News digest: People in Slovak towns rally for change in Culture Ministry leadership

Hello. Here is the Thursday, September 19 edition of Today in Slovakia - the main news of the day in less than five minutes.

Protests held in 14 towns against Culture Ministry leadership

In response to controversial government actions in the cultural sector, the initiative Open Culture! organised protests in 14 Slovak towns on Thursday evening.

In early September, just weeks after the summer protests, several hundred cultural institutions and thousands of cultural workers declared a strike alert.They are calling for the dismissal of Culture Minister Martina Šimkovičová and her right-hand man, Lukáš Machala, whom they accuse of dismissing cultural workers they deem problematic and attempting to reshape culture in their “Slovak” image.

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This week, the minister described the situation in culture as a psychological war.

In Bratislava, Slovak-Hungarian filmmaker Peter Kerekes took the stage, appealing to citizens: “Realise that without culture, a nation will perish.” He urged people to visit theatres, museums, and galleries, adding, “Buy books while you still can,” in response to the government’s proposal to raise VAT on books to 23 percent.

In Spišská Nová Ves, in eastern Slovakia, Oto Vojtičko, director of Kežmarok Television, and Boris Švirloch, a former cultural worker at the Iskra Film Club, spoke to 500 people in the square about how they became victims of the power tactics employed by Kežmarok’s mayor, Ján Ferenčák, from the ruling Hlas party. Both Švirloch and a long-serving journalist from Kežmarok Television were dismissed on 3 July, “by mutual agreement”, after refusing to broadcast a biased discussion led by city officials.

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Protests against Culture Ministry leadership in Slovak towns (September 19, 2024)
(15 photos)

Martin Varga, a volunteer with the civic association Hrad Uhrovec (Uhrovec Castle), addressed the crowd in Bratislava, stating that due to the inaction of Šimkovičová and Machala, those working on the restoration of cultural monuments, including castles, have lost an entire season without funding. If they were to receive the funds now, they wouldn’t be able to work, he added.

“In winter, only fools or thieves of state budget funds build with stone and lime,” Varga said.

The crowd responded with a chorus of “shame”.

Minister: The Let’s Stop Corruption Foundation will approach the prosecutor’s office, believing that Minister Šimkovičová has violated the law. Following the dismissal of the National Theatre’s director in August, Šimkovičová herself approved salaries for theatre employees and annulled the dismissal of the National Ballet director—actions that the foundation argues are not in accordance with the law.

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Funds: The Culture Ministry has rendered the Slovak Arts Council (FPÚ) inactive. The Council is responsible for approving funding for cultural projects. The launch of grant calls for next year has been postponed indefinitely. Šimkovičová even recently dismissed her own nominee, Ján Hrkút, for attending a meeting of the Slovak Arts Council despite being instructed not to do so. (Sme)

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BRATISLAVA FLOODS UPDATES
The Winter Harbour in Bratislava remains flooded in several sections on September 19, 2024. (Source: TASR)

Devínska cesta (road) in Bratislava-Devín is open to vehicles. However, police are stationed there to check if you are a resident of Devín in order to enter the borough. Special vehicles will provide transportation on this road until regular public transport resumes.

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Public transport between the Bratislava boroughs of Devín and Devínska Nová Ves has been restored (X29: Hrad Devín - Hradištná), but bus 29 does not operate via Devínska cesta. Buses will be free for residents of both boroughs until the end of the week.

Bratislava Castle will reopen on Friday, the National Gallery remains closed until Sunday, and Devín Castle will remain closed on Friday. The cycling bridges in Devín and Devínska Nová Ves remain closed for now.

From Saturday, September 21, bus line 43 will be suspended between Železná studnička and Kačín due to the bridge being in a critical condition after the floods.

BORDER CROSSINGS: The Brodské – Lanžhot border crossing is open. However, the Moravský svätý Ján – Hohenau crossing remains closed as the road is flooded. Medveďov will be closed until Monday.

On Thursday, the Labour Ministry launched humanitarian aid following the floods. Individuals can receive a grant of up to €1,500 and may apply for it more than once. Towns in Slovakia can also apply for aid, with a maximum amount of €15,000.

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FEATURE STORY

Slovak-Belgian team unearths extinct lizard in Europe
Andrej Čerňanský during his recent fieldwork at Svalbard, a Norwegian archipelago in the Arctic Ocean. He was digging up plants high above the Arctic Circle that grew in the forests back grew there more than 55 million years ago. (Source: Courtesy of Andrej Čerňanský)

A Slovak-Belgian team found fossils of a reptile in Belgium that was previously only known in North America. These fossils, dating back to the early Eocene epoch, offer new insights into a time when Europe was connected to North America by a land bridge, allowing reptiles to migrate between the continents.

BRATISLAVA EVENTS

Football, ice hockey, and classical concerts!
Ondrej Nepela Arena in Bratislava. (Source: TASR)

Bratislava will be buzzing with football and ice hockey this weekend. Dive into the sporty atmosphere at the matches, or, if you fancy something different, enjoy some classical music concerts. Don’t forget to mark your calendar for the upcoming European Night of Science, which will be taking place all across Slovakia.

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IN OTHER NEWS

The Judicial Council criticised the European Commission’s latest critical rule of law report on Slovakia on Thursday again, claiming that the report is biased and does not reflect the true state of the rule of law in Slovakia. The Council’s chair, Marcela Kosová, described it as a ‘political document’. Her deputy, Ayše Pružinec Eren, noted the report is a ‘disgraceful document that cannot even pretend to be objective’. (Sme)

An 11-year-old boy was seriously injured after falling from a window at a primary school in Kráľovský Chlmec, eastern Slovakia. He was airlifted to a hospital in Košice and is currently in an induced coma. The fall happened during break time at around 9:30, and the police are investigating the incident. (TASR)

From April 2, 2025, EU citizens will need an Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) to enter the United Kingdom. The ETA will be valid for two years and can be used for multiple trips to the UK. The fee for the ETA will be £10. It will be linked to your passport, so if you get a new passport, you will need to apply for a new ETA. Applications will be available from March 5, 2025, said Slovakia’s Foreign Ministry.

The opposition KDH proposes rewarding employees for commuting to work by bicycle. To this end, the party is preparing legislation aimed at encouraging people to cycle to work. (TASR)

The new Bratislava project, Clothing Bank (Odevná banka), supported by Japan Tobacco International (JTI), aims to ease the financial struggles of single-parent families in Slovakia. The project will not only provide clothing for children and adults but also offer employment to single parents. According to the 2021 census, there are 180,500 single-parent families with dependent children in Slovakia, where more than 310,000 children live. A striking 86 percent of these households are run by single mothers. Over a quarter of single-parent households have an income of less than €400 per person. People can also support the Clothing Bank through a crowdfunding campaign.

The Clothing Bank on Zuzana Chalupová Street in Bratislava-Petržalka (Slnečnice) during its opening on September 19, 2024. (Source: TASR - Pavel Neubauer)

The second Slovak PRO Summit, an event for Slovak professionals in North America, will be held next week, on September 23-24, in New York City. This year’s event will bring together 90 Slovak professionals from various fields. With the theme “From Goals to Greatness: Celebrating Slovak Success and Giving Back,” the summit will focus on how to support Slovakia’s future. The event will end with a special talk featuring Slovak President Peter Pellegrini.

Noted Slovak-American author and genealogist Lisa Alzo, from Ithaca, NY, will be among the speakers at the Czechoslovak Genealogical Society International’s 20th biennial conference. The event will take place in late October 2025 in Overland Park, Kansas, USA. Slovak-American researcher Lori Berdak Miller from St. Louis, MO, will also present at the conference. She will cover how to use U.S. military records to research one’s ancestors and provide a guide to accessing regional records at the U.S. National Archives and Records Administration.

WEATHER FOR FRIDAY: Mostly sunny with a touch of cloud here and there. Expect daytime temperatures to reach between 19°C and 24°C. If you’re heading to Orava or the Tatras, you might want a light jacket as it’ll be cooler there. (SHMÚ)

SEPTEMBER 20 NAME DAY IN SLOVAKIA: Ľuboslav, Ľuboslava.

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