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In the heart of Europe
Brief history of our countries
800/900 – Great Moravia 828 – Christianity introduced on our lands 863 – written language introduced Slovaks
1000 – Hungarian Empire 1500s – Turkish invasion, Slovakia became the center of Empire
Czechs Czech kingdom Austrian Empire
Austrian-Hungarian Empire 1918 Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia???Czechoslovakia???
1918 division of Austrian-Hungarian Empire 1918 – 1939, 1945 - 1948 democratic country WW2 -> Czechs occupied by Germany,
Slovak state 1948 – 1989 communist rule 1989 – Velvet Revolution, return to democracy 1 Jan 1993 – Velvet divorce
Czech republic Slovakia
Czech Czech republicrepublic
Population: 10.4 million Capital: Praha (Prague, Prag, Praga)
#5 most visited European city 4 million tourists last year
Religion: Roman Catholic 39.2%, Protestant 4.6%, Orthodox 3.0%, other 13.4%, atheist 39.8%
Border: Germany, Austria, Poland, Slovakia
SlovakiaSlovakia
Population: 5.4 million Capital: Bratislava By certain geographers considered to be the
exact center of European continent Religion: Roman Catholic 68.9%, Protestant 10.8%,
Greek Catholic 4.1%, other or unspecified 3.2%, none 13% (2001 census)
Borders: Czech rep, Austria, Hungary, Poland, Ukraine
History todayHistory today
Old city centers Castles, chateaus,
fortresses
Churches, cathedrals
Memorials
SlovakiaSlovakia Type of government:
parliamentary democracyPresident (elected every 5 years):
Ivan GašparovičParliament (elected every 4 years)
prime minister: Robert Fico + cabinet
European Union:European Comission: 1 from each countryEuropean Parliament: 14 out of 785 members
Czech RepublicCzech Republic
President Václav Klaus Prime Minister Mirek Topolánek Parliament – 2 chambers
Senate – 81 seats (for 6 years, one third every 2 years)
Chamber of Deputies (200 seats for four years)
European Union
Agriculture & IndustryAgriculture & Industry
Agriculture: different plants grown in different regions
Cereals, corn, potatoes, sugar beets, also vineyards
Industry: Fast growing industrial production
automobile industry (CZ: Škoda, Hyundai, TCPA, SK: Volkswagen, Peugeot, Kia), steel and aluminum processing, electronics (Sony, Samsung), chemical industry, machinery, textiles
SportSport
Football – most popular sport (2415 registered football clubs in SK)
Successful sports teams: Ice hockey – World Championships Tennis Swimming Canoeing – canoe slalom, wild water
slalom Javelin throwing
Winter sports are very common skiing, snowboarding
EVERYDAY LIFE
FamilyFamily
Close family life, families in Slovakia have close connections to their grandparents and visit them quite often
Parents often give advice to their children Slovaks (especially Slovak mums) like
everything tidy and in its place Don’t forget to take off your shoes when you
enter a house or an apartment (wear slippers) Children help with the housework (vacuuming,
washing dishes etc.) Family trips
HousingHousing
Many families live in blocks of apartments, most of them were built in 1950-1990, these apartments are often small in size
Siblings usually share room Bathroom – usually only a
bathtub (not a separate shower) Toilet – flush the toilet paper (not
like in hot countries) Slovaks don’t like to waste water
(shower) and electricity (lights off)
FoodFoods & Drinkss & Drinks Foods:
Lunch is the main meal of a day usually includes soup and main meal during school days offered in the school cafeteria use knife and fork at the same time to eat your meal
Less fast food, many families cook at home, especially at the weekends
Drinks: Alcohol is very popular, legal age to drink is 18, the law
is not always strictly followed, but the situation is changing nowadays and it is more enforced
Beer – very popular drink, many beer brands are produced in Slovakia
We use ice in smaller quantities, ice machines are rare
TransportTransport
Respect the Rotary rules for travelling People often walk (it’s safe) and ride bikes Many people travel by public transport:
Between cities: trains, buses City transport: trams, buses, cabs Reduced prices for students
Driving From the age of 18 – students in high schools don’t
usually drive cars
SchoolSchool School system:
Elementary education: 9 years High school: 4 years, several types of schools
gymnázium, obchodná akadémia, odborná škola
Mostly fixed schedule Teachers are rather reserved with students,
students are more respectful and don’t talk back in a discussion accept the fact that the teacher is always right
Students often cheat in exams Sports teams, art and music education are not
organized by school
Free timeFree time
High school students do not usually work during school year (only in the summer)
Sports organized by different sport clubs in towns
Hanging out with friends (it is essential to have a cell phone to communicate with friends)
Hiking in the mountains Skiing/snowboarding in winter
PeoplePeople
Not open to strangers, but once you get to know them, you will find them friendly
Friendships are more profound Caring and hospitable (especially mothers
and grandmothers) Multiple offering (meal, drink) Different attitude to nudity
Being an exchange studentBeing an exchange student
Learning the language Living in the host family Making new friends Culture shock Inbound syndrome