The Slovak Republic was definitely the ‘junior partner’ throughout its 20th century alliance with the Czech Republic. Modernisation fell well behind that of the Czech Republic and the Czech's fairytale Prague is not wholly mirrored by the Slovak Republic's capital, Bratislava. However, Bratislava is vibrant, with a wonderful Old Town. In addition, it contains palaces bearing the architectural style of almost every age: Renaissance, Baroque, Rococo, Classical. There is much to indicate that tourism in the Slovak Republic is blossoming, and the infrastructure to abet that continually improves.

The separation of Czechoslovakia into its constituent parts – the Czech and Slovak Republics – on 1 January 1993 was one of the rare occasions in history that two nations have accomplished this peacefully. Indeed, it is not strictly fair to forge comparisons with neighbouring countries since, what proceeded this event were repeated attempts at invasion from the moment Slav peoples settled in the middle Danube region in the fifth and sixth centuries. Over the 10th century, marauding, nomadic Magyar tribes gradually settled in the region and created an embryonic Hungarian state. This period came to an end after a major military defeat in 1526 at the hands of the Ottoman Turks. Slovakia, however, resisted Ottoman occupation and allied itself with the Austrian Hapsburg monarchy.

Between 1526 and 1784, Bratislava was nominated capital of the ‘Kingdom of Hungary’ and over a dozen Hapsburg monarchs were crowned in the city. The first nationalist movements began to emerge but the Slovak struggle for independence suffered a setback in 1867 when Austria gave the Hungarians free rein within its territories.

With the end of World War I and the Austro-Hungarian Empire came the birth of Czechoslovakia. With the advent of Nazism in 1938, a dark period followed, with the country effectively under German control. After Alexander Dubcek's (then leader of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia) ‘socialism with a human face’ and the Prague Spring came democratic socialism, finally yielding to democratic reforms in 1989. This led to the appointment of Václav Havel as president while the country introduced a pluralistic political system and a market economy. However, the Slovaks were worried about the crash liberalisation programme planned by Havel and his finance minister, Václav Klaus. It was then, in 1993, that the two nations parted amicably.

Such history pinpoints the crucial need to celebrate the Slovak Republic in its own right. It is a country that reaches its pinnacle of beauty in the Tatra Mountains and, indeed, teems with lowlands, canyons, caves and meadows; such a wide variation ensures that the Slovak Republic can provide both year-round beauty and year-round activities, from hiking in the summer to skiing in the winter. Although Slovak history is one of immense Magyar cultural repression, the country emerged from more than a millennium of Hungarian serfdom with its language and identity largely intact, and cultural events and proud national demonstrations abound. Go with an open mind, and your expectations will surely be exceeded.