Every week The Slovak Spectator brings you a selection of three short stories from across Slovakia from which pessimism and negativity are absent.
One extra positive story is that of the Ukrainian-language news service Novyny.sk, which helps Ukrainian refugees in Slovakia to find their way in a new environment and guides them on the path to integration. You can support the continued work of Novyny.sk through the donation platform Donio. Every contribution helps the project remain a reliable source of help for those who have fled the war.
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Murko, the three-legged boss cat who owns the streets around Lidl
If you ever wander through the Sásová suburb of Banská Bystrica and feel like someone’s watching you, it’s probably Murko, the three-legged cat who has casually declared the entire area around the local Lidl to be his personal kingdom. New resident Yaroslav thought he’d discovered a lost stray and asked online who the fearless feline might be. Locals replied fast: if he’s got three legs, that’s Murko. And just like that, Yaroslav learned the first rule of Sásová – Murko isn’t lost, he’s the one running the joint.
Locals talk about him in the comments the way others speak about haunted castles or legendary outlaws. He lives in the first house by the supermarket, makes his daily “royal inspections,” and returns only when he feels like it. Some residents even tried escorting him home, but apparently Murko doesn’t get escorted. What’s up with his missing leg? A mystery wrapped in urban folklore, likely the result of a long-ago clash with a car. But with the confidence of a diminutive three-legged conqueror, Murko continues ruling the Lidl parking lot, collecting admirers and proving that celebrities don’t always walk red carpets.
Deaf photographer spreads joy in Trnava
Christmas markets are full of lights, laughter, and the scent of cinnamon – and long days for stallholders. But in Trnava, one simple gesture stole the show. Marek, a deaf photographer, noticed a young vendor at one of the stalls and decided to surprise her in the most personal way. He snapped a candid photo of her, printed it on the spot using a tiny printer in his car, and framed it as a little gift.
Upon approaching her stall to buy a drink, Marek handed over the framed photo in the middle of a busy day serving customers. Her reaction was priceless. The young vendor’s eyes lit up with genuine delight, proving that even the smallest acts of kindness can create magical moments, especially during the festive season.
He’s walked for three decades and Slovakia is one of his latest chapters
For nearly 30 years, the British wanderer Karl Bushby has traversed the world on foot, crossing everything from the Darién Gap to the Gobi Desert, even tiptoeing across the Bering Strait on floating ice. After clocking up 50,000 kilometres, and negotiating stormy politics, visa chaos and a brief arrest, his boots have finally landed on Slovak soil. After a visit to Budapest, one of his most recent locations was Komárno. Now he’s heading towards Bratislava like it’s just another stroll.
What started in 1998 as a bold “I’ll walk home from Chile” idea has turned into an almost three-decade odyssey shaped not only by nature, but by his life itself: a broken family, military duties, missed moments with his young son. Now almost 60 and surprisingly close to the finish line, Bushby admits the final days feel surreal. Walking has been his entire identity. But he hopes that once he strolls back into Hull at last, he’ll still find new horizons to chase. Even if they’re no longer thousands of kilometres away.
Some feel-good stories published by The Slovak Spectator for you to enjoy:
Meme of the week
Caption: Sitting on a train that stops directly in the path of another train and getting a €1.50 discount on refreshments as compensation. That’s slayáda.
Caption on the coupon: Thank you for travelling with us. We appreciate that you have chosen Železničná spoločnosť Slovensko for your journey. To make your trip more enjoyable, we are offering you a €1.50 discount on refreshments in the dining car or mobile bar on ZSSK trains.
Slovakia narrowly avoided yet another rail disaster when two trains, one of them a passenger service, stopped just 20 metres apart, yet ZSSK’s response was… a €1.50 coupon for snacks in the dining car. Yes, while passengers’ hearts were racing and investigators were scratching their heads, ZSSK’s idea of crisis management was to offer them a slightly cheaper coffee.
Comments on the post – which slyly referenced a recent addition to Slovakia’s rich culture, ‘slayáda’ – added layers of dry, sarcastic humour: “Risk is profit”; “In developed countries, trains break speed records; in Slovakia, success is when a train arrives in one piece,” and other digs. Some even pointed out that, absurdly, the dining car might not even have been attached. Slovaks are taking a grimly comedic view of bureaucracy and their famously unpredictable rail system. One more life-threatening incident? Fine. Slightly cheaper menu on board? Now we’re talking.
You can send me your tips on good news stories about Slovakia or funny memes at: elizaveta.blahodarova@spectator.sk. Thank you.
