It seems to be consistently true, the more barbaric a country and the more dictatorial the leader the more he transports himself in self-important motorcades with massive police escort, big cars/limousines etc.
Bratislava's ambassadors from some other small EU states prefer the bicycle as you can see from the photo. This is great and it is an example that should be surely followed by others. Bratislava's mayor, Milan Ftacnik says he is a fanatic cyclist. He needs to prove it. Pedestrianise some car-clogged streets, ban cars from stare mesto completely, including those of local residents. The only cars should be allowed up the diplomatic hill. Anywhere in the centre from the Andrejsky cintorin and nivy, to the castle should be pedestrianised immediately.
Their Excellencies the ambassadors of Denmark, Norway and Netherlands to Slovakia are all female and cyclists
Meanwhile the re-enactment of the coronation of the Austrohungarian queens and kings in Bratislava is something you shouldn't miss if you are here, it is really great.
all austrohungarian kings and queens were crowned in Bratislava including empress Maria-Theresa
How the main train station will be connected to a new main train station called Filialka. The stops will eventually be Vienna, Hauptbanhof (new central station in Vienna being currently built) Flughafen Wien, Hlavna stanica (main train station in Bratislava), Filialka Bratislava Airport
Foxconn (the company that makes the iphone for Apple) has just bought Sony's factory in Slovakia. Along with Samsung, this is making Slovakia a hotspot for the production of high quality electronics. It seems that after cars Giant electronics behemoths are setting up shop. It is intriguing that Foxconn is Chinese and yet it chooses to invest in Slovakia for its european investments.
In other news the transformation of Bratislava's transport and integration with 2 Ten-t rail corridors is about to begin mirroring the work Austria's rail started 60km away in Vienna.
Here are some graphics and visualisations of the cutting edge infrastructure that is going to be built in Bratislava:
Disused station in Filialka...
to be replaced by
new filialka station (close to existing ursinyho tram stop)
NEW INVESTMENTS IN SLOVAKIA
Transportation links and proximity to other eurozone countries' markets seen as strategic reasons to invest in Slovakia by asian investors.
The South-Korean companies Kia and Samsung want to continue broadening their activities in Slovakia, South Korean Ambassador to Slovakia Seok-soong Seo told Economy Minister Lubomir Jahnatek at their meeting on Tuesday. “The ambassador informed the minister that the main Korean investors, Kia and Samsung, would continue expanding their activities in Slovakia in the coming years, so Slovakia is becoming a more and more important partner to South Korea,” the ministry said.
The Slovak Trade and Development Agency (SARIO) just announced that in total so far this year there are 85 investment projects meaning that about EUR 2.4billion to EUR 2.5 billion will come into Slovakia as investments.
The Director of the SARIO direct foreign investments division Andrea Chovancova informed that these investors are going to create more than 12,000 jobs in Slovakia.
The agency is currently working on 139 investment projects at present in total.
Why Bratislava? Why Slovakia?
The key reason behind all these long term bets in Slovakia's and Bratislava's success are not cost based anymore. Bratislava is significantly above the average in the EU, in terms of wealth and prices for most goods are comparable to London or Athens.
Bratislava's good connections with Austria and the rest of europe are to receive a further boost.
In a previous posting we discussed the new european transport networks. Part of the major and transformational projects headed by the EU is TEN-T that aspires to connect the different parts of europe together with transportation links to boost trade among other things.
Bratislava has been included in two of these project including the one to Paris via Vienna and Stuttgard. This is obviously a transformational project for Bratislava as it links the city ever tighter to old-european capitals such as Vienna and Paris but it also makes Bratislava a part of the core european transport networks enhancing access in an environmentally sensitive way likely to survive the unsustainable boom in cheap filghts and their operators.
This is a relevant point as land transport is crucial if environmental concerns curb the affordability of cheap flights through which much of the eastern parts of the EU are linked to the older EU members. For example if one is stuck in Bucharest and wishes to travel to Frankfurt, the obvious choice would be to fly. However both because of the crisis but also because governments are increasing the taxes on polluting forms of travel, economic development via the airport is not a future-proof plan. This project therefore is vital for Bratislava as it can mean that the city becomes a hub for traffic from other regional capitals like Prague, Budapest etc. who would connect via Bratislava to the fast train network heading west. It could in fact become the replacement of the popular cheap flights. As natural a choice as taking the eurostar train between London and Paris.
Why is this more than just trains crossing borders
Vienna's Sudbanhof station is already being demolished to make way for the infrastructure and new upgraded connection to Bratislava for the high speed trains. More on this big event Imagefolder, english (PDF, 1,65 MB)
This project will be run using ERTMS ("European Rail Traffic Management System"). This is a major industrial project being implemented by Europe, a project which will serve to make rail transport safer and more competitive. One component of ERTMS, the European Train Control System (ETCS), guarantees a common standard that enables trains to cross national borders and enhances safety, speed, and cost competitiveness.
Establishing an efficient trans-European transport network (TEN-T) is a key strategy for competitiveness and employment in Europe. If Europe is to fulfil its economic and social potential, it is essential to build the missing links and remove the bottlenecks in our EU transport infrastructure, as well as to ensure the sustainability of our transport networks into the future. Furthermore, it integrates environmental protection requirements with a view to promoting sustainable development.
In view of the growth in traffic between Member States, expected to double by 2020, the investment required to complete and modernise a true trans-European network in the enlarged EU amounts to some € 500 billion from 2007 to 2020, out of which € 270 billion for the priority axis and projects.
The speeds make this an alternative to planes. The train, TGV, already allows travellers to go from Paris to Reims in 45 minutes, and from Paris to Strasbourg, on the German border, in just two hours and 20 minutes. Under the old schedules, the trip to Strasbourg was nearly twice as long, at three hours and 50 minutes. TGV stands for "train a grande vitesse," which literally means high-speed train.
The areas of Bratislava that are likely to be affected by all this are likely to be:
Hlavna Stanica - Stare Mesto (Old Town)
Filialka - Stare Mesto (Racianske Myto/Ursinyho)
Some visualisations of the Bratislava station for this end of the Paris Bratislava line now follow.
This is how the New Bratislava station and area will look
Potent stuff for the medium to long term future of this city.
and what about the trains that will run on the lines? The competing technologies are ICE from Germany or TGV from france
just see this (who needs planes...)
another one with some very happy frenchies :) well done!
In a previous report, (you might want to open it to have some background) we discussed the long overdue reconstruction of the Bratislava main train station that links Bratislava to Vienna.
The newly released pictures we are showing here show how the station will look. The area will be transformed from this drab communist vision of the 1980es:
Back to its original facade from 1905
The current reconstruction of the station hall will remove the 1980es exterior to reveal the historical facade of the station. This historical building will reconstructed to the original design by the architect F. Pfaff from the year 1905.
It is well known that Wofgang Amadeus Mozart first played in Bratislava as a child prodigy in 1762.
W.A. Mozart and his family travelled to Bratislava at "the request of the Hungarian nobility" on the 11 December 1762 passing by Petronell and Hainburg.
Leopold Mozart bought a carriage. In this carriage the Mozarts travelled during their great Western Europe trip one year later too. On Saturday 24 December 1762 the Mozarts left Bratislava at 8.30 in the morning and arrived in Vienna at 8:30 in the evening. Today this short trip takes 45min on the Autobahn connecting Bratislava and Vienna.
Amadeus. The famous play after which Miloš Forman made his Oscar movie is staged at the Slovak National Theatre for the first time ever.
This is a play by the contemporary British playwright Peter Shaffer which had its premiere in London a long time ago only to become a classic repertoire piece. And no wonder – the author tells the story of the brilliant composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and his less talented contemporary and competitor Antonio Salieri.
The play depicts the eternal conflict between a prodigious and an average artist, conventional and nonconformist composer, a rebel and a member of the establishment.
Shortly after its premieres in London and New York, Amadeus received several prestigious awards (The British Critics Award and a Tony Award in the US), and the Broadway production ran over for more than thousand performances. Miloš Forman based his most successful film on the play and received an Oscar for it in 1984, Peter Shaffer received both major American awards for his screenplay: the Golden Globe and the Oscar.
Sometimes even an enormously successful play, one staged to great acclaim all over the world, falls into oblivion after several seasons. Shaffer´s Amadeus has a different fate. Its topic is universal and eternal, like Mozart´s operas. Time is an uncompromising judge: only that, what is unique, will survive.
The eternal conflict between brilliance and mediocrity will come alive where it first began: on a theatre stage. The historic building of the SND forms a highly suitable backdrop.
AMADEUS At the historical building of the Slovak National Theatre
BRATISLAVA. The manufacturer of components for the automotive industry, Johnson Controls will shift its financial headquarters in Bratislava.
Establishing headquarters will initially create about 130 new jobs to add to the 3000 the company already employs.
Slovakia was chosen because of the network effects that the presence of three car corporations in Slovakia create. The appealing cost savings the stability of the country, its proximity to other european capitals, and the euro being the legal tender in Slovakia no doubt helped make this decision. The Johnson Controls' financial headquarters in Mexico will be closed down ceding almost all competencies to Bratislava.
"This step will enable us to improve the level of service to internal and external customers, increase transparency and reduce costs," Johnson Controls spokeswoman for Europe, Astrid Schafmeisterová, said.
Johnson Controls in Slovakia is based in Bratislava, Lozorno, Lucenec, Martin, Namestovo and Zilina.
further reading: About the company: Johnson Controls Johnson Controls has expanded remarkably since Professor Warren Johnson founded the company to manufacture his invention, the electric room thermostat. Since its start in 1885, Johnson Controls has grown into a global leader in automotive parts. The company makes automotive interiors that help make driving more comfortable, safe and enjoyable.
For buildings, it offers products and services that optimize energy use and improve comfort and security.
Johnson Controls also provides batteries for automobiles and hybrid electric vehicles, along with systems engineering and service expertise.
Johnson Controls, Inc. 5757 N. Green Bay Avenue P.O. Box 591 Milwaukee, WI 53201 (414) 524-1200
Stephen A. Roell, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer R. Bruce McDonald, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer
Employees
Approximately 130,000 worldwide
History
1885 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin by Warren Seymour Johnson, inventor of the first electric room thermostat.
businesses
Automotive Experience: Global leader in interior systems for light vehicles including passenger cars and light trucks. Systems supplied include seating, overhead, door, instrument panels, storage, electronics.
Power Solutions: World’s largest manufacturer of lead acid automotive batteries and developer of advanced battery chemistries. About 80% of batteries are sold through the automotive aftermarket and 20% are sold as original equipment.
Building Efficiency: Leading full-line service provider of mechanical equipment as well as systems that controlheating, ventilating, air conditioning (HVAC), lighting, security and fire management in non-residential buildings. Services include complete mechanical and electrical maintenance. World leader in integrated facility management for Fortune 500 companies, managing more than one billion square feet worldwide.
Stock
Traded on the New York Stock Exchange under ticker symbol JCI
Jacques Barrot, European Commission Vice-President responsible for transport, inaugurated the TGV Est high-speed line. This completed the first phase of work on the largest railway engineering project at the start of this century, which the European Union has cofinanced to the tune of €241 million. The 300 kilometres of track already built between Paris and Baudrecourt in Lorraine are the first section of a 1 500-kilometre European railway line intended to link Paris and Bratislava via Strasbourg, Stuttgart, Munich and Vienna.
See more of the train connecting Bratislva to Vienna and eventually German and french cities including Frankfurt and Paris as well as London via Eurostar. This train has the ability to speed at 574Km/h which is basically asmuch as a plane in cruising speed.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=YEfgueY172g#t=332sHistory of Bratislava - Pozsony - Presporok - PressburgBratislava
City capital of Slovakia. Settled first by Celts and Romans. As Pressburg, it developed as a trade centre and became a free royal town in 1291. The first university in what was then Hungary was founded there in 1467. The city served as the Hungarian capital (1541 – 1784) and was the seat of the Diet (parliament) until 1848. The Treaty of Pressburg (1805) was signed here by Napoleon and Francis II following the Battle of Austerlitz. After World War I, on the formation of Czechoslovakia, it became capital of the province of Slovakia, and it became the national capital on Slovakia's independence in 1992.
Bratislava is an important road and rail center and a leading Danubian port. A well-diversified industry produces textiles, chemicals, and metal goods; during the Communist period, heavy industry was focused on the production of armaments.
Forests, vineyards, and large farms surround the city, which has an active trade in agricultural products. It is also a popular tourist center. A Roman outpost called Posonium by the 1st cent. A.D., Bratislava became a stronghold of the Great Moravian Empire in the 9th cent. After the death of Ottocar II (1278), Bratislava and much of S and E Slovakia fell under Hungarian rule. From 1541, when the Turks captured Buda, until 1784, Bratislava served as Hungary's capital and the residence of Hungarian kings and archbishops.
The kings continued to be crowned there until 1835, and Bratislava was the meeting place of the Hungarian diet until 1848. Inhabited largely by German traders before the 19th cent., the city then became predominantly Magyar. In the 19th cent. it was the center of the emerging Slovak national revival, and after the union of the Czech and Slovak territories in 1918 it was incorporated into Czechoslovakia. From 1939 until 1945, Bratislava was the capital of a nominally independent Slovak republic that was governed by a fascistic pro-German regime responsible for the murder of tens of thousands of Czechs and Jews. The Univ. of Jan Comenius (1919), the Slovak Academy of Sciences, a polytechnic university, a national theater, and several museums are in the city. The 9th-century castle, above the Danube, was rebuilt in the 13th cent. St. Martin's Cathedral, the Franciscan convent and church, and the old town hall are also 13th-century buildings. The new town hall occupies an 18th-century palace, formerly the residence of the primates of Hungary; the Treaty of Pressburg was signed there in 1805.
About this Blog
Decided to start a Blog about Bratislava, and the politics of the country because most of the blogs about Slovakia and Bratislava in english were either brief entries from travellers passing through Bratislava with no idea about the place and commented largely about beer and other "vital issues" like that, or the more serious ones usually run by moronic americans preaching their judaeo-christian hyper-religious extreme-pro-capitalist & oligopolistic anti-democratic religion coupled with their famed grasp of geography.
There are also some Brits that have a slightly better grasp of geography than their US cousins. However brits are largely trying to recreate colonial glories and their grasp of facts in Bratislava tends to be confused even at the BBC. Most of the experiences the brits have are from lager-lout type pissups in Bratislava and use that crap movie "Hostel" as their intellectual compass.
This blog aspires to discuss serious matters with humour and no-nonsense analysis. Its unapologetically intellectual and refuses to allow this term to be ascribed with a negative meaning the way that the word liberal has become negative in the US.
Clearly there is much love about this great city and country, but without pandering to any special interests or prejudices.
Comments are welcome and will never be deleted or blocked if they offer a contrarian view.
About this Blog on Bratislava - Slovakia - Central Europe - the EU - and global trends
About the bear in the picture.
Macko Usko is a bear with a floppy ear, who is a celebrity in Slovakia and the mountains behind him (Tatra) offer the best skiing after the alps. Macko has attitude and is an opinionated bear as you can see.
It is well known that Wofgang Amadeus Mozart first played in Bratislava as a child prodigy in 1762.
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