential for sustainable growth.

News digest: What Fico promised — and what still hasn’t happened
Actors out, neighbours annoyed, and a year that kept piling on — plus The Slovak Spectator’s most-read stories.

‘To make the name mean something’: A Slovak-American speed skater’s dream of representing her heritage and Slovakia
Jamie Jurak can envisage herself being an ambassador of the sport she loves.

Orbán’s main challenger warns Slovakia over Beneš Decrees law
A new criminal offence prompts a minority protest at home and sharp warnings from Hungary’s opposition.

Slovakia bets big on nuclear future amid soaring power demand
From new Mochovce units to small modular reactors and a €15-billion flagship plant, nuclear ambitions spark both optimism and opposition.

Award winners among five actors dismissed by Slovak National Theatre
Actors say the move weakens a critical ensemble, not public finances.

The forgotten iron empire hidden in the heart of Slovakia
New panels are reviving the lost industrial world of the powerful House of Coburg — and turning rural Slovakia into an unexpected heritage trail.

News digest: New Year’s Eve in Bratislava
Awkward 2026 holidays, a Christmas law signing, and a journey from communist Czechoslovakia to freedom in Canada.