Welcome back Slovak Roots fans!
It is time for another edition of our Slovak Roots newsletter, dedicated to the community of people with ties to Slovakia.
In this newest instalment, you’ll get to learn about the beginnings of The Slovak Spectator and how it came to be. You’ll also get to meet Slovak American Sara Holmes, who has recently made Bratislava her new home, and you’ll find some tips on what to see in Komárno.
30 years and counting
In March 1995, something unusual happened on the media market in Slovakia. Four enthusiastic Americans full of blind courage – Richard Lewis, Daniel J. Stoll, Rick Zedník and Eric Koomen – started publishing an independent newspaper in a country that had no real history of free press. Back then, there were hardly any journalists willing to challenge authority.
That newspaper was called The Slovak Spectator.
The very first issue of The Slovak Spectator (source: Courtesy, D. S.)
The pull of Europe was strong
Sara Holmes is one of those Slovak Americans who always knew about their ancestry. When she was small, every weekend they would visit her grandparents, aunts and uncles. Now a retired professional musical theatre performer, in her 20s and 30s she regularly came to Europe for work with various shows, including the very popular Cats, and toured the continent. During this time, she started to feel a connection to Europe. It was also during this time that she first visited Slovakia.
“I just felt like I was more at home in Europe than in the States,” she said. Even after returning home she wanted to go back. That’s where her journey to Slovak citizenship began, bringing her to her new home in Bratislava.
Sara Holmes with her father during her wedding. (source: Archive of S. H.)
A fortress town on the Danube
According to our colleague Jozef Ryník who recently visited Komárno, a town in southern Slovakia, a number of compelling attractions await discovery.
“The city has set its sights on promoting experiential tourism, particularly for active travellers. Its strategic location at the confluence of the Váh and Danube rivers has fostered the growth of water sports. The historic centre, meanwhile, entices visitors with its cluster of churches, statues honouring notable natives, and distinctive experiences – from an escape room housed in an old military fortress to the Cold War Museum, tucked into the basement of the Matica Slovenská building,” he writes in his travel guide.
The town is also betting on spas, cycling trails and cross-border charm to forge a new future.
The Komárno city townhall with statue of general Klapka. (source: SME/Jozef Ryník)
A selection of feature stories published by The Slovak Spectator that we recommend reading:
Gregory Tears was among the first Slovak American interviewed as part of the series. More than a year ago, he expressed a wish to help improve the Slovak lacrosse scene. Now, as an assistant coach of the national team, he was there when they posted the best ever result in field lacrosse.
In 2007, Katarina Gephardt, a Slovak-born professor of English at Kennesaw State University in the United States, realised that there were virtually no English-language resources on Slovak literature, and translations were scarce. It was an opportunity waiting for her.
For decades, America stood as the ultimate beacon for Slovak migrants. In 1924, the US saw a seismic policy shift that introduced national-origin quotas. This prompted thousands of Slovaks to seek opportunity in South America. Their descendants are still finding their way back to Europe.
As Slovakia continues to grapple with political volatility, democratic backsliding, and growing public cynicism, a parallel civic movement is quietly evolving beyond its borders. In Prague, London, Kraków, and other cities, Slovak emigrants are forming informal yet increasingly structured spaces for public discussion, cultural engagement and political coordination.
As a student, Jozef Tancer began translating poems from German – not with the aim of publishing them, but because it helped him better understand the original. “Translating means engaging with every single word – in all its contexts, all its nuances – and to immerse oneself deeply in the text,” says the Germanist.
EuroVelo 13 – also known as the Iron Curtain Trail and stretching more than 10,500 kilometres from north to south across Europe – offers a powerful opportunity to remember, and explain the how and why of the both physical and political border. The Slovak section is nearly 90 kilometres long and offers a journey into its human stories.
July saw the long-awaited opening of Bratislava’s tramline extension into Petržalka – the city’s largest neighbourhood. The extension of the number 3 tram brings faster connections and unexpected finds at every new stop.
In a recent episode of the Spectacular Slovakia podcast, historian and tour guide Juraj Poláček maps the evolution of Bratislava, highlighting how invasions, shifting empires, and architectural ingenuity shaped the city’s development. From Celtic hill-fort to Roman acropolis, from Mongol raids to baroque reinvention – the evolution of Bratislava is etched into its very stones.
Would you like to share your story with us? Did you enjoy the newsletter? I would love to hear your thoughts, questions and feedback: matus.beno@spectator.sk or spectator@spectator.sk.