Middle European Mathematical Olympiad (MEMO) is the mathematics competition for high school students. The first MEMO was held in 2007, hosted by Austria, with seven countries participating: Austria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Switzerland. In 2008, Germany and Hungary took part, and Lithuania has joined the competition in 2009. All these ten countries are invited to participate also this year in Slovakia, in Strečno near Žilina.
Slovakia is a small central-european country, with many mountain ranges, without sea. It borders with Czech Republic (we have shared the same country Czechoslovakia till 1993) and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south. The population is 5.4 millions. The highest peak is Gerlachovský štít (2655 m) in High Tatras, the lowest point is a place in the east where the Bodrog river leaves our country (94 m).
The capital and the biggest city is Bratislava (430,000 inhabitants). The second most important city is Košice in the east (230,000), the next ones being Banská Bystrica, Nitra, Prešov, and Žilina (each one of about 80-90 thousands).
The weather is typically Central European. This time of year you can expect either sunny days of maximum temperature 30°C or cloudy to rainy days of temperatures less then 25°C in Strečno. Unlike in the valley of Strečno, the temperatures are typically about 5-10°C lower in the mountains (1,500 m above the sea level). In case of a clear weather we are planning a trip into the mountains and a magnificent passage through the gorge. We recommend you to bring appropriate clothes and shoes (something for unexpected changes of weather and solid shoes).
The official language is Slovak, which is spoken by a majority of the inhabitants. You can also use Czech, which people understand. There is also a minority of inhabitants (10%) speaking Hungarian, who can be found mainly in the south of Slovakia. Part of the residents speak English (especially the young generation). We recommend to visit https://slovakia.travel/en/about-slovakia for more detailed information.
Since 2009 the official currency is Euro (€). Standard european currencies can easily be exchanged at banks and exchange offices. However, we recommend to exchange cash in advance before the trip. Standard credit and debit cards are generally accepted in towns (i.e., in shops and restaurants). You can also use them to withdraw cash from the ATM machines.
To call abroad, dial 00 first, then the country code and a the number itself (including the area code). There are several cell phone networks in Slovakia with a coverage in most of the country.
Tap water is drinkable (unless you find warnings around) and typically very tasty.
The village of Strečno is located 10 km from Žilina (the center of northern Slovakia) on a bend of the river Váh close to the beginning of the mountain range Malá Fatra. It is easily accessible by the main road connecting Žilina and Martin. It lies on a main train route but only the local (and slow) trains stop here. The train station is quite far-away from the centre of the village, located on the opposite side of the river, accessible by the narrow footbridge or the ferry. Unfortunately, the footbridge will be closed during MEMO due to reconstruction.
With 2,500 inhabitants, Strečno is a middle-sized village in Slovakia. There is a post office, elementary school, several grocery stores, some bars, and a few restaurants. The most notable tourist site and dominant of Strečno is the gothic castle ruins. Moreover, you can see another castle ruin called Starhrad on the other river bank.
There is one ATM in Strečno. Credit cards are accepted only in big shops.
All the participants will stay in SIP Strečno. This is a center for small local conferences, owned by Slovak Railways. The facility has access to the Internet via a WiFi network, but it should be taken into account that not every place in the building is perfectly covered by the signal.
Rooms are equipped with own bathroom and toilet or at most two neighbouring rooms share these (a towel will be provided). The institution only provides accommodation for organizations, not for individuals (it is not a hotel/hostel).
There are the following facilities available in the complex for a fee: tennis court, rent-a-bike, sauna, fitness center, billiard room. There is a large football (soccer) playground close to the building where you can play football (soccer) or frisbee.
The organizers of MEMO 2023 will arrange the transport from Žilina to Strečno (and from Strečno to Žilina) for all the teams arriving to Žilina by train or bus.
The most convenient way to travel to Žilina by public transport is by train. There are direct and frequent trains to Žilina from Bratislava (~2 hr). Direct train connections from Prague (~5 hr) and Vienna (~3.5 hr) exist as well. Train connections can be found, e.g., on the web page of the national train carrier.
There isn't a big airport in Slovakia. If you prefer traveling by plane, the best options is to fly to Vienna. There is a direct bus connection from Vienna airport to Bratislava train station (~50 min).