War and terrorism in Slovakia

The most recent war conflict in Slovakia ended in 1945. Although on rare occasions people still find some unexploded ammunition when digging foundations for new houses in some areas, there are no visible traces of that war anywhere any more. In 1968, Soviet tanks flooded into the country, but they did not too much damage in cities and it was, after all, not a war.

You have probably heard of the Velvet Revolution in 1989. It was really a velvet-smooth revolution, no lives were lost. And it was a similar case when Czechoslovakia split in two in 1992. The 'peaceful divorce' was admired by people in other countries.

In 1990s, there was the Balkan war in Yugoslavia. But Slovakia is not in Yugoslavia nor even anywhere in the Balkans. The country of Slovenia has been part of Yugoslavia and as such it was in a minor way affected by this war. However, Slovenia is not Slovakia. They are two different countries, which do do not even share a common border. However both of them are now members of the European Union.

While visiting Slovakia, you won't see any soldiers on the roads or in the streets. Even the policemen won't take any interest in you, providing that you obey the traffic rules. You will only undergo a security check when entering certain buildings or areas (government offices, airports, and such like...).

So far, touch wood, there were no terrorist attacks in Slovakia. Because Slovakia is a very small player on the international scene and there are no cities with over half a million inhabitants, the risk is not as high as in some other countries and cities. Nevertheless the threat of terrorism is taken seriously and all necessary preventive measures are in place.