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Culture Slovakia Hungarian holdouts will occasionally climb to the summit of the tallest hill in Esztergom, Hungary, look north toward the vast swath of Slovakia in the distance, clench their fists and mutter, “that used to be ours!” Indeed, it did. For nine centuries, in fact, the land that today is the nation of Slovakia was ruled by Hungary, a not insignificant fact for anyone interested in digging deeper into the local culture of Slovakia.
Yet to be honest one of the most interesting aspects of Slovakian culture is its re-emergence, after the iron grip of Hungarian rule was released less than 200 years ago. This ushered in a variety of fascinating phenomena, perhaps the most noteworthy being the development of a language for literature inspired by Slovak artistic nationalism and the development of Slovak self-awareness. Of course, such a move for local pride could only have been built upon the shoulders of centuries-old resistance.
Despite being ruled by foreign powers, Slovakia was never of them. One of the most telling remnants of these hundreds of years of underground culture is Slovak folk music, which is noted throughout the world for its shrill, compelling charm. Much of the lore was captured and preserved by the nationalist writer L'udovít Stúr, whose works have been translated into numerous foreign languages and disseminated throughout the world. Stúr really has helped put Slovakia on the map.
Of course, much of Slovakia’s cherished architectural heritage naturally comes from the eras of occupation. Nevertheless, this become part of the national consciousness like anything else, and the mere time period of when these buildings were built is often evidence enough of their intrinsic, elaborate beauty. Of course, the more enduring aspect of Slovakia’s background is its natural landscape, which is world renowned for its rugged beauty, tall mountains and pristine lakes, and undoubtedly has had a hand in sculpted the fierce individualism and profound spiritual depth of the Slovak people.
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