Hello, and welcome to your Tuesday, 26 August edition of Today in Slovakia.

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Slovakia’s top diplomat is on the phone again. Foreign Minister Juraj Blanár (Smer) spoke with Ukrainian Deputy PM Taras Kachka on Monday to urge Kyiv to hold fire on strikes against the Druzhba oil pipeline — a lifeline that runs through Slovak territory. Blanár warned the attacks “endanger not only Slovakia but Ukraine itself”. The call came just a day after he delivered the same message to Kyiv’s foreign minister.

Blanár told both officials that Slovakia and Hungary have already complained to the European Commission over the pipeline strikes. He insists Kyiv reassured him of a “constructive approach” and noted preparations are underway for a third joint Slovak–Ukrainian government session.

Meanwhile, PM Robert Fico doubled down on Tuesday. At the opening of a Lichtenstein-owned Hoval heat pump factory in Orava, northern Slovakia, Fico once again blasted Ukraine for “incomprehensible” attacks on Druzhba — but wrapped his criticism in jokes about Slovakia’s small size and its fragile export economy (“any sniffle abroad hits us hard”). He also hailed Slovak engineer Aurel Stodola as the father of the heat pump — a claim historians debate, but one Fico happily repackaged as proof of national ingenuity.

The Orava plant is part of a wider wave of European heat pump investment in Slovakia, with German firms Vaillant, Stiebel Eltron and Winkelmann also breaking ground. Fico arrived in Orava by helicopter (“for reasons of time”), flanked by Blanár and Economy Minister Denisa Saková (Hlas), while Lichtenstein sent its economy chief Hubert Büchel.

And while Fico courts investors and quarrels with Kyiv, back in Bratislava the National Gallery has sparked its own storm.

Police called to National Gallery

Artwork by Daniela Lehocká, exhibited at the Slovak National Gallery. (source: SNG)

Slovakia’s cultural establishment is in uproar after the Slovak National Gallery (SNG) forcibly removed a €70,000 site-specific installation by acclaimed artist Denisa Lehocká — without her consent, according to Sme.

The backdrop: Lehocká’s monumental wall piece, installed in 2023 as a permanent feature of the gallery’s architecture, was dismantled on Monday morning. Under her contract, the work could not legally be removed without her approval. Police were called to the scene by the activist collective Slobodná národná galéria (SNG: Free National Gallery), who say the gallery breached the artist’s rights. Officers logged the incident and, in a twist, were the only ones permitted to photograph the removal.

The gallery’s line: SNG artistic director Martin Dostál insisted the work had been “temporarily de-installed” to make way for the blockbuster exhibition Bang! Bang?!, promising it would return after the show. He noted the piece had previously been covered up during another display.

The artist’s fury: Lehocká called the move a betrayal: “No one from the leadership had the courage to call me or speak with me. After this I will absolutely boycott SNG.” She was initially refused entry to the closed gallery on Monday, only later allowed in — but banned from recording the process. When she arrived, parts of the wall were already gone.

Why it matters: The row highlights a growing crisis at SNG under its current management. In recent weeks, the institution has stripped out several landmark works — from Jozef Sušienka’s ceramic sculpture outside the gallery, to a permanent installation at Zvolen Castle — often under contentious circumstances. Former curators and artists accuse the leadership of a “political purge” of the collection.

Follow the money: Lehocká’s wall was originally funded by Tatra banka, a longtime partner of the gallery — but the bank ended its sponsorship in January 2025. Insiders say the collapse of that relationship stripped the gallery of a financial cushion as controversy over its new direction mounts.

The commentary: Philosopher Fedor Blaščák paints a stark picture. SNG, he writes, is “a sad story of a destroyed institution, of the fates and careers of the people who built it” — likening the situation to a family spending a decade building a house, only for it to collapse under outside interference. He accuses the government of botched leadership appointments, and says the gallery’s new chiefs, Juraj Králik and Martin Dostál, both with backgrounds in advertising, are opportunists presiding over collapse.

MORE STORIES FROM THE SLOVAK SPECTATOR

• Sabotage or overreach? A Slovak court has overturned the expulsion of Ukrainian national Vjacseslav Vakuljak, accused of plotting to target the Druzhba pipeline, ruling police relied on unreviewable intelligence reports and flimsy evidence ranging from drones to “tactical gloves”.

• Bratislava’s hero on rails: Tram driver Ronald Lupták won praise after tracking down a Swedish tourist to return a wallet crammed with cash, ID and cards.

• Fico’s fast-track to justice files: PM Robert Fico was granted unusual “injured party” status in a sabotage case tied to ex-NAKA chief Matej Varga, giving him swift access to confidential files.

• Madrid win, Oviedo remembers: Real Madrid’s routine 3–0 victory on Oviedo’s La Liga return carried a poignant echo — honouring Slovak forward Peter Dubovský, whose brilliance lit up the local stadium before his life was cut tragically short 25 years ago.

• Booze binge gone wrong in Nitra: Two American tourists were rushed to hospital after collapsing from suspected alcohol poisoning on Nitra’s Farská Street, where police on patrol found them unconscious and foaming at the mouth.

• Clipped in above Tisovec: A new via ferrata on Hradová peak (887m) is opening up the limestone ridge above Tisovec to families and casual hikers, making the climb safer and more accessible.

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SLOVAKS ABROAD

Slovak American Sara Holmes makes Bratislava her new home

Sara Holmes with her father during her wedding. (source: Archive of S. H.)

Slovak American Sara Holmes, a former musical theatre performer, grew up surrounded by her grandparents’ traditions but only later chose to reclaim her heritage. After years of touring Europe and feeling at home there, she applied for Slovak citizenship under a new law and has now settled in Bratislava. For Holmes, it is a full-circle story: her grandparents were sent to the US, but she decided to return.

IN OTHER NEWS

• Support for Robert Fico’s Smer party has fallen every month since February, dropping to 18.5 percent in August — its lowest level since the last parliamentary elections, according to an average of polls by Ipsos, NMS and AKO. Meanwhile, opposition leader Progressive Slovakia has seen support rise to 22.8 percent, its first increase in six months. (Sme)

• Slovak schools are entering the new academic year with a shortage of more than 1,200 staff, according to Alma Career Slovakia, with over 80 percent of vacancies for teaching posts. The highest demand is for secondary school teachers — nearly 240 positions — while mathematics remains the most sought-after subject, alongside English, IT, physics and Slovak language. (SITA)

• Slovakia ranks among the EU countries with the highest incidence of asbestos in buildings, a material banned since 2005 but still widespread in schools, hospitals and offices awaiting renovation. Experts warn that without mandatory surveys, construction workers and the public face serious health risks, as asbestos is often discovered only during works, leading to contamination, delays and rising costs. The Slovak Green Building Council is calling for asbestos checks to become standard practice ahead of upcoming EU rules that will further tighten exposure limits. (SITA)

• The Specialised Criminal Court in Pezinok has found university lecturer Ján D. guilty of denying and approving the Holocaust, sentencing him to a €700 fine or one month in prison if unpaid. The court also ordered the confiscation of his personal computer. The ruling is not yet final, as the prosecutor has appealed and the defence may still do so. (TASR)

• Opposition party KDH has sharply criticised government-approved changes to school financing, objecting to cuts in funding for private and church schools not registered as public providers. The Christian Democrats argue the move discriminates against children of faith and have announced both amendments to the law and protests outside parliament. (TASR)

• Slovak exporters are increasingly seeking markets beyond Western Europe, with Ukraine, sub-Saharan Africa and the Western Balkans emerging as the top destinations, an Eximbank survey shows. While most exports still head to the EU, firms see opportunities in reconstruction projects, energy infrastructure and developing economies, though barriers such as weak contacts and political risks remain. Eximbank says export insurance and economic diplomacy will be key to helping Slovak companies expand into these higher-risk but potentially lucrative markets. (SITA)

• Four non-resident extraordinary and plenipotentiary ambassadors presented their credentials to Slovak President Peter Pellegrini at the Presidential Palace on Tuesday. He received Mohammad Sameer Hindawi (Jordan), Helga Hauksdóttir (Iceland), María Eugenia Echeverría de Pury (Peru) and Alejandro Garofali Acosta (Uruguay) at their inaugural audience. (TASR)

State Secretary of the Defence Ministry, Martin Vojtašovič, and Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Slovak Armed Forces, Brigadier General Marek Banas, during a wreath-laying ceremony at SNP Square by the SNP Memorial in Bratislava on Tuesday, 26 August 2025. Slovakia will commemorate the anniversary of the Slovak National Uprising (SNP) on Friday, 29 August 2025, in Banská Bystrica. (source: TASR – Pavel Neubauer)

WEDNESDAY WEATHER BRIEFING: Mostly clear skies with patches of cloud drifting through. Daytime highs will range from 23°C to 31°C, with a light to moderate breeze from the south. (SHMÚ)

MARK YOUR CALENDARS: On Wednesday we will celebrate Silvia, a name of Latin origin derived from silva, meaning “forest” or “woodland”. Best wishes to all Silvias on their special day!

Slovakia marks a public holiday on Friday, which means a welcome long weekend — an extra reason to stay positive this week.

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