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Introduction
Although Slovak history is one of immense Magyar cultural repression, the country emerged from more than a millennium of Hungarian serfdom with its language and identity largely intact. Uniting with the Czechs after World War I was primarily a matter of convenience, thereby thwarting Hungarian plans to retain control. However, Slovakia was definitely the ‘junior partner’ throughout the 20th century and the country achieved independence in 1993. Modernisation fell well behind that of the Czech Republic and the country is only now opening up to tourism. Despite decades of Communism, Catholicism is almost as strong here as it is in Poland, and many rural communities resisted collectivisation almost completely.
The country divides conveniently into three regions: Bratislava and The West, Central Slovakia incorporating the mountains, and The East. Other than the Alps, the Slovak Republic offers what may be Europe’s most exciting landscape – from the Danube plain to towering mountain peaks and quiet valleys, glacial lakes with crystal-clear waters, over 1300 mineral and thermal springs and extensive cave systems. There are seven national parks and 16 protected landscape areas, featuring well-preserved natural environments, the unique Carpathian landscape and remnants of the original virgin forests. Forests cover two-thirds of the country, the rest is agricultural land.
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