Slovakia has only been an independent country for 24 years. Before that, Slovakia had been thrown around between various kingdoms and empires, most recently, in an independent republic with Czech Republic after World War I to form Czechoslovakia. Prior to that, Slovakia was also a part of the Ottoman and Habsburg Empires and was previously ruled by Hungary various times in its long history.
But despite sharing her history with so many other nations, Slovakia has retained her own identity. Speaking with our guide, Eva, reveals the many eccentricities of the Slovaks. Bom during the Baby Boomers generation, Eva remembers life during communist Czechoslovakia and the dramatic change Slovakia went through during the Velvet Revolution. Her grandparents and even her parents were around during the formation of Czechoslovakia and her own children experienced first hand Slovakia’s independence in 1993.
Eva shared how her parents’ generation went through hardships trying to rebuild life after WWII and didn’t have the opportunity to pursue further education. Eva’s generation had it slightly better but Communist rule made it difficult to study anything deemed “impractical’’. Her children’s generation, the one the media have named “millennials”, are experiencing a sort of freedom that was still just a dream when they were toddlers.
