HISTORY OF SLOVAKIA

People have settled in the territory of Slovakia since ancient times, which is shown by a coasting of the scull of a Neanderthal man found in Gánovce (80,000 years old). A number of settlements from the Stone Age and the Bronze Age are known. The well-known Venus of Moravany nad Váhom is estimated to be 22,800 years old. Later, a part of the territory of Slovakia became a part of the Roman Empire. The oldest western Slavic state formed on its territory was the Empire of Samo (628-658 AD). From 813 to 833, the Principality of Nitra formed in the 8th century, together with the Principality of Moravia (in what is now South Moravia), gradually became closer to form the Great Moravian Empire, which developed the Slavonic culture and language, and accepted Christianity. In the 9th century, it became a part of Hungary and later Austro-Hungarian Monarchy. As far back as 1467, the first university (Academia Istropolitana) was founded in Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia, and between 1563- 1830 eleven Hungarian kings were crowned here, including queen Maria Teresa (1741). For almost 250 years, Bratislava was the capital of Hungary (1536-1783). In the history of Europe, it is known for three peace agreements. Bratislava peace was signed here in 1271, 1626 and 1805 after Austria was defeated by Napoleon's France near Austerlitz. The University of Trnava was established in 1635 and the Academy of Mining in Banská Štiavnica, as the first Academy of its kind in the world, in 1763, which in 1807 added forestry to the scope of its activities. The cultural and economic development of Slovakia led to a doubling of the number of inhabitants in the 19th century, which had a significant effect on the landscape and environment. Gradually, Slovakia reached the population density per km2 of Portugal, France, or Thailand.

After the liberation in 1918, Slovakia became a part of the Czechoslovak Republic, which lasted until 1938, when the first Slovak Republic was established. The Slovak National Uprising, which started in 1944, is considered as the second largest anti-fascist uprising in Europe. Its centre was Banská Bystrica. After the reunion of Czechoslovakia after World War II in 1945, the road to democratisation and independence went through two historic turning points - the violent invasion of the Warsaw Pact troops in 1968 and the "velvet revolution" in 1989, both events being connected with the name of Alexander Dubček.