Bits and Pieces of Slovak Culture

Galleries - events in Bratislava

Opera in Bratislava

Movie Theaters in Bratislava

Slovak National Museum

The Centre for Information on Literature - Literarne informacne centrum (LIC)

The Encyclopaedia of Slovakia and the Slovaks

The first Slovak general encyclopaedia - Encyclopaedia Beliana

Martin Benka (1888 - 1971) is one of founders of the Slovak modern painting art. He was trained in post-Impressionist landscape painting but tended to the principles of decorativism and symbolism of Secession painting, he drew some inspiration also from the Expressionist principles.

Since the late 1920s he had focused almost exclusively on representation of the rural Slovakia and its mountainous landscape, by the 1930s he developed his signature and original monumental style but also created small-size intimate cabinet paintings, drawings, graphic art (graphic designs for postal stamps, banknotes, diplomas), book designs and illustrations. In addition, he wrote and published his memoirs, played several musical instruments and composed music.

Albin Brunovsky (1935 - 1997) was a painter and graphic artist. Each area of his creation - painting, illustration, graphics - became the jewel of the Slovak, as well as the world culture. Many awards at home and abroad testify this fact. Thanks to him, "Slovak Graphic School" started to be spoken of. He was one of the designers of Czechoslovak banknotes and stamps. His illustrations were primarily for children's books.

Brunovsky lectured at the Academy of Fine Arts in Bratislava from 1966 to 1990. In 1981 he was appointed a professor, creating his own engraving school several years later. Brunovsky's work often mirrored that of the modern movement, citation art.

Tibor Bartfay (1922) is known as a bard of Slovak monumental sculpture. He has created more than 2000 sculptures, the last one is a sculpture of Hans Christian Andersen. You can see it at the Hviezdoslavovo Square in Bratislava. He studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Budapest (1939-1942), under the guidance of professor Sidlo and at the Academy of Creative Arts in Prague (1945-1949) under professor Karel Pokorny.

His paintings seem to resist any serious reflection and refuse to be bridled by aesthetic categories, judgements or evaluations. Guldan appears to be constantly playing in his pictures, particularly those dated from the patinated assemblage period (the technique he developed), curious to find what will come out from under his hands...

He takes new things into his hands with a surprised laugh, he turns them around, plays with them, combines shapes, he takes them to pieces and forms new ones...

"Who is Martin Jonas? To those who took at least a fleeting glimpse into even the briefest encyclopaedia of naiv art, this name should be well known. The name belongs to a man whose wealth of talent and aesthetic imagination ranks him among the most amazing personalities in the world of current naive art. He contributed significantly to the forming of the notable Kovacica naivist group," writes one of the authors monograph about Martin Jonas Ivan Melichercik.

Monuments

The Monument of the General Milan Rastislav Stefanik on the Bradlo Hill

Wooden Churches - Cultural Heritage of Slovakia

Pavol Barabas

Pavol Barabas makes films about his friends who has experienced something special. He is interested in the stories of people in an extreme environment which, as he put it, "shows what kind of person he really is," writes bulletin of the 7th International Film Festival Bratislava. His films have been received the attention of the audience not only at home, but primarily at numerous film festivals around the world.

We introduce: Fero Fenic

His short films I've Crossed the Big, Wide World, Batromij's House and, in particular, There and Back (awarded in 1990 as the best Czechoslovak documentary film from the period 1969-1989), were exceptional films for their time. He worked with Slovak Television where he directed several feature and documentary films (e.g. Shores of Grace, Village Dream or Jozef Kroner's Life Railroad). In 1984 he made his first writer-director feature-length film Juice Novel, the public screening of which was banned.

He made his second feature-length film in Prague in 1989, Strange Beings, which prophesied the fall of Communism. His third feature film came in 1998 - a compilation film based on the popular TV show Czech Soda. For Kratky film Praha he made the internationally acclaimed short film Train to Maturity (1989).

At the end of 1991 he established the independent film and television company FEBIO in Prague. FEBIO has been organising the FEBIOFEST international festival of film, television and video since 1993.

We introduce: Elo Havetta (1938-1975)

Elo Havetta made no more than two films (Celebration in the Botanical garden, Wild Lilies). However, both of them belong to the golden fund of Slovak cinematography. Havetta was a prose writer, photographer, worked as an editor in visual arts magazine, as a graphic designer, etc. Since the beginning of his studies at FAMU (Film Academy of Musical Arts in Prague) in 1961, cinema became his major interest...

Film Profiles (Slovak Feature Film Directors)

Encyclopedia contains complex information about 68 Slovak film directors who worked in the period of 1921 - 2005. In Slovak and English languages.

Slovak language for foreigners

Slovak folklore is rich and various. Folk customs and traditions vary among themselves according to geographic region. An important part of the folk culture is folklore that is retained in spoken, musical, dramatic and dance forms as well as in traditional architecture and handicrafts.

Most famous folk ensembles are SLUK and Lucnica that present Slovak folklore also abroad. Every year, several folklore festivals take place, the biggest (except 2006) being in town Vychodna.

The Slovak Folk Art Ensemble - SLUK, performs Slovak music and dance. Folk traditions from all over Slovakia are represented in unique arrangements. SLUK has performed around the world.

The Slovak National Folklore Ballet – Lucnica spreads its art for more than 58 years in countries all around the world. The dance ensemble is accompanied with an orchestra which is a small professional group of excellent musicians named Golden Violin. The Lucnica Chorus is known for its advanced singing technique as well as for the vocal culture.

"Song maintains the language," says Slovak ethnomusicologist Ondrej Demo More...

Slovak folklore music: >>

HABITS AND CUSTOMS

For those who are interesting in traditional habits and customs in Slovakia we recommend Slovak Folk Customs and Traditions. For an ethnographer may be useful Ethnographic Atlas of Slovakia.

More books like this in Slovak language.

CULINARY

Bon Appetit, Dobru chut, Bratislava! A guide to Bratislava's restaurants with a dictionary.

Wine Tasting in Bratislava