MARTIN SIMECKA
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independence, and thirdly, it was the
only
state that detached itself from its
partner in the direction of the East. A map would clearly show that all the
states of the former Soviet Union that left the Russian Federation are
either in the West or in the South of the former Empire. The case of the
former Yugoslavia was similar, when the individual states left Serbia.
Slovakia is a country that no one understands, including Slovaks them–
selves. The origins of the state are found in those atypical features, which
are the reason for arguments within the country that will take a long time
to resolve.
On midnight of New Year's Eve, 1992, when the former flag of
Czechoslovakia was lowered and the new Slovak flag was raised, Federal
Television signed off as well, after broadcasting for decades in Czech and
Slovak, two similar languages. Those who feared that the borders between the
two states would become more and more impenetrable and the two nations
would, after living together for almost a century, become more distant from
each other, were right. Mter five years, the Czech Republic became a part of
Western Europe and is entering NATO, while Slovakia is distancing itself
from the rest of Europe, undergoing a grave crisis of identity.
At first sight, the visitor will not notice it. Bratislava, the capital, looks
increasingly better. The old town center with its historic buildings has
been almost completely renovated. In the summer, the squares and streets
of the pedestrian zone are covered with coffee tables and the atmosphere
of the city acquires a southern flavor, similar to Budapest or Vienna. The
owner of the Irish Pub, who owns a number of such pubs in Central
Europe, makes his home in Bratislava, claiming that he feels best right
here.
It
is also where he has the biggest turnover.
A mountainous country with thick forests in the North and East, with
plentiful wildlife, including bears and wolves, Slovakia seems almost
untouched by civilization-although on top of the hills there are hundreds
of ruins of medieval castles. Tourists seldom come here, because Slovakia
has almost no freeways. And foreigners navigate the impenetrable network
of roads wi th diiliculty. Slovaks claim that they are an especially cordial and
good-natured people. This may be true, but most of them do not speak
any foreign language and do not understand that tourism follows the same
laws of business as any other business. Nevertheless, a courageous tourist
who enjoys overcoming banal obstacles would be pleasantly surprised by
the high standard of civilization in villages and towns that do not differ
from other European ones.
Slovakia's problem is not one of poverty, or the inablility to organize
itself, or its relations with its neighbors. Rather, it is a psychological prob–
lem of consciousness. The Slovaks themselves cultivate the myth that they
have been oppressed by the Magyars for a millennium. First the Magyars,
