NEWS from SLOV:SLOV (August)

August was a productive and fascinating month in both Slovenia and Slovakia. So let´s keep the news coming!

August 2016 in Slovenia:

• The Global Peace Index 2016 ranked Slovenia as 10th most peaceful country in the world 🙂
• Slovenia, often referred to as The Beekeeper of Europe, is home to the Carniolan bee. A new tour takes visitors around bee hives and api-wellness centres.
• In Rio 2016 Tina Trstenjak won our first gold medal in Judo! Peter Kauzer won silver medal in kajak, Ana Velensek bronze medal in Judo and Vasilij Zbogar silver medal in sailing. Congratulations!
• Historical buildings turned into hotels or hostels. Read more: http://www.slovenia.info/en/A-dynamic-holiday-among-tales-from-long-ago.htm?zivahne_pocitnice_med_zgodbami=0&lng=2
• Postojna Cave passed yet another important milestone, as it received its 37 millionth visitor!
• The 28th international music festival Nights in Ljubljana Old Town offered performances of 200 musicians from 26 countries. Nights in Ljubljana Old Town is the biggest street festival in the capital, which traditionally takes place in the last week of August at various venues across the old city core, attracting around 60,000 visitors from Slovenia and abroad.
• Ljubljana, the Green Capital of Europe 2016, is focusing on sustainable mobility and air quality in September. Coinciding with World Car Free Day and European Mobility Week, the month will be highlighted by several events throughout the city. Read more: http://www.sloveniatimes.com/ljubljana-forefronts-sustainable-mobility-in-september

 

August 2016 in Slovakia:

• New English.speaking kindergarten opened in Stupava. It is a bilingual kindergarten.
• Czech President Miloš Zeman attended the opening of the Czech Olympic House in Rio de Janeiro, together with Slovak President Andrej Kiska.
• Irish low-cost airline Ryanair expanded its Leeds Bradford Airport winter 2016 schedule adding two new routes to Bratislava and Vilnius. As a result, the winter 2016 winter schedule now includes four new routes: Bratislava (two weekly), Gran Canaria (two weekly), Vilnius (two weekly) and Warsaw (two weekly). Lets all book a ticket now and fly away
• The postage stamp, from the series Art, depicting a painting by Alfons Mucha gained 5th place in the competition of the International Philatelic Exhibition in Vienna (WIPA). Some philatelists consider it the most prestigious international competition for the most beautiful stamp in the world. The Slovak Posts always enters the international competition for the most beautiful stamps.
• Slovakia celebrated the 24th anniversary of its constitution on September 1. #slovakrepublic #nationalday #freedom #independence

NEWS: 1-7th August

Slovenia

 

• Entering the 8. month of its stint as the Green Capital of Europe in August, Ljubljana will focus on sustainable tourism this month. Read more: http://www.sloveniatimes.com/ljubljana-focusing-on-sustainable-tourism-in-august
• Free beer was served on Friday to mark the International Beer Day by Union Brewery in their pub. Combining the taste of this summers’ hit – unfiltered Union – with visiting the beer museum next door.

Slovakia

• The Czech Republic and Slovakia are planning to enter into an agreement on closer cooperation in air defense. The two countries already cooperate closely within the NATO Integrated Air and Missile Defense System.
• Popular medical mushrooms in China grow also in Slovakia. The top mushroom and the most significant one is growing in Slovakia and it´s called the lingzhi or reishi mushroom (Ganoderma lucidum), which is also called the mushroom of eternal youth. Traditional Chinese medicine widely uses medicinal mushrooms, but we don’t use them for treatment purposes.

NEWS: 25-31st July

Slovenia

 

• Slovenia took part in one of the biggest Pride Parades in the world, the so-called Christopher Street Day (CSD) in Berlin, for the second time. The basic motive of the Slovenian presentation was to promote the diversity of Slovenia from the perspective of tourism as well as in the sense of developing respect for everyone.
• Let´s talk about baseball. From 25th of July to 30th one of two European Championships C-Pool is taking place Ljubljana. Read more: http://greekbaseball.com/2016/07/25/european-championship-c-pool-in-ljubljana-slovenia-gets-underway-on-monday/
• The Global Peace Index 2016 ranked Slovenia as 10th most peaceful country in the world!

 

Slovakia

• While the Bratislava Region belongs to the most innovative regions of new member states of the EU, Slovakia is again between average countries when it comes to the study of innovative performance of the EU states and regions published by the European Commission.
• Do you want to discover Bratislava but don‘t like tradicional guided tours? During Brainteaselava City Game you will visit the most famous places in Bratislava, but also its hidden streets with peculiar atmosphere. Read more here: https://www.visitbratislava.com/news/unique-city-game-bratislava-city-centre/

NEWS: 18-24th July

Slovenia

• Alice in Waterland, acrobatic circus took place on 20 July at 8 pm on Novi trg square in Ljubljana.
• Have you ever thought about paddle boarding? There is this new tour to explore the sights and sounds of Ljubljana in a unique way… Ljubljana is definitely one of the first capitals in the world to offer travellers an opportunity to explore the city standing up on a paddle board venturing along the central river canals! Read more about that adventure here: http://www.traveldudes.org/travel-tips/why-sup-ing-coolest-way-explore-city-ljubljana/70453
• Between 23 – 24 July took place the Prima Water Slide at the Kongresni square in Ljubljana. Tobogan, what an idea!

Slovakia

• The reconstruction of the Slovak National Gallery (SNG) was interrupted in July and set to last until October. This will be due to the events connected with the Slovak Presidency of the Council of the European Union between July and October in the nearby Reduta building in Bratislava.
• Bratislava’s SNP Bridge is about to forecast weather in the future. Coloured lights will give information on rain, wind and sun. Yellow will signal sunny weather to come, red will mean windy, blue will warn of rain and green indicates a foggy day. The project can be launched in full operation in September.

 

NEWS from Slovakia and Slovenia (11-17th July)

Slovenia

• Laško Pivo in Cvetje (Beer and Flowers) Festival took place between 14-17th of July. This was the biggest festival event in Slovenia.
  Read more HERE:
• The Slovenian handball team secured a spot at the 2017 IHF World Men’s Handball Championship in France after the victory over Norway in the final stage. Good job guys!

Slovakia

• Free rail transport for children, students and pensioners launched in November 2014 has increased interest in rail travel. Although the cost of free rail transport for students and pensioners was over €14 million in 2015, Transport Minister – Minister Roman Brecely does not intend to abandon the measure.  Costs.numbers are big, but free travelling with trains is still happening
  
• Slovak cyclist and current world champion in road cycling Peter Sagan won the 16th stage of this year’s Tour de France. Keep up the great achievement!

NEWS from Slovenia and Slovakia (4-10th July)

Slovenia

• Ljubljana Castle will play film premieres throughout July. The open air cinema will be held there every night at 9:30 pm. While the opening night (7 July) has sold out,a film will be shown each night until 30 July. So hurry up and buy your tickets!
  You can find the program here!
• The Cyanometer by Martin Bricelj Baraga is a monolith that measures the blueness of the sky and visualises the quality of air in the city. It is located at the Plateau Ajdovščina at Slovenska street in Ljubljana. It will be on the display until the end of 2016. It is an instrument that raises awareness on the quality of air uses green energy and open source technology. Isn´t it just amazing? Read more here!

Slovakia

• Due to events connected with the country’s EU presidency, the Bratislava Castle – and all the Slovak National Museum’s exhibitions, permanent and temporary, placed there – will be closed for the public on the following days: July 11, 12, 14, 17, 18, 20, 24.
• Critically endangered bird of prey nested in Slovakia. Ornithologists have confirmed that red-footed falcons are nesting, which are critically endangered here.
  Read more here!
• Slovakia holds a state holiday on July 5, commemorating the arrival of Byzantine missionaries, Saints Cyril and Methodius to the territory including a part of current Slovakia in the second half of the 9th century. As of 2006 the country marks the same day also as the Day of Foreign Slovaks.

What is up in SLOV:SLOV? (27th June – 3rd July)

Slovenia

• Kekec days took place in Kranjska Gora. Events, performances, sports, recreational activities, thematic excursions in the fairytale land and creative workshops were keeping busy the littlest family members.
• The international Ljubljana Jazz Festival is the oldest jazz festival in Europe.The festival predominantly takes place at the various concert halls of Cankarjev dom. The program looked like this: http://www.ljubljanajazz.si/index.php/en/

 

Slovakia

• In a series of teachers’ actions, the Slovak Teachers’ Initiative (ISU) organised another protest march through Bratislava city centre on July 1, the day when Slovakia’s EU presidency started.

 

News from the end of the June (20-26th)

Slovenia

• The oldest folklore festival – 53rd Jurjevanje took place in Črnomelj between 22-26 June. On different venues visitors followed cultural program including singing, dancing and musical heritage of Slovenian and international folklore groups. Visiting workshops or tasting local gastronomy on Bela Krajina sounds like the right plan.
• Slovenia was celebrating its 25 years of independence 🙂

 

Slovakia

• Coronation Ceremonies in Bratislava are among the largest cultural events in Slovakia and presents the 18 coronations of kings and queens who were crowned in Bratislava in an experiential way. They take place annually on the last weekend in June to commemorate the coronation of Maria Theresa, who was crowned 25 June 1741. Read more here: https://www.visitbratislava.com/events/coronation-ceremonies/

 

Happened in SLOV:SLOV 13-19th June

Slovenia

• 18th of June was all about traditions and horses… The Sava Valley “štehvanje” is a tournament involving games in which horseback riders in motion have to break a small barrel fastened to a pole with a metal club. Štehvanje is organised each year in Savlje, a part of Ljubljana near the Sava River.
• Ljubljana joins 110 other countries in celebrating the chosen one day which is all gonna be about music. On the 21st music will be playing at 15 locations scattered across the city of Ljubljana – from squares and streets to balconies and the train station, event the city busses. More info here: http://mikser.si/urnik/

Slovakia

• The trams 1, 4, 6 and 7 were restored at Štúrova Street and Vajanského Nábrežie on June 15 in Bratislava. They were scrapped from the time schedules in 2014 due to the construction works on the Old Bridge and nearby streets.
• The nationwide shepherds’ feast – Ovenálie, with presentations of cheese and farm products, took place for the 8th time in the village Východná, in northern Slovakia, in mid-June. Farmers and lovers of sheep and traditional specialities of lamb experienced the atmosphere of the feast of Slovak shepherds and enjoyed folklore ensembles from the Liptov region and its surrounding.