SLOVAKIA
Slovakia and the Czech Republic – Lands of Stories and formerly Czechoslovakia – are truly the heart of Europe. Although they peacefully split in 1993, the Czechs and the Slovaks will forever be bound together because of their common history and mutually comprehensive language.
Referred to as “the Beauty of the Danube”, Bratislava, the capital of the Slovak Republic, straddles both banks of the Danube River. The Old Town will whisk you back a few centuries as you wander narrow cobblestone streets of pastel 18th-century buildings, admire the Baroque architecture, enjoy summer and Christmas concerts at Old Town Hall, make your way up the hill to the impressive Bratislava Castle or simply relax at one of the countless cafés in the city.
Thick forests, miles of medieval walls, castles, monasteries, Orthodox churches, nine national parks, majestic peaks, deep valleys, all this and much are just outside the city. With your ASSE host family observe untouched nature from the saddle of your bike or hike green waterfall-filled gorges; every season in the Slovak has its own beauty.
The land of music, dance and song, Slovakia has something for everyone. Why not call this peaceful country your second home while you learn the most central of Slavic languages, a very valuable key to communicating with others in Central and Eastern Europe?
