Opened in 1968 in the former family home of Slovak photographic optics pioneer Jozef Maximilián Petzval (1807-1891), this museum documents Petzval’s important contribution to the development of modern photographic and cinematographic technique. Collections include a rare, all-metal daguerreotype instrument with a Petzval lens of 1840 produced by German optician Voigtländer, plus cameras, devices, aids and instruments dating from Petzval's times up to the very latest models.
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In days gone by, hammer mills driven by water were used as forges. Medzev and its surroundings were one of the most productive metalworking regions in Slovakia, and by the late 19th century there were 109 hammer mills in the valleys around Medzev.
Established in 2002 in the Košice Airport compound, the Museum of Aviation in Košice documents the development of aviation in Slovakia from the earliest days up to 1943.
The Museum of Transport, Bratislava was opened in June 1999 as a branch of the Slovak Technical Museum in Košice. Housed in a railway storehouse near Bratislava Railway Station, the museum displays artefacts collected over a period of 70 years illustrating the history and development of road and railway transport in Slovakia.
Established in 1987, Spiš Artists' Gallery, Spišská Nová Ves collects, documents and researches works of art in relation to Slovakia, with specific reference to Spiš. The gallery's collection is predominantly made up of works (painting, sculpture, prints, photography) by regional artists from the late 19th century down to the present, numbering over 800 pieces.
Founded in 1960 at Starý Smokovec, Tatra Gallery is now based at Poprad.
The origins of Trenčín Museum are connected with the foundation in 1877 of the Natural History Club of Trenčín zhupa, which was engaged in collecting objects as well as lecturing and publishing activities. In 1912 the museum became a municipal institution, and in 1940 its collections were moved to the present building, the former Zhupa House.
Located in a bastion of the town walls dating from the 17th century, the Ignác Bizmayer Gallery, Modra presents selected works of figural ceramic production by National Artist Ignác Bizmayer (b 1922).
Turiec Gallery is a museum-like regional institution. Currently it offers a permanent exhibition of 20th-century modern Slovak art from the Turiec area, plus two or three temporary exhibitions each year. The mission of the Gallery is to build, present, and protect its collection and to undertake research, cultural and educational and exhibition activities.
Opened in 1985, originally as a branch of the Slovak National Museum in Bojnice, Upper Nitra Museum contains documents and artefacts on the history, archaeology, natural history, ethnography and art and crafts of the Upper Nitra region.
Founded in 1960, the Vihorlat Museum at Humenné has been housed since 1969 at Humenné Mansion, a large Renaissance-Baroque building which was once the seat of the powerful Drugeth family. It houses an extensive collection of period furniture and fittings, documents and artefacts relating to the art, history and natural history of the Upper Zemplín region.
Opened in 1954, the West Slovakia Museum at Trnava is housed in the building of the former 13th-century Clarists' convent which became an army hospital after 1782. One of the largest museums in Slovakia, it houses 149,643 objects, 65,970 of which are from natural history, 34,297 from ethnography and 49,376 from history. There is also a historical library which contains 50,039 items.
Established in 1984, the Záhorie Gallery, Senica is a regional gallery with responsibility for documenting and exhibiting the fine art of the Záhorie region. Housed in a Late Baroque manor house dating from 1760, the gallery’s collection originated with the art collection of Záhorie Museum at Skalica, which was assembled in the mid 1960s. The gallery presents changing exhibitions of works from this collection.
The Záhorie Museum, Skalica is a regional museum with a special focus on the Záhorie region.
Zemplín Museum in Michalovce was founded in 1957 as Zemplín Homeland Museum, and it has been operatrating under the current name since 1965. Since its inception the museum has been focusing on research and documentation of nature, ancient and medieval history, history and culture and arts of Zemplín region. It specializes in the field of vertebrate zoology, ancient history, ecclesiastical history, agrarian ethnography, fine arts and arts and crafts from 19th until 21st century. The seat of the museum is a Baroque - Classicist mansion of Sztaray aristocratic family.
Situated in a large wooden basin caused by a collapsed volcano, Banská Štiavnica is a completely preserved medieval town with an important history of silver and gold mining.
The mansion was built in the centre of the village in 1793-1795 in a place of a building from the first half of the 17th century following the requests of new owners, the Brunsvik family. In 1792 Joseph Brunsvik (1750 - 1827) addressed Johann Joseph Thalherr, the principal architect at the Hungarian Royal Chamber of Engineering with the requirement to develop plans how to rebuilding the castle so that it would suit the social status of the owner. The work took place until 1796.
Komárno Fortress was the first bastion-fortified structure in inland Europe and in its day the largest and most sophisticated fortified structure in the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Situated at the crossing of the trade routes by the confluence of the Vah and Danube Rivers, it was constructed between 1546 and 1557 on the ruins of the 13th-century Komárno Castle as part of the anti-Turk defensive system, probably according to the ideas of Italian fortification specialist P Ferrabosco. After several reconstructions it got its final design in 1592.
Smolenice Castle was built in the late 19th and early 20th centuries on the site of a 14th-century castle which had guarded the border mountain pass between Slovak and Czech territory. In 1777 the castle passed to the Pálffy family, but due to its poor condition and lack of money reconstruction did not commence until 1887.
Located three kilometres from Spiš Castle, the Church of the Holy Spirit at Žehra belongs to the group of two-nave churches which are unique to the Spiš region.
The Academy of Arts in Banská Bystrica was established on 1 July 1997 by the Law of the National Council of the Slovak Republic as an institution for the training of professional artists. The Academy aims to develop creative knowledge and to train its students to the highest level in music, fine arts and dramatic arts, allowing them to find employment in relevant areas in the Slovak Republic and abroad. The Academy of Arts consists of three faculties: the Faculty of Music; the Faculty of Fine Arts; and the Faculty of Dramatic Arts.
The Faculty of Drama, established in 1999, originated from the former Department of Acting and Directing. At the time of its inception the Faculty of Drama consisted of the full time students involved in studying Dramatic Arts - Acting and Dramatic Arts – Directing Study Programs.
The aim of the Faculty of Music is to educate professional concert performers such as soloists, chamber and orchestral players, concert and opera singers, composers and choral conductors in Bachelor and Masters study programmes and since 2006 also in Doctorate degree study programmes.
The Faculty of Fine Arts at the Academy of Arts, Banská Bystrica offers full-time study programmes in Fine Art. The Bachelors programme includes study of Audiovisual media, Graphics, Painting and Sculpture, while the Masters programme involves just one study area - Free Fine Art.
Established in 1949, the Academy of Fine Arts and Design (VŠVU) is a modern, fully-accredited institute of higher education which provides complex education in the field of fine arts, design, architecture and conservation at undergraduate, graduate and postgraduate levels. Study is practice-based, with wide instruction in theory and history of art and architecture.
The Department of Applied Art offers four-year Bachelors programmes and two-year Masters programmes in Applied Arts and Graphic Design.
The Department of Architecture offers four-year Bachelors programmes in Architectural Creation and two-year Masters programmes in Architecture.
The Department of Industrial Design offers four-year Bachelors programmes and two-year Masters programmes in Industrial Design.
The Department of Intermedia and Multimedia Art offers four-year Bachelors programmes and two-year Masters programmes in Intermedia and Multimedia.
The Department of Painting and Other Media offers four-year Bachelors programmes and two-year Masters programmes in Painting and Other Media.
The Department of Photography and New Media offers four-year Bachelors programmes and two-year Masters programmes in Photography and New Media.
The Department of Printmaking and Other Media offers four-year Bachelors programmes and two-year Masters programmes in Printmaking and Other Media.
The Department of Restoration offers four-year Bachelors programmes and two-year Masters programmes in Restoration of Painting and Restoration of Sculpture.
Department of Visual Communication consists of three studios:
The Film and Television Faculty of the Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts is one of the faculties of the Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts in Bratislava. It is the youngest faculty of the school; established in 1990 by act of federal government.
The Faculty of Theatre offers three-year BA, two-year MA and three-year ArtD programmes in Acting, Directing and Dramaturgy (including theatre management), Stage and Costume Design, Puppetry and Theatre Theory, preparing students in every aspect of professional theatre and equipping them with a broad foundation on which to build their careers.
The Academy of Ruthenian Culture in Slovakia is an academic and charitable institution founded by Steven Chepa in 2001 for the purpose of encouraging new work and preserving the insights and beauty of Ruthenian (Rusyn) culture for the benefit of all mankind. It has branches all over the world.
The establishment of the Catholic University in Ružomberok was confirmed according to the Law of the National Council of the Slovak Republic No 167/2000 of the Code of 10 May 2000 by the Bishop’s Conference of Slovakia.
The Faculty of Education was established on 1 July 2000 as a part of the Catholic University in Ružomberok on the basis of the former St Andrew`s Catechetical and Pedagogical Faculty.
Constantine the Philosopher University in Nitra has undergone a long development. In 1959 the Pedagogical Institute was established, in 1964 the Pedagogical Faculty, in 1992 the College of Education, while the University obtained its current name of Constantine the Philosopher in 1996.
Faculty of Arts, Constantine the Philosopher University (CPU) in Nitra is a leading educational and research institution amongst Slovak universities and faculties. Its mission is to develop education, science, moral behavior, art and culture promoting national, universal, human and democratic traditions.
The Faculty of Central European Studies is the youngest Faculty of Constantine the Philosopher University in Nitra. The Faculty was established in 2003 with the intention to continue the long-lasting tradition of training basic and secondary school teachers in Hungarian language.
The Faculty of Education originated in 1959 as the Pedagogical Institute, and was renamed in 1964. It is responsible for training students in the field of natural sciences, social sciences and art. From 1992-1996 the Faculty became a separate College of Education within the University of Nitra.
Founded in September 1992, the Ján Levoslav Bella Conservatory, Banská Bystrica is the youngest of the four state conservatories in Slovakia. The Conservatory bears the name of leading Slovak composer Ján Levoslav Bella (1843-1936), who from 1859-1863 studied in in Banská Bystrica and from 1865-1869 taught music and singing at the Theological Seminary.
Matej Bel University was established on 1 July 1992 following the integration of the former Faculty of Education of the Slovak University of Bratislava and the Faculty of Economics of the Economic University Bratislava.
The object of its mission is the education of civilly-qualified, professionally prepared, creative and flexible graduates for work mostly in departments of education and culture, but also in civil and public management.The Faculty of Humanities of Matej Bel University is searching and using the optimal tools to fulfil its mission:
Studies at the faculty are carried out by nine departments, which employ 118 university teachers. The Faculty of Education provides instruction in accredited programs at the 1st, 2nd and 3rd levels of university studies.
Pavol Jozef Šafárik University belongs to important and acknowledged educational and scientific establishments not only in the Slovak Republic but also in developed Europe.
The history of the Faculty of Arts dates back to 1660 when a university was established in Košice by Emperor Leopold I, who granted it all the privileges and rights of a faculty, on a par with the universities in Vienna, Prague, Olomouc, Graz and Trnava.
The Institute of Education in Rožňava offers a Bachelors degree programme in Sport and Leisure which aims to prepare specialised personnel for a career in managing sports and leisure amenities.
Originally established in 1966 as the Secondary School of Industrial Arts, this institution originally comprised departments of Surface and Plastic Engraving of Metals and Artistic Blacksmithery and Locksmithery. New departments were subsequently introduced, including Goldsmithery and Silversmithery, Artistic Casting, Design of Machines and Tools and Design of Plastic Products. A Department of Conservation and Restoration was opened in 1980 and a Department of Design of Toys and Decorative Objects in 1989.
The Slovak University of Technology in Bratislava is a modern educational and scientific institution. Since its foundation in 1937 more than 105,000 students have graduated here. On average around 16,000 students study at STU every year. At present, the University consists of seven faculties. All of the STU faculties offer accredited programmes within a complex Bachelors, Masters and PhD study system.
The Faculty of Architecture SUT is the largest educational institution for architects in the Slovak Republic. The trends of the Faculty are developed and based on ongoing development of the 'university platform' of University Education. Bound to it is the recently-realised innovation of the Faculty's profile and its education activities within the Bachelors, Masters and PhD study programmes.
One of the seven faculties of the Slovak University of Technology in Bratislava (SUT), the Faculty of Informatics and Information Technologies covers the area of informatics and information technologies (IIT) in both research and education, being the first faculty in the Slovak Republic with such a mission.
The Technical University of Košice was founded in 1952, but its roots must be sought much deeper in the past. The origins of higher technical education in Košice reach back to 1937, when the M.R.Štefánik State Technical College was established in the city.
The Faculty of Arts at the Technical University of Košice was established in 1999 as the eighth Faculty of the University, originally under the name Faculty of Applied Arts. The school was founded on the basis of the former Department of Design within the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and the former Department of Architecture within the Faculty of Civil Engineering.
Re-established in 1992, Trnava University of Trnava follows in the traditions of the original Trnava University (1635-1777), one of the oldest universities in Central Europe established by Cardinal-Primate Péter Pázmány, which became an important centre of Slovak education and literature.
The mission of the Faculty of Education is to train teachers to teach at basic school level and to impart the principles of humanity and Christianity. It educates elementary and secondary school teachers in various subjects, including Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics, Natural History, Slovak Language and Literature, Ethics and Arts and Crafts.
The Faculty of Philosophy follows the traditions of the original Universitas Tyrnaviensis of 1635-1777, particularly its Faculty of Arts, and the principles stated in the Preamble of Trnava University of Trnava.
University of Economics in Bratislava (UE in Bratislava) provides comprehensive training in economic and management study programs.
The Faculty of Commerce prepares professionals in the area of business and commerce and in international trade for production companies, advisory agencies, services, tourism, and for institutions of state and public administration.
Prešov has a long-established tradition of education and academic excellence.The University of Prešov has been a stabile constituent of the Slovak higher education space for a longer period of time. Some of its faculties have been here for more than a half of a century, other for several decades and in case of the younger ones – just several years.
The Faculty of Arts is a higher educational and research institution focusing on the training of experts in the fields of philological, philosophical, historical, pedagogical and psychological sciences, in teaching as well as in non-teaching specialisations and as single and double majors.
The University of St Cyril and Methodius (UCM) in Trnava was established on 1 August 1997.
The Faculty of Education of the University of St Cyril and Methodius in Trnava is a modern scientific workplace with a balanced structure of study programmes offered in several forms of study. It gives students a free choice of profiling in their own Bachelors and Masters study programmes.
The Faculty of Mass Media Communications of the University of St Cyril and Methodius in Trnava comprises Departments of Arts Communication, Language Communication, Law and Human Sciences, Marketing Communications and Media Communications
The main mission of the Academy of Arts, Banská Bystrica Library is to provide library-information service to serve and facilitate the educational process and artistic and scientific activity of the university staff, university students but also users from other sites.
Organised triennially, the International Film Festival of Documentaries on Architecture aims to inform professionals as well as the wider public about world film production in the area of architecture. The programme features competitive screenings of films and videos from various parts of the world, supported by complementary events such as seminars, presentations, chats and exhibitions.
Eurimages is the Council of Europe fund for the co-production, distribution and exhibition of European cinematographic works. Set up in 1988 as a Partial Agreement, it currently has 33 Member States.
Set up in December 1992, the European Audiovisual Observatory is the only centre of its kind to gather and circulate information on the audiovisual industry in Europe. The Observatory is a European public service body with 36 member States and the European Community, represented by the European Commission.
Founded in 1951 to promote international co-operation and to support the interests of the profession, IAML is a respected member of the international library and music sectors. IAML currently has national branches in 22 countries, five professional branches, four subject commissions and various working groups, and is responsible for several large-scale documentation projects.
Founded in Paris in 1952, Répertoire International des Sources Musicales (RISM) is a multinational non-profit joint venture which aims at comprehensive documentation of existing worldwide musical sources, including manuscripts or printed music, works on music theory and libretti stored in libraries, archives, monasteries, schools and private collections. It is the largest and only global operation registering and documenting written musical sources.
The Faculty of Education is one of the largest faculties at Comenius University in Bratislava and simultaneously the largest Faculty of Education in Slovakia. Currently, it has its headquarters in four buildings and is located in the two parts of Bratislava. The Buildings on Moskovská and Šoltésová streets form a university campus.
This annual open-air international Summer festival has been organised since 1979 at the beginning of theatrical season and summer holiday in Zvolen in the historical exteriors and interiors of the Gothic-Renaissance Zvolen Castle. The State Opera in Banská Bystrica organises the opera programme. Thanks to its attractive repertoire which focuses on less well-known opuses by great masters with all-star solo casts the event has recently attracted interest in surrounding foreign countries.
National Council of the Slovak Republic is the sole constitutional and legislative body of the Slovak Republic. It is the body of state authority and the status of other state bodies in Slovakia is derived from its primary status. As an elected body it represents the sovereignty of the state and of the citizens. It has had an important role in the formation of the Slovak Republic as a modern and democratic state, as well as in the implementation of social and ecologically-oriented market economy.
The Cabinet of the National Council of the Slovak Republic is a state-funded organisation which fulfils professional, organisational and technical tasks related to securing the work of the National Council of the Slovak Republic, its committees, special control committees and commissions, including the parliamentary documentation and press office.
The Parliamentary Institute performs scientific analysis and information and documentation tasks associated with the activities of the National Council, its committees and Members. It carries out its tasks through three departments.
The British Council is the United Kingdom's international organisation for educational and cultural relations. Its purpose is to sustain networks and build lasting relationships between people in the UK and around the world by providing access to learning opportunities and creative ideas from a contemporary and culturally diverse UK.
One of 17 inter-governmental organisations of the United Nations, UNESCO was established by inter-governmental agreement in 1946. In the cultural field it aims to encourage governments to acknowledge the cultural dimension of development, to affirm and enrich cultural identities, to broaden participation in cultural life and to promote international co-operation.
The European Music Council (EMC) is a Regional Group of the International Music Council (IMC). Formed upon request of the Director General of UNESCO as the advisory body to the agency on music matters, it is the leading professional organisation in Europe dedicated to the development and the promotion of all kinds of music.
Established in 1949 by UNESCO, the International Music Council (CIM/IMC) is an international network dedicated to the development and promotion of diverse music. It aims to preserve the cultural heritage and improve the quality of life by fostering the international dissemination of music and information about music; by supporting contemporary composers; by helping young professional musicians at the commencement of their careers; and by widening the appreciation of music by the general public, particularly the young.
The ECF grant scheme supports independent cultural projects by small- to medium-sized organisations. There is a particular emphasis on projects which explore ways of improving our understanding of the role that culture can play in shared identity and citizenship. The ECF also supports programmes with a proactive approach to explore and invest in specific cultural areas and to stimulate practitioners working in these fields. The three areas are: Arts, Media and Mobility.
The European Festivals Association (EFA) is the major professional organisation of European festivals for the performing arts (music, theatre, dance).
Sociocultural initiatives all over Europe have similar aims, goals, methods and political interests. To link them in a more efficient way an informal cooperation started in 1994, and in 1999 it was established as "European Network for Cultural Centres" (ENCC). Since 2004 it is coordinated and administered by the "Bundesvereinigung Soziokultureller Zentren e.V." in Berlin.