Slovak Town of Sliač to Sue Over Highway Plans in Spa Protection Zone

The town of Sliač, in central Slovakia, is preparing legal action against plans to route a major expressway through the protected zone surrounding its historic spa. Town councillors have taken the first formal step toward filing a lawsuit, joining forces with local activists who oppose the project. The dispute centers on the planned R2 expressway, a key road infrastructure project in Slovakia, which according to critics would pass through the protected buffer zone of the Sliač spa — a thermal spa resort with a long therapeutic tradition. Such protected zones are established under Slovak law to safeguard the natural mineral water sources and the environment essential to spa operations, meaning construction of a major road through the area could threaten both the spa's ecological integrity and its legal status. The decision by the town council to pursue litigation alongside civic activists signals growing local resistance to the expressway's current planned route. If the lawsuit proceeds, it could delay or force a redesign of that section of the R2, a road intended to improve east-west connectivity across central Slovakia. The case is likely to pit infrastructure development priorities against environmental and heritage protection concerns.