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Family roots

Discover your Slovak roots

A small, mountainous country in the heart of Europe, with the granite peaks of the High Tatras, many castles, painted wooden villages and a capital on the Danube.

Slovakia is a landlocked country in Central Europe, bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the west and the Czech Republic to the north-west. The Carpathian Mountains fill most of its northern half, rising to the High Tatras, while the warm, flat Danubian Lowland in the south-west is farming and wine country. Forests cover more than 40% of the land.

Slavs settled here in the 5th and 6th centuries, and in the 9th century the land was part of Great Moravia, where the missionaries Cyril and Methodius taught in a Slavic language. For about nine centuries after that it belonged to the Kingdom of Hungary, and Bratislava, then called Pressburg, was the coronation city of Hungarian kings. In 1918 Slovaks and Czechs formed Czechoslovakia, which split peacefully into two countries on 1 January 1993.

Questions to ask the older generation

Memories fade faster than photos. Ask these over a meal or a phone call, and write the answers down.

  1. Which town or region of Slovakia did our family come from? Was it near Košice, Prešov, Žilina?
  2. Who was the first in the family to leave Slovakia, when, and why?
  3. Which dishes from Slovakia were cooked at home? Did anyone make Bryndzové halušky or Bryndzové pirohy?
  4. Does anyone in the family still speak Slovak, or use a few words of it?
  5. Were there songs, prayers, games or holidays from Slovakia that the family kept?
  6. Are there old photos, letters or documents from Slovakia? Who has them?
  7. If you could visit Slovakia together, where would you go first?

A short history of Slovakia

Slovakia is a young state with a long past. Romans, Slavs, Great Moravia, the Kingdom of Hungary, the Habsburgs and Czechoslovakia all shaped the land before it became independent in 1993.

  1. AD 179

    The Romans at Trenčín

    During the Marcomannic Wars, Roman soldiers of the Second Legion carved an inscription on the rock below today's Trenčín Castle, naming the place Laugaricio. It is still there.

  2. AD 828

    A church at Nitra

    Prince Pribina of Nitra had a church built and consecrated around 828. It is the first Christian church known from written sources in present-day Slovakia.

  3. AD 907

    The Battle of Pressburg

    Hungarian armies defeated the Bavarians near today's Bratislava. Great Moravia broke up, and over the next two centuries the land was gradually absorbed into the Kingdom of Hungary, where it stayed until 1918.

  4. 1563

    The first coronation in St Martin's

    Maximilian II was crowned King of Hungary in St Martin's Cathedral. Coronations were held there until 1830, including that of Maria Theresa.

  5. 1939

    The wartime Slovak State

    Under pressure from Nazi Germany, Slovakia broke away from Czecho-Slovakia and became a one-party state allied with Hitler, led by Jozef Tiso. In 1942 the regime itself deported about 57,000 Jews to Nazi camps in occupied Poland, and in all most of Slovakia's Jews were murdered.

  6. 1968

    The Prague Spring

    The Slovak Alexander Dubček led Czechoslovakia's communist party and promised 'socialism with a human face'. In August, Warsaw Pact armies invaded and ended the reforms.

  7. 1993

    An independent Slovakia

    On 1 January 1993, Czechoslovakia split peacefully into the Czech Republic and Slovakia, a separation often called the Velvet Divorce.

  8. 2009

    The euro arrives

    On 1 January 2009 Slovakia replaced the koruna with the euro, becoming the 16th member of the eurozone.

Family recipes to cook together

Bryndzové haluškyBryndzové halušky 45 min · serves 4Kapustnica (sauerkraut soup)Kapustnica (sauerkraut soup) 2 h · serves 6Zemiakové placky (potato pancakes)Zemiakové placky (potato pancakes) 40 min · serves 4ŠúľanceŠúľance 1 h · serves 4

Slovak words to teach the grandchildren

Basics

  • ánoAAH-nohyes
  • nieNYEE-ehno
  • prosímPROH-seemplease; also you're welcome
  • ďakujemJAH-koo-yehmthank you

Food and drink

  • chliebkhlyehbbread
  • syrsihrcheese
  • rybaRIH-bahfish
  • vodaVOH-dahwater
  • pivoPEE-vohbeer
  • vínoVEE-nohwine
  • kávaKAHH-vahcoffee

Places

  • hradhrahtcastle

Towns and regions

  • Bratislava, Bratislava Region: Bratislava Castle above the Danube, St Martin's Cathedral, where Hungarian kings were crowned.
  • Košice, Košice Region: The Cathedral of St. Elizabeth, the largest church in Slovakia, Its long main street for walking.
  • Prešov, Prešov Region: The ruins of Šariš Castle nearby, Slovakia's only salt mining company, Solivary.
  • Žilina, Žilina Region: The Privilegium pro Slavis of 1381, Budatín Castle.
  • Nitra, Nitra Region: Zobor hill above the town, Its role in Great Moravian history.
  • Banská Bystrica, Banská Bystrica Region: The Museum of the Slovak National Uprising, Its colourful main square.
  • Trnava, Trnava Region: Its many churches, Well-preserved town walls.
  • Trenčín, Trenčín Region: Trenčín Castle, A Roman inscription from 179 AD.
  • Poprad, Prešov Region: The Tatra Electric Railway to the mountain resorts, The historic quarter of Spišská Sobota.
  • Levoča, Prešov Region: The main altar by Master Paul of Levoča, Its Renaissance town hall.
  • Bardejov, Prešov Region: Its market square and town hall of 1505, The Basilica of St. Giles.
  • Banská Štiavnica, Banská Bystrica Region: Silver mining, Its Old and New Castles.

A heritage evening with the family

Cook one of the recipes, print the large-print pack about Slovakia, and finish with the big-screen quiz or the words crossword. Grandchildren can colour the flag.

More about Slovakia