Annotation / Project Description
The emergence of the US Route 66 phenomenon in America has led to a huge development of the areas it passes through. Traffic safety has increased, the population of the areas has increased, tourism has increased and the all-round development of the regions through which the US Route 66 passes has begun.
The Route 66 phenomenon is widely known worldwide and has significant marketing potential.
The Slovak Route 66 Association® is a civic association of supporters of the legendary US Route 66, also called the „mother of roads“, and its exceptional legacy, which we have applied to Slovakia through the SK Route 66® project.
The Slovak Route 66® project has become a significant factor in road safety and, above all, in the development of tourism in the regions through which the state road I/66 – Slovak Route 66 passes, from the border with Hungary in Šahy through Krupina, Zvolen, Banská Bystrica, Lopej (headquarters of SK Route 66), Brezno, Heľpa, Telgárt, Poprad, Kežmarok, Spišská Belá, Ždiar to Tatranská Javorina, the border between Slovakia and Poland.
The goal of the European Route 66 project
Based on the success of the SK Route 66® project in the conditions of the Slovak Republic, the authors of the project decided to join the program of connecting the Baltic and Adriatic Seas with the Route 66 phenomenon as the EUROPEAN ROUTE 66 – EU ROUTE 66. The European Route 66 is a tool for the significant development of tourism throughout its corridor. The basic goal of the European Route 66 project is to connect the states of Poland, Slovakia, Hungary and Croatia, from the Baltic to the Adriatic Sea, and thus create a significant transnational European tourist corridor with a significant contribution to the development of regions and their economic sustainability, but also to the development of tourism and road safety.
European Route 66 Project Program
In order to highlight the international significance of the EU Route 66 project, we are planning to build the FIRST EUROPEAN INFORMATION PORTAL on the border of Slovakia with Hungary in Šahy, and at the same time we are working intensively on the preparation of the project of the second European information portal, which will be located on the border with Poland in Tatranská Javorina.
The European Route 66® project is implemented in seven priority themes:
1. Transport – safety
The objective of priority topic 1 is to build safety features and increase the quality of the state road I/66 to the quality declared in the commitment to the European Commission as a „European Model Safe Road of Class I“ and to reduce the traffic accident rate – zero tolerance of fatal traffic accidents in accordance with the European Commission’s „Zero vision“ commitment. In the EU Route 66 project, we emphasize the expansion and use of these objectives to the entire length of the European Route 66 from Poland, through Slovakia, Hungary to Croatia. Within priority topic 1, the project’s ambition is to develop motorcycle tourism and increase the number of overnight stays of migrating motorcycle tourists.
2. Economic – development
Priority topic 2 is focused on the economic development of the areas through which the SK Route 66® passes, in connection with the project of the future EU Route 66, the locations through which this future transnational route will pass are also included. By creating the transnational corridor Poland – Slovakia – Hungary – Croatia, we expect an increase in employment in individual regions of the Slovak Republic but also in other participating countries. The benefit of topic 2 is also obvious in the further development of tourism in connection with the increase in visitor numbers.
3. Environmental
The third theme is focused on reducing the ecological burden on the environment around the SK Route 66® road, mainly the removal of toxic „tar“ pits in the cadastre of the municipality of Predajná, the use of renewable energy for road maintenance, the construction of a continuous road network of charging stations for electric cars and electric bicycles. In this axis, we want to approach the maturity and quality of infrastructure in Western EU countries.
4. Social
At the level of SK Route 66®, within the scope of priority theme 4, we cooperate with local governments of cities and municipalities to improve the living conditions of marginalized groups of citizens living on SK Route 66®, especially pensioners and Roma. The activities of this axis are ensured by re-education and education in various areas of life, improving work skills, helping abused women and mothers with children, etc
5. Sports
The aim of priority topic 5 is to create conditions for various sports activities of both motorized and non-motorized nature on SK Route 66®. In 2015, the initial stage of the cycling race „Around Slovakia – SK Route 66 Prize“ was held under the auspices of the Slovak Association Route 66®. In 2016, the 60th year of the Around Slovakia race took place, and the Prologue led through SK Route 66®. In 2024 and 2025, extremely successful hillclimb events were held in Brezno and Čierny Balog, organized as the International Championships of the Slovak and Czech Republics.
6. Spiritual
The SK Route 66® route passes through villages where there are numerous Roman Catholic churches, as well as churches of other denominations, which are often national or otherwise protected monuments. The aim of this priority axis is to highlight the spiritual dimension of the regions of the three Roman Catholic dioceses through which the SK Route 66® passes
7. Cultural – historical
There are many national cultural monuments along the entire SK Route 66® route that deserve attention and better marking, which we are gradually building. Castles, chateaux, manor houses and various other historical objects are an integral part of the cultural heritage of the Slovak Republic. A significant part of priority theme 7 is the cultural heritage and folklore traditions of the individual territories of the participating states. The ambition is to establish a tradition of organizing international folklore festivals. The aim of priority theme 7 is to make them more visible, increase attendance, revitalize them and increase awareness of the beauties of Slovakia.
Priority themes 1 and 2 are also fully usable in the transnational project EU Route 66. Here we will continue to insist on building high-quality infrastructure, using the most modern safety features with a strong emphasis on zero tolerance for fatal traffic accidents along the entire route. The EU Route 66 project has enormous potential for fulfilling the economic-development emphasis of priority theme 2.
Priority topics 6 and 7 are applicable to a significant extent due to the common history of the V4 countries, especially in the spiritual area with Poland (topic 6) and in the cultural-historical area (topic 7) with Hungary, where, especially in the south of Slovakia, but also in other parts of Slovakia, there are a large number of cultural monuments associated with important personalities from Slovakia, Hungary and other participating countries.