Slovakia has a tremendous variety
of fascinating and unusual museums
on everything from art and
history to puppets, clocks, spas,
music and the cultural traditions
of different ethnic groups.
You’ll find museums with gleaming
icons from Eastern Slovakia,
carved Gothic altarpieces, colorful
peasant costumes and modern art,
including Andy Warhol (whose family
came from Slovakia). Som museums showcase
the history and unexpected creations
of a particular craft or trade --
from wire-bending tinkers
to bee-keeping, mining and glassmaking.
Be sure to visit at least one
"open-air museum" with collections
of centuries-old peasant homes, sometimes
complete villages.
Municipal
Museum St. Michael´s Tower (in
Old City Hall) Highlights are instruments
of torture from medieval times ("Exhibition
of Feudal Justice") and exhibit
of paintings and photos of the city
that document how the city has changed
in the last 150 years. You will come
away with an appreciation of just
how much of the Old Town (and the
whole Jewish Quarter) were destroyed
during the Soviet period.
Slovak
National Gallery Housed in two historic
buildings along the river, this is
the best collection of Slovak art
in the city. See the exhibits on applied
arts, naïve/folk arts and crafts,
and medieval ecclesiastical statues
and carvings, especially carved altar
panels by Slovakia’s most famous
Gothic artist, Master Pavol of Levoca;
also paintings by 19th c. expressionist
Slovak painter Ladislav Mednansky,
one of Central Europe’s most
important artists.Open
Document
Museum
of Jewish Culture History and culture
of Jews living in the territory of
Slovakia, also information about the
70,000 Slovak Holocaust victims. More
info - (There
are also exhibits on Slovak Jewish
culture in Presov, Zilina and Trnava
http://www.slovak-jewish-heritage.org)
Bratislava City Gallery (Galeria Mesta Bratislava)
Housed in two palaces from the 18th and 19th centuries – worth seeing themselves – are permanent collections of baroque art, gothic paiting and sculpture, and 19th and 20th century art. The Palffy Palace houses temporary exhibits also.
Mirbach Palace http://www.gmb.sk/en/page/mirbach-palace
Palffy Palace http://www.gmb.sk/en/page/palffy-palace
Chatam
Sofer Memorial The grave of this
famous Talmudic scholar and founder
of Bratislava’s yeshiva (1806)
was bulldozed in the 1970s to make
way for a tramline; a dramatic new
memorial was erected in 2002.
NOTE: The memorial is not a museum
– it is a funerary shrine and
place of worship. Visitors must contact
the Jewish Community in Bratislava
to arrange a visit
Email: znoba@i4u.sk
Fax: 011 421 2 5441 8041
Part of the Slovak National Museum,
which manages many Museums around
the country.
Archaeological
museum
Includes 22,8000-yr old Venus
from Moravany and exhibit
on 1,000 years of history of Bratislava
Castle. - More info
Historical
Museum
History of the city, art history,
historical exhibit of furniture (especially
Art Nouveau pieces), silver artifacts,
handicrafts, clocks in a vault originally
used to store the crown jewels. Great
view of the city from Crown Tower.
- More
info
Museum
of folk music
In Luginsland Tower (Dedicstvo hudobnych)
wonderful collection of traditional
folk music instruments. - More info
Oravska Gallery and Slanicky Art Island
(Dolny Kubin, near Orava Lake and Castle)
Imagine the pleasure of viewing art on an island in the middle of lake!
Traditional folk art, art from 15th-19th centuries (including
icons), and Slovak 20th century art are the three themes of exhibits in
two locations – one in town at the baroque County Hall (Zupny
Dom) and the other on the island.
(Note: boat to island operates late May-mid-September only).
East Slovak Museum (Svidnik, near Kosice)
Exhibits include: Gold Treasure of Kosice – nearly 3,000 valuable gold coins from 15th-17th centuries, minted in Kremnica, but hidden during a rebellion in 1670, discovered in 1935; outstanding paintings; jewelry; coins and wooden Greek Catholic church in the back of the museum, originally standing in a village near Svidnik
Spiss Museum (Levoca)
Located in three historic buildings in the picturesque Renaissance town of Levoca are exhibitions showing the history, art history and folk arts/crafts traditions of the Spiss area, and of the town of Levoca in particular.
Andy
Warhol Family Museum
(Medzilaborce)
The only museum in the world dedicated
to the work, life and family history
of this famous American pop artist.
Warhols' parents emigrated
to the US from the nearby town of
Mikova. Collection of 23
original masterpieces.
Saris
Regional Museum (Bardejov) Slovakia’s largest collection
of icons is housed in a separate
building from the main museum. Focus
is on the art and artifacts of Eastern
Slovakia, particularly the Ruthenian/Rusyn
people and their Greek Catholic religion.
Nearby is an open-air museum of traditional
Ruthenian buildings at Bardejov Spa
(Muzeum L’udovej Architektury).
Museum
of Ukrainian - Ruthenian Culture
(Svidnik)
Arts, crafts and open-air museum of
architecture of this fascinating people
living in eastern Slovakia
Carpathian
Germans – Museum of Carpathian
German Culture (Bratislava)
Germans were purposely invited to
help settle and develop much of central
Slovakia after the native Slav population
was devastated by Tartar raids (12th
c.). This museum documents the daily
life and history of this ethnic group
that had a profound influence on Slovakia
for 900 years.
Tinkers
exhibit in Povazie Museum
(Zilina) Until
you see these creations, you won’t
know why you should go. Tinkers create
decorative and practical objects out
of metal wire, which can be gold-
and silver-plated and as intricately
woven as lace. More than
300 items of this unique Slovak folk
art are housed within a giant birdcage-like
structure (made out of wire, naturally).
Life-size human figures, birdcages,
jewelboxes, baskets, fairy tale creatures,
animals and birds. Tinkers
of this area invented the modern shopping
cart!
Puppets
and Marionette Museum
(Modry Kamen castle)
One of the most charming Slovak museums,
located in a gothic castle in south
central Slovakia, near the Hungarian
border.
Mining
Museum (Banska Stiavnica)
The rich mines of Central Slovakia
have been famous for millenia. Many
important technical innovations were
developed here hundreds of years ago.
This museum – fascinating
even for those who know nothing about
mining - documents the history
of mining and the history of the Banska
Stiavnica region.
Bee-keeping
Museum (Kralova pri
Senci)
More than just about the techniques
of caring for bees, this museum includes
folk art objects -- carved wooden
decorations for beehives, often representing
the owners.
Music
and Literary Museum
(Banska Bystrica)
Interesting exhibits of folk music
instruments and folk puppetry. Also
exhibits on the history of the area
and literary figures.
Spa
(Balneological) Museum
(Piestany)
Most interesting is not so much the
history of spas (in a separate building)
but artifacts from the local area,
including folk costumes and a peasant
house. Also, archeological finds from
a nearby 9th c. castle.
Museum
of Slovak National Uprising
(Banska Bystrica)
In August 1944, 60,000 Czech, Slovak
and Allied soldiers joined by 12,000
local partisans gained control of
the city of Banska Bystrica from occupying
German forces. Two months later, the
Germans retook the city at a cost
of tens of thousands of lives. Survivors
scattered into the nearby Low Tatra
mountains. German retaliation destroyed
more than 90 villages and killed more
than 5,000 civilians. This museum,
in the shape of a traditional Slovak
hat, is a tribute to courage and memory
of those who fought and died in the
struggle against fascism.
