Cultural Directory of Slovakia

Situated in Bratislava Castle on Castle Hill, the Museum of History SNM aims to acquire, preserve, scientifically and professionally process, use and make available collections documenting the development of society in Slovakia from the Middle Ages until the present. In this context of the museum’s specialisation it has a nationwide scope.

Kálmán Mikszáth Memorial House, Sklabina is the early 19th-century house in which the family of writer Kálmán Mikszáth settled in 1852. To this day the house remains in the ownership of relatives of the Mikszáth family. Kálmán Mikszáth himself spent his childhood here and returned while he was studying in Rimavská Sobota and Banská Štiavnica. The house was restored during the second half of the 20th century and a memorial exhibition on the writer, his life and work was opened in three rooms of the house in 1978.

The Museum of Jewish Culture SNM originated as the Department of Jewish Culture at the Museum of History SNM, becoming an independent specialised museum institution in 1994. A national museum, its activities are focused on developing the spiritual and material Jewish culture and documenting the Holocaust in Slovakia.

Trnava Synagogue was built in 1891 according to the plans of Viennese architect Jakub Gartner. The building, with its striking two-tower façade, has been partially reconstructed and now accommodates an exhibition of the Museum of Jewish Culture (installed in the women’s gallery) and a contemporary art space used by Synagogue - Center of Contemporary Art, Ján Koniarek Gallery in Trnava. In front of the Synagogue is a memorial to victims of the Holocaust, built after World War II according to a design by architect Artur Szalatnai-Slatinský.

In the past, two separate Jewish communities operated in Žilina. Today the Jewish religious community uses the Orthodox house of prayer, which also incorporates one of the exhibitions of the Museum of Jewish Culture SNM. Though no longer used for religious purposes, the former neological synagogue is one of the most significant examples of modern synagogue architecture in Europe. This remarkable functionalist building was built in 1929-31 according to the designs of important German architect Peter Behrens.

The Museum of Magyar Culture and the Danube, Komárno originated in 1886 with the activities of various museum and educational societies which remained active until end of World War II. The most prominent of these was the Jokai Educational and Museum Society, active from 1911 to 1945. In 1948 this society was housed in the building of the District Museum Society at Komárno, a remarkable pseudo-Romantic structure built in 1913. In 1949 it was renamed the Museum of Magyar Culture and the Danube, Komárno.

Originally constructed in Gothic style during the period 1272-1277, Modrý Kameň Castle belonged for several centuries to the prominent Old Hungarian family Balass, who adapted the castle several times and established it as part of the anti-Turkish line of defence. The castle was also the birthplace of the famous Old Hungarian Renaissance poet Valentín Balass. Destroyed in 1593 by Turkish forces, it was rebuilt in 1612 with a new bastion, new artillery platforms and deep embankments below the lower castle.

The Museum of Ukrainian Culture in Svidník is a specialised museum with a nationwide scope, the mission of which is to document the basic stages of cultural-historical, political and social development of the Ukrainian-Ruthenians of Slovakia from the oldest times until the present.

Opened in 1982 as a branch of the Museum of Ukrainian-Ruthenian Culture in Svidník, this 10-hectare open air folkloric museum presents the traditional lifestyle of the Ukrainian-Ruthenian community of Slovakia.

German composer Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827) visited Dolná Krupá Mansion on several occasions. He was a friend of the Brunswick family who owned the house and dedicated several of his compositions to them. It is said that Beethoven composed his Moonlight Sonata there.

Founded in 1884 on the initiative of the Spiš Historical Association, Spiš Museum initially had its headquarters in a Gothic house, the so-called Stallung in Mäsiarska street. In 1955 it acquired Levoča Town Hall for the installation of its historical exhibition. In 1968 the museum became responsible for St James's Church at Levoča (a National Cultural Monument), and in January 1989 it took over the management of Spiš Castle, a registered UNESCO World Heritage Site. Spiš Museum became part of the Slovak National Museum in 2002.

Master Pavol’s House is a restored medieval burgher’s house whose most famous owner Master Pavol of Levoča is remembered as the creator of the highest Gothic altar in the world at the Church of St James in Levoča.

Situated above the town of Spišské Podhradie and the village of Žehra in the Spiš region of eastern Slovakia, the ruins of Spiš Castle form one of the largest castle sites in Central Europe. The castle and its surroundings (including Spišská Kapitula and the Church of the Holy Spirit at Žehra) were inscribed in 1993 on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

The Ľudovít Štúr Museum SNM in Modra was set up in 1965 as a specialised literary museum.

The Slovak National Gallery was founded in 1948 as the supreme state institution in the fields of art history, art collecting, scientific research, culture and education.

Opened in 1969, Ľudovít Fulla Gallery was built to deposit and exhibit works of art presented to the Slovak National Gallery by Ľudovít Fulla (1902-1980), one of the most distinguished Slovak artists whose work was closely linked to modern European art streams. It is located in the house where Fulla spent the last two years of his life.

Zvolen Castle was built by the Hungarian king Louis I of Anjou in 70s of the 14th century as a Gothic residence influenced by architecture of Italian city palaces. Originally it served as an occasional residence of the king, however due to Turkish threat it was rebuilt into a Renaissance fortress in 16th century.

Opened in 1991, the Andy Warhol Museum of Modern Art, Medzilaborce was founded on the initiative of Andy Warhol's brother John, art teacher Dr Michal Bicko, Vladimír Protivňák of the Academy of Ruthenian Culture in Slovakia and the Club of Friends of Fine Art at Medzilaborce (FFAM). The museum's predecessor was a small FFAM gallery which, together with the Andy Warhol Society, expended considerable effort to establish a permanent museum dedicated to the life and work of the celebrated American Pop Artist.

The site of Devín Castle – a cliff high above the confluence of the Danube and Morava rivers upstream from Bratislava – has been occupied almost continuously since Neolithic times. It is known to have been fortified during the Bronze and Iron Ages, and both the Celts and the Romans built strong fortresses here; the first Christian church located north of the Danube has been identified amongst the Roman ruins.

Creation of art collection based on research, its protection and evaluation, professional administration, its accessing for the public, its use in terms of art history and cultural education due to contribute research and recognition of art and culture in Slovakia are subject matter of activities of the gallery.

The East Slovakia Gallery, Košice was opened in 1951 as the first regional gallery in Slovakia.

Established in 1969 as the District Museum at Galanta and renamed in 1990, the Homeland Museum documents the history of the milling trade in the Malý Dunaj (Little Danube) River Basin and the lower reaches of the River Váh.

Established in 1959, the Homeland Museum at Hlohovec is a typical regional museum of homeland character whose collections represent the basic branches of social and natural sciences. The museum is located in the Franciscan Monastery at Hlohovec, built in 1942 on the orders of Vavrinec Ujlaky and now a protected cultural monument, with an additional exhibition hall on Razusova Street.

The Horehronie Museum was set up as a homeland museum of the then Brezno District in 1960. Since 1965 it has acquired the status of a regional museum with special orientation to local history. The museum is housed in two buildings – the former Town Hall, a 16th-century building of Renaissance design which acquired its present Late Baroque appearance in 1779-1780, and a renovated burgher house dating from the end of the 16th century; both buildings are National Cultural Monuments.

Kežmarok Castle was constructed as a defensive castle shortly before 1463, when it is first mentioned in connection with the Hungarian Zápoľský family. It was acquired in 1577 by the Thoköly family which had the existing Gothic fortress rebuilt as a luxurious Rennaisance residence. They also built the Baroque chapel. Confiscated by the Habsburgs in the late 17th century following the Thoköly family’s involvement in a failed anti-imperial plot, the castle was sold in 1687 to Ferdinand Rueber, but following his death it was purchased in 1702 by the town of Kežmarok.

Founded in 1972 as a District Museum, Kysuce Museum acquired its present name in 1974. In 1973-1975 it carried out a survey into the folk architecture of Kysuce, and in 1974-1981 it undertook extensive research into the inundated villages of Riecnica and Harvelka, collecting and purchasing objects in the field for its collection. The museum has also acquired numerous important archaeological objects through research activity and field surveys in numerous other locations around Kysucke.

The Museum of Literature and Music in Banská Bystrica is situated near the city's historical centre and is one of the newest museums in Slovakia. It was established in 1969 to document the library and musical culture of the central Slovakian regions of Banská Bystrica and Brezno.

Housed in the Municipal Office, the Pavol Tonkovič Memorial Hall, Podkonice is dedicated to the memory of collector of folk music, conductor, pedagogue and composer Pavol Tonkovič (1907-1980). The exhibition documents Tonkovič’s life and work and also presents the history and ethnology of Podkonice.

Founded in 1956 and initially housed in the Provincial Building on St Nicholas' Square in Stara Ľubovňa, Ľubovňa Museum was relocated in 1966 to Ľubovňa Castle. The museum collects historic, ethnographic and artistic items, concentrating on the area of Stará Ľubovňa. Special exhibitions include:The Crafts exhibition, which shows the basic crafts pursued in this region, particularly those from nearby villages;History of the castle – basic events in history of the castle;

The traditions of collecting documentary material relating to mining at Gelnica stretch back to the times of Empress Maria Theresia. However, the present museum was founded in 1963 in the building of the former town hall.

The Museum of Education and Pedagogy, Bratislava is a central museum of education. It was established in 1970 by a decision of the Ministry of Education.

Orava is a region in the northernmost part of Slovakia. Covering 8 hectares in a beautiful landscape under the West Tatra mountains, Museum of Orava village displays rural building, living and farming in Orava region in the past.Originally, there were only pastures in this place. In 1967 building of the museum began and succesively 56 houses from various Orava villages were removed here. Almost all of them are wooden log-cabin houses, so they were disassembled at the original place, removed to the museum and here reassembled.

Liptov Village Museum in Pribylina is the youngest open-air museum in Slovakia, available since 1991. It's establishment is related to the construction of water reservoir of Liptovská Mara, in order to protect the most valuable movable and immovable estates. Liptov Village Museum exhibition documents the housing and the way of life of Liptov's population with different social backgrounds in the past. Besides wooden folk architecture also medieval stone buildings, an early Gothic church and a Gothic-Renaissance style mansion are present.

The Winter of 1944-5 saw the systematic suppression of the armed revolt of the Slovak people – the Slovak National Uprising (SNP). A mere suspicion of assistance rendered to insurgents was often sufficient reason for bloody reprisals against local people. On the night of 17-18 March 1945 the Germans encircled and set aflame the Upper Hron village of Kalište. Of the 42 original houses only six remained. After the war, the foundations of the burned houses scattered across the hillside were conserved and the cemetery and the chapel were restored.

Established in 1951, the Museum of the Spiš Region, Spišská Nová Ves is located in the former Spišská Nová Ves Town Hall, one of the most valuable historical buildings in the town whose foundations are believed to date from the 15th century. In 1774 it became the Provincial House, seat of the newly-constituted province of the 16 Spiš Towns. Today the building is noteworthy for its façade, decorated by six Rococo stucco cartouches, which dates from the 18th century.

Žitný Ostrov-Csallóköz Museum, Dunajska Streda was founded in 1964 in the so-called Yellow Manor House (Žltý kaštieľ), taking over the collections and functions an the earlier museum established in 1927 at Šamorín. Its permanent exhibition comprises 11 thematic units focusing on the archaeological and palaeontological, historical and ethnological development of the region.

Novohrad Museum in Lučenec was established in the year 1955 as a District Museum in Halič. In the years 1967 - 1985 was relocated to Fiľakovo under the name of Novohrad Museum. Since the year 1985 has been settled in the monument building of county courthouse in the historical centre of the town Lučenec.

The Pavol Országh Hviezdoslav Museum of Orava, Dolný Kubín was founded in 1980 through a merger of the Orava Museum at Oravský Podzámok and the Pavol Országh Hviezdoslav Literary Museum at Dolný Kubín. Named after the great Slovak poet, dramatist, translator and politician Pavol Országh Hviezdoslav (1849-1921), it is housed in the building of the Čaplovič Library, which it also administers.

The Peter Michal Bohúň Gallery, Liptovský Mikuláš was founded in 1955 with the aim of collecting, protecting, managing and scientifically processing works of ancient and modern art and making them accessible to the public. Besides contemporary art, its activity also focuses on 19th-century works of art, with the extensive collection of painter and graphic artist Peter Michal Bohúň (1822-1879) taking pride of place. The gallery's collecting activity covers the entire Slovakia, but focuses particularly on the region of Liptov and its environs.

TThe Pohronie Museum, Nová Baňa originated in 1952 as a municipal museum founded on the initiative of antiquities collector Anton Solčansky. In 1988 it was turned into a museum with a local history orientation for the Pohronie region. The headquarters of the museum are in the former Town Hall – a four-storey Gothic building dating from the second half of the 14th century which was rebuilt in the mid 18th century. It is now a National Cultural Monument.

The Museum of Art Žilina as the only institution in the Žilina Self-Governing Region it specialises in the research and presentation of contemporary art. Thi s strategy, mirrored in the acquisition policy, sets the Museum apart from the other museum in the region. It is the only Museum in the town that also collects and presents fine arts. In the Museum is opened the pernament exhibition of the art works of Vincent Hložník.

Located in the historic Rákoczi Palace in the centre of Prešov, Prešov Regional Museum originated in 1945 as a Municipal Museum, later becoming a Regional Museum and from 1961 the Museum of the Slovak Council Republic.

Established in 1903 as a museum of the Šariš zhupa (district) and located in the Old Town Hall (1505–1511), Šariš Museum documents the development of nature and society in the Upper Šariš region.

Located at Berggericht, seat of the Mining Court from the 16th century and later used by the famous Mining Academy (Banskej akadémie), the Mineralogical Exhibition comprises a systematic mineralogy display representing over 400 types of mineral.

Slovak Technical Museum (STM) offers an insight into the history and traditions of science and technology. Being the main centre of museum documentation of science development as well as of manufacturing and technology it administers ample collections, initiates care-taking of selected technical monuments in situ in the whole territory of Slovakia, provides technical assistance for their preservation and renovation. It also surveys the contribution of Slovakia and its personalities to development of world science and technology.

Opened in 1990 at Budimir Mansion, the Historical Timepiece Exhibition is a branch of the Slovak Technical Museum dedicated to the history of time measuring and clocks.