A selection of short feel-good stories from Slovakia.
Every week The Slovak Spectator brings you a selection of three short stories from across Slovakia from which pessimism and negativity are absent.
Ten-year-old chef inspires other young people with his own cooking channel
Mirko Husár, who is only 10 years old, has tried cooking over 150 recipes online to date. (Source: Archive of the Husár family)In a world where cooking shows often feature celebrity chefs and complex recipes, one 10-year-old from Nitra, western Slovakia, is turning the tables. Mirko Husár has taken the internet by storm with his own cooking channel, Husariffic, launched just this March.
So far, he has successfully whipped up over 150 recipes, all filmed in English.
“I wanted to address people across the globe and show them that children can also cook,” he told the MY Nitra regional newspaper.
video //www.youtube.com/embed/rhYO2i3gUos
His enthusiasm for cooking shines through as he encourages his peers to experiment in the kitchen, too. Each video is made so that even absolute beginners can understand.
“Many people eat the same thing all the time, or prefer fast food,” Husár said. “I want to show them that cooking can be easy and fun, and that they can prepare delicious and healthier meals at home too.”
Husár credits his parents with helping him to make the initial videos, but says he now does most of the work, and asks them just to check – and maybe taste – the final product.
STU student excels in architecture competition
A visualisation of the winning project. (Source: Tomáš Rausz)A visionary project by Tomáš Rausz, a graduate of the Faculty of Architecture and Design at the Slovak University of Technology in Bratislava (STU), has caught the eye of an international jury. He won the Young Architects Competition (YAC), one of the most esteemed contests for emerging architects worldwide.
His innovative project, Data Island, explores new possibilities for repurposing offshore oil platforms, showcasing Rausz’s creativity and forward-thinking vision of sustainable architecture.
“My proposal is based on thorough analyses of the issue and brings a pragmatic solution to the current problem of the widespread decommissioning of oil platforms,” Rausz said, as quoted in a press release. “I’m replacing the original function with a data-centre concept, built on the principles of immersion server cooling. The advantage is the significant elimination of necessary infrastructure, which rationalises the economic strategy of the proposal. The new building adopts and accentuates the iconic expression of the dense tangle of constructions and equipment that define the architectural character of the existing oil platforms.”
The assignment of the Iron Island competition was to investigate new uses for these structures, and Rausz’s concept stood out for its originality and practicality.
Landmarks across Slovak towns lit up in pink
The old town hall in Zvolen is lit up pink on October 15, 2024, during International Breast Cancer Awareness Month. (Source: FB mesto Zvolen)October is recognised as International Breast Cancer Awareness Month. To mark this occasion, several buildings across Slovakia were lit up in pink on October 15.
They included the Presidential Palace in Bratislava, Bratislava’s City Hall, the town hall in Trnava, and landmarks in Trenčín, Ružomberok and Banská Bystrica, as well as the headquarters of the Všeobecná Zdravotná Poisťovňa (VšZP) health insurer. The town hall in Zvolen was no exception.
“Prevention can be crucial, which is why women are reminded of the importance of regular examinations every year,” the representatives of Zvolen wrote on social networks.
Breast cancer has long been among the top causes of women’s deaths in Slovakia and the world, Eva Peterová, spokesperson for the Agel SK hospital network, told the MY Zvolen regional newspaper. About 3,500 new cases are diagnosed in Slovakia each year, with the disease currently claiming some 800-900 lives a year.
Five feel-good stories published by The Slovak Spectator to read:
Erik Wittner rose to fame with a viral video of him playing piano at Chata pod Rysmi, the highest mountain chalet in the High Tatras. Now recognised on the trails, he has fulfilled his dream of playing Slovakia’s highest piano at 2,250 metres.
He went from being the most penalised player to winning a trophy for sportsmanship. Canadian ice-hockey legend Stan Mikita, who was born in Slovakia, began his career without any knowledge of English.
Can the Small Carpathians inspire your sense of adventure? Have a look at these hiking trails, which will lead you through peaceful forests to dams, castle ruins and stunning viewpoints.
Did Slovakia invent the wheel? Historians are considering the possibility. Archaeologists argue that the birthplace of the wheel could be the Slovak Carpathians, not Mesopotamia.
The new documentary film ‘Prezidentka’ offers an unprecedented look at former President Zuzana Čaputová’s term in office (2019-2024). Directed by Marek Šulík, who began filming on election night in 2019, the film reveals her experiences handling crises, making decisions, granting amnesties and crafting speeches, while also exploring her personal life.
Political meme of the week
(Source: Zomri.online)Caption: A gift from Culture Minister Martina Šimkovičová: She’s working on a new version of the national anthem for Slovakia.
Comment section: David Guetta feat. $imkovicova – Lightning over Tatras.
In this meme, published by the satirical site Zomri, the author makes fun of a recent project supported by the Culture Ministry to prepare a new official arrangement of Slovakia’s national anthem. Composer Oskar Rózsa was assigned the task, and is set to record it together with the Slovak Philharmonic and choirs. It should be the first update in 30 years, and is in part aimed at making the anthem more appealing to young people. Many have mocked the idea, saying that there are many more pressing cultural issues that need to be tackled.
Have any good news about Slovakia or funny memes to share? Send them to kseniia.husieva@spectator.sk. Thank you!