Cultural Directory of Slovakia

Pravda Daily arose after 1989 by a transition from the most-read Communist daily in Slovakia and it is also considered to be one of the Slovak influential broadsheet journals. The daily brings the latest news from Slovakia and from abroad, analyses the political and economic issues, and brings information from different areas of social life.

The Slovak Spectator is Slovakia’s only English-language newspaper. It is published weekly by The Rock, s.r.o. publishing house and covers local news, culture and business. The company also publishes five special publications that appear throughout the year, including the acclaimed Spectacular Slovakia travel guide, the Book of Lists business directory, and comprehensive guides to local real estate, investment environment and human resources.

The Union of Slovak Television Creators (ÚSTT) was founded as a civic association in 1990. It brings together professionals from the field of audiovisual production, organizes parades, evaluates audiovisual production on festivals and non-competitive events, holds seminars and workshops. Its main recent activities include co-organization of the Envirofilm Festival in Banská Bystrica, of so called "Igric" oldest audiovisual competition, and the annual participation as well as the organization of the Slovak part of the "Festival of Czech and Slovak Documentary Production" in Prague.

Launched in 1996, the Dosky Theatre Awards are presented annually at the International theatre festival Divadelná Nitra and represent a vote on the best creative acts of the past season in the area of professional theatre in Slovakia – drama, opera, musical, puppet theatre, ballet and contemporary dance.

Alexander Duchnovič Theatre in Prešov is a professional, cultural and artistic theatre establishment. Its basic mission is to form conditions for the creation and public dissemination of theatrical works with a special focus on the development of the cultural life of Ruthenians living in the territory of the Slovak Republic.

Established in 2000 and organised annually by the Bratislava in Movement Association, this international festival of contemporary dance has developed into a major event with several different activities and is recognised throughout the European community. In addition to presenting innovative contemporary dance productions, the festival initiates, commissions, and produces dance and multimedia projects, and organises practical workshops and theoretical conferences.

Ifjú Szivek Dance Theatre was established in 1955 and is a professional state funded Dance Theatre. The ensemble collects, archives and performs traditional dance and music from the Carpathian region, including those of the Hungarian, Slovak, Romanian and Roma cultures. While focusing on the Hungarian heritage, the ensemble also collects performs the vibrant dances and music of all these different nationalities.

Originally established in 1952 as the Hungarian Provincial Theatre, Jókai Theatre Komárno is a professional theatre company which performs in the Hungarian language. Since the theatre plays especially for citizens of Hungarian nationality living in Slovakia, its repertoire consists of plays or dramatisations of novels by Hungarian authors.

Lúčnica - the Artistic Ensemble is a cultural representative of the Slovak Republic. Thanks to its interpretative mastery and broad fantasy, inspired by folk traditions, it can create stylised staged dance and singing programmes to the highest professional artistic level. The ensemble keeps and uses all essential means and characteristic features of Slovak traditional culture. In its more than 62-year long history (since 1948) more than 2,500 young people have passed through the member base of the ensemble.

Nova Scena (New Stage) Theatre began life as a second theatre in Bratislava after extensive debate (especially in the press) about the need to supplement the work of the Slovak National Theatre (SND) by providing a platform for new theatre genres, forms and styles.

The Slovak Chamber Theatre in Martin was established in 1944 as the second professional theatre company in Slovakia. The theatre opened thanks to the initiative of people like Ján Marták, magazine editor Ivan Turzo, Jozef Cíger-Hronský, Rapoš Gabriel and actor and director Andrei Bagar.

Founded in 1920, the Slovak National Theatre became a state-run company in 1945. Today it comprises three ensembles - drama, opera and ballet - with a central scenery shop providing sets for all productions.

The Slovak Philharmonic Orchestra was founded in 1949. Two remarkable internationally acclaimed personalities, Václav Talich (Principal Conductor 1949-1952) and Ľudovít Rajter (1949-1976, until 1961 its Artistic Director) asisted at its birth.

In 1960 the Slovak Chamber Orchestra was established by the outstanding violinist of Silesian origin, Bohdan Warchal (1930-2000). Since the beginning of its existence it has been one of the most popular ensembles of classical music in Slovakia.

Spiš Regional Theatre is a theatre with over 40 years of history, embracing many of Slovakia's greatest theatre actors, directors, music composers and performing artists. Operating under its present name, since 1982, it is based at the Reduta building but also tyours its work around the country, focusing on theatre for children and youth.

State opera was founded in 1959. The first performance of the youngest opera theatre in Slovakia was Foerster’s opera Eve, directed by the first chief of the company, František Rell, and conducted by Jozef Kende.The most well-know artists performing in the opera ensemble were: Dagmar Rohová, Štefan Babjak, Jozef Konder, Milan Schenko, Andrej Bystran and Ladislav Longauer, later increased František Caban, Ján Zemko, Jan Hadraba, Božena Fresserová, Jarmila Vašicová, Božena Lenhardová, Mária Murgašová, Tamara Brummerová, Alena Dvorská-Hodálová, Oľga Hromadová, Mária Tomanová and the others.

Thalia Theatre was founded in 1969 as a branch of the Hungarian Regional Theatre in Komárno. It had a separate artistic leadership, however it shared management and administration with Hungarian Regional Theatre. The creation of a separate stage in Košice was motivated by the effort to make available the professional performing arts to the citizens of Hungarian nationality living in eastern and central Slovakia, which required the establishment of a nationwide touring theatre.

Theatre Astorka Korzo´90 aims to follow in the footsteps of Bratislava’s Divadlo na Korze Theatre, which was closed in the hard-line crackdown following the Soviet invasion of 1968. Divadlo na Korze Theatre was known for its groundbreaking choice of plays and directorial attitudes to modern world classics.

The Contemporary Dance Association is a non governmental organisation founded in 1996 by contemporary dance students, teachers and dancers in Bratislava.

The mission of the Slovak Association of Brass Music is (i) to foster the development of brass music at home and its promotion abroad; (ii) to encourage brass players to organise themselves into civil societies, brass bands and other clubs, whose activities are close to the brass music; (iii) to register associations as legal entities in the register of associations of brass music; (iv) to provide advisory services; (v) to award honours, honourable mentions, diplomas, prizes and rewards; and (v) to co-operate with the Ministry of Culture, the National Awareness Centre, the Ministry of Educ

SLOVGRAM represents the rights of performers and producers of sound and sound-image records, and collects, manages and distributes earnings to performers and producers of sound and sound-image records which belong to them due to the Copyright law.

A refurbished former recording studio of the Czechoslovak Radio dating from the 1930s, Studio 12 was opened in December 2001 with the aim of providing a space for the presentation of the new Slovak and world drama and modern art. As it is listed as an industrial monument, the Studio's architectural arrangement and interior fixtures have been conserved in an almost their original state.

Established in 2005, the Festival of Contemporary Slovak and World Drama is the only festival of its kind in Slovakia, which focuses on productions of contemporary Slovak and world drama in Slovak theatres. The Festival originated in 2000 when the Theatre Institute launched a competition for playwrights in Slovakia called Dráma.

Hosted annually by the FOTOFO Foundation at the Central European House of Photography, the Month of Photography Bratislava festival spans over 40 exhibitions and includes work by photographers from Central and Eastern Europe (Slovakia, Poland, the Baltic Republics, Austria, Russia, Bulgaria, Romania, Germany, Hungary).

Founded in January 1991, MÉDIUM Gallery is a part of the Academy of Fine Arts and Design in Bratislava. Its exhibition activities are an important part of the artistic and educational plan of the academy and comprise a mix of student and professional exhibitions.

Foundation - Centre for Contemporary Arts (former Soros Centre for Contemporary Arts) was founded in 1993 in the frame of OSI network in Eastern Europe. F-CCA has been working for 16 years already, supporting the expansion of contemporary arts, specifically of visual arts, music, dance, theatre, cinema and film through its activities following the 'open society' philosophy.

Established in 1921 in Bratislava, the original Slovak Artistic Forum was an artistic group where painters, writers, musicians and other artists joined forces to develop the national culture as well as Czech-Slovak and European cultural relationships. Important members of this group included architect Dušan Jurkovič and artists Gustáv Mallý, Martin Benka, Janko Alexy, Mikuláš Galanda and Ľudovít Fulla, whose works comprise a 'Golden Fund' of Slovak fine arts of the 20th century. After 1950 the Slovak Artistic Forum was dismissed along with many other cultural organisations.

Opened in 2007 by the Slovak Design Centre, Satelit (Satellite) is an exhibition hall and contact point through which the Slovak Design Centre communicates to the outside world its activities and current issues in the sphere of Slovak design. Satelit hosts a regular programme of exhibitions showcasing both professional and student design, and also hosts presentations, workshops, discussions and professional seminars. The space also creates possibilities for regular exchange activity - including both research projects and exhibitions - involving foreign organisations.

Centre for Folk Art Production is a contributory organization of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of the SR, founded in 1945 to preserve and promote folk art production as a component of cultural heritage.

The ÚĽUV Regional Craft Centre, Bratislava is a regional contact centre for consultancy, exhibitions and education in the field of folk art and crafts. The centre has an established group of artistic advisers, crafts lecturers and acts independently in the promotion and education of artisans around the region. In addition, the centre manages the ÚĽUV Craft School Bratislava and the ÚĽUV Design Studio.

ÚĽUV Design Studio in Bratislava was opened to the public in 2000 with the objective to make people familiar with traditional Slovak design. ÚĽUV Design Studio provides space for both renowned designers and beginners to display their works of arts.

The ÚĽUV Craft School offers courses for adults and children, as well as sample work from craftsmen in its craft workshops throughout the whole year. Its facilities include a wood carving workshop equipped with both contemporary tools and heritage tools; a weaving workshop with loom and tools for fine textile techniques; a basket making workshop for working with wicker, straw and cornhusk; and a pottery workshop equipped for the production of all ceramic products, including hand turning on potter's wheel, decoration and firing in an electric kiln.

The Literature Information Centre was established by the Ministry of Culture with the aim of providing material and organisational support to literature written in Slovakia, its authors and translators.

The Department of Archival Preservation carries out tasks connected with the complex preservation of archival documents. It is divided into two organisational units. The first one includes laboratories for the conservation and restoration of documents, where, first of all, paper and parchment documents in separate sheets or in a book form, large format documents, such as maps, plans, drawings, seals and contemporary documents are being restored. These activities are closely linked to applied research in the above mentioned field.

The department was founded on 1 July 1993 by the integration of the former departments of history of capitalism and history of socialism. At present, the department has in custody 351 archival fonds of central legislative and governmental bodies from the periods of the First Czechoslovak Republic, the Slovak Republic and the post-war period of Czecho-Slovakia between 1918 and 1968, totalling 23,818 linear shelving metres.

The Department of Reference Services organises and provides links between the Archives and the public as well as services connected with the use of archival documents for scientific, cultural and administrative purposes. The department provides, in the first place to educational institutions, organised visits to the archives accompanied by professional explanation on archives tasks and it also provides professional tutors to university students of archival studies during their compulsory study stays.

The State Archives in Banská Bystrica oversees the following branches:

The State Archives in Bytča oversees the following branches:

The State Archives in Levoča oversees the following branches:

The Stará Ľubovňa branch of the State Archives in Levoča.

The State Archives in Prešov oversees the following branches: