Slovakia
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Anonymous
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Anonymous
Yes, of sorts. The town we can pinpoint is further east, pretty close to Ukraine. So was wondering if that was even worth going to or if we should just stay in the main parts like Bratislava (and check out the Tatras apparently). Just a few days in Slovakia and then check out other E European spots in the area like Prague, Vienna, Budapest. Open to any guidance since that part of Europe is new for us. |
Anonymous
For a genealogy trip it could be interesting. That's different than just being a regular tourist. Kosice is a pretty good distance from Bratislava and I'm assuming you would be heading even further east. Try the plum brandy called slivovitz, bryndzové halušky, and bread. |
Anonymous
I'm PP above. During the pandemic, I did extensive work on my Slovak genealogy. I have roots in both Western and Central Slovakia but I haven't been there yet. To further my genealogical knowledge, I joined CGSI. That's a U.S. non-profit genealogical society. There are a few genealogy/custom travel providers who specialize in Slovakia who regularly participate/advertise/speak at conferences with CGSI. The one who is the youngest and seems most credible is Michal Razus. His website is below. When I decide to go to Slovakia, I may contact him for a price quote on a certain portion of my planned trip. If I decide I need a tour guide, I'd want a genealogical specialist. Someone willing to do detective work in a dusty archive with me for a day or two. Someone who might make arrangements for me to go to a church service and donate some money. Someone who could conclusively find old farm properties that might require a hike. He strikes me as someone who might do that but also someone who could make a good referral if he had an easier, higher-paying client who wanted to book the same dates. https://www.slovak-ancestry.com/ I don't have any other genealogical tourism names to recommend even slightly. A lot of the older people in this business that you can easily Google have had health problems recently or they have overcharged people I've met and talked to. Now on to the subject of your trip itself. Can you post where the village is? Ukraine is probably a no-go right now due to the war. Romania might be interesting. Or Hungary. Unless you're more adventurous than the normal "I went to Europe and stayed in hostels as a college kid" kind of person, you likely will need a guide in Eastern Slovakia. To handle logistics, find decent lodging, interpret, find obscure places when cell signals fail, etc. I have visited Ukraine, Budapest, Prague, and Vienna. Budapest and Prague are lovely cities to look at. Vienna is a big European capital with typical things to do. I enjoyed Prague the most because its historical sights are slightly more medieval. I have a genealogy contact who took a Danube cruise that connected many of the river cities in one week. That might actually be a nice way to sightsee through that area. I would say to enter through Bratislava, go immediately to your village area, then do any other Slovakia musts, then do the rest (reverse sail up Danube?). Putting the emotional stuff first then giving yourself more traditional vacation relaxing might work well. I hate to say it, but where your family is from might be quite run down and backward. That said, it's a once in a lifetime chance to see the last remnants of old (poor) Europe and contemplate the forces of history. Consider doing a writeup of your impressions to keep for posterity. See the Absolut Warhola link below for an idea of what a poorer area might be like. (This movie is old, and kind of mocking, but it reminds me of traveling in Russia, and I think the Slovak economy hasn't improved much in the last 2 decades.) When I go, I expect to go to Bratislava-Myjava-Kosice-(cross the border to Ukraine)-return to Bratislava. I had wanted to do the trip this summer but that was before Russia invaded Ukraine. I plan to visit regional archives, Lutheran churches, castles, and countryside. Maybe a little light hiking. The area my family is from is a place where people go to summer cottages to be out in nature. Here are some other recommended links: https://cgsi.org/ https://dcslovaks.org/ https://www.amazon.com/Absolut-Warhola-Susanne-Sch%C3%BCle/dp/B0001CNQ7G https://www.kasigarda.sk/en/kasigarda-2/ I donated to the above little museum. The professor who runs it is a nice guy and a friend of Michal Razus. It's on the eastern side of Slovakia. Try to go if you're working with Razus. It might be on your way/worth a stop. Let me know if I can help further. |
Anonymous
| PP, thank you for such a helpful and thoughtful response. I will be sure to check out all of the links you shared. It is actually my husband with the Slovak roots but I am the genealogy buff and want our child to understand his roots on all sides. Some of the towns I have been able to pinpoint are: Zavadka, Letanovce, Turzovka, and Spisska Nova Ves (so upon further research not as far east as I had imagined). I love your idea of the Danube cruise! |
Anonymous
So, none, then... |
Anonymous
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This has been interesting. I was told growing up that my ancestry was Czech, but someone at the Library of Congress (which has great maps of the area, over years) told me we were probably Slovak (based on our name). The expert said that background was sometimes denied/hidden because they were the less educated “peasants”
I have heard Prague is wonderful. Tiny Slovenia is great for tourists. Lubijana is walkable and charming. Lake Bled is magical. |
Anonymous
PP again. I think Michal Razus would indeed be a good person for you to contact based on the location of the villages. 3 of them are pretty close to Kosice and I believe he operates out of a town near there. His web page below shows what is near there to tour: https://www.slovak-ancestry.com/tours/ I think this could be a very meaningful trip, especially to share with your child. For these sites, unlike mainstream Europe, I would pay for a guide to help me make the most of a trip. As you can see, you'd be visiting some scenic mountains, some musty but exotic churches, a big castle, and Kosice which has some intact historical architecture. These places won't be famous, but due to the natural pleasures of travel and the family nature of it may work fine. You might choose to seek out resort hotels with pools or saunas to add some relaxation. It does seem to me that where I've looked there have been resort hotels for the local wealthy or maybe Western Europeans looking for bargain vacations. I do not know how a tour guide would direct you to Kosice. I looked briefly and one logical option looked like you would fly to Vienna and then Vienna to Kosice. If you arrived in Bratislava by air, somebody might pick up your family and help you catch a train OR drive you to Kosice. In my case, I'd first be heading northwest out of Bratislava, so my route would be different and could either involve a rental car or car service. I believe below is the cruise my contact took. It was a circle starting and ending with Vienna. I have been to some of the stops. It would be a pretty cruise. https://www.arosa-cruises.com/river-cruises/danube/cruise/danube-classics-vienna-2025-prv-7-nights-danube-cruise.html There are a lot of possible ways to combine the various capital cities you are interested in. Basically. I would study the transport options and arrange them to ensure reliability and convenience over a logical travel path. We made an expensive mistake about weekend Paris-bound train availability in Giverny, France last April and so now I'd be extra skittish about train redundancy, etc. Depending on how much time you want to spend in each place, a cruise might not give you enough time in Budapest and Bratislava. I would allocate at least an overnight to each, vs. a half day port call. Below are a couple links with quick info. Enjoy trip planning! https://beoriginaltours.com/where-does-danube-river-cruise-start-and-end/#:~:text=Other%20Starting%20and%20Ending%20Points,Regensburg%2C%20Germany https://celiactravelpack.com/day-trip-to-bratislava-from-vienna/#:~:text=There%20is%20never%20enough%20time,for%20a%20trip%20to%20Europe. |
Anonymous
PP. Depending on when your family emigrated, the country may have been Czechoslovakia which abbreviates to Czech. My grandma also said her family was Czech. They were from extreme Western Slovakia right up the hill from today's border with Moravia in the Czech Republic. In the ancestral village, they speak Czech-influenced Slovak. At time of emigration in 1903, their home was part of the Kingdom of Hungary within the Austro-Hungarian Empire, while the Czech provinces with similar borders to today reported to Austria. My grandmother's family was quite proud of the emergence of the combined Czechoslovakian state. They raised money to help the combined homeland cause in the late 1910s-early 1920s. They were Lutherans so were a religious minority in Slovakia (mainly Catholic). Long story short, your family might have sort of been "Czech" in a sense depending on the time period. If you look online (Ancestry) for draft records for WWI or citizenship papers, you may find birthplace information that will resolve the home village and thus the national identity question based on today's definitions. |
Anonymous
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PP. Checking back with OP.
OP, joining CGSI only costs $35 per year and that gets you access to a member database, the quarterly magazine, and a digital library (recorded webinars, etc.). I found two people interested in "my" village through that database and learned some things of use from them. Historically, our families were godparents to each other - it was a nice feeling to get help from ancient "friends of the family". There's also a quarterly members group meeting coming up on May 4. https://cgsi.org/events/cgsi-czech-slovak-research-discussion-group-online-event-6 |
Anonymous
| There is a lot of stupid in this thread. |
Anonymous
PP. Yes, it must be you. Because you have added no value to this thread. |
Anonymous
New poster, and I've visited several times for family reasons too - my husband is a first generation here in the US. I agree, with the above. In the smaller towns there isn't a lot of English spoken. I'm lucky to have my husband and his family as a guide when I go. If I didn't have them, I would stick to the major cities/tourist attractions. In the summer the landscape is very pretty and the weather is nice (I've mainly visited places in the mid-north). Not a huge fan of the food, but the suggestions mentioned up thread are familiar to me and worth trying, as well as Vinea soft drink, Horalky candy bars, and Langos (fried garlic bread). Ice cream (gelato style) vendors are extremely cheap and we get cones a lot since the portion isn't huge. |
Anonymous
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Great thread! My grandparents were from Smilno and we are going this summer, but just to Bratislava for the day. I would love to go to their town but as PP said that is a trip that I think I would need some serious help coordinating.
For those who do Bratislava in a day, do you recommend a tour or self-tour or anything in particular? It will be my husband and I and our 12-year-old daughter coming from Vienna. We have some flexibility to stay the night but not a ton. |
Anonymous
PP. I would recommend that you search for a full-day guided bus tour leaving from and returning to Vienna. There also seem to be options involving boat cruises. When time is short, it makes sense to have the movement logistics handled by pros. With a full-day tour you can also avoid relocating your luggage. I looked on the web and see a variety of options. Since I haven't experienced them, I can't recommend but there may be reviews to consult. |