Surprises under the Christmas tree


WITH Christmas knocking on the door, it is high time to think of Christmas presents. Various offers flood the market and one, especially if not from this country, might face difficulty wading through them. To help out, The Slovak Spectator has come up with a few tips for Christmas gifts from Slovakia.
Oil lamps and mosaic pyramids by Rozália Habová from Malacky carry symbolism and pass messages from the creator to the receiver



WITH Christmas knocking on the door, it is high time to think of Christmas presents. Various offers flood the market and one, especially if not from this country, might face difficulty wading through them. To help out, The Slovak Spectator has come up with a few tips for Christmas gifts from Slovakia.

Oil lamps and mosaic pyramids by Rozália Habová from Malacky carry symbolism and pass messages from the creator to the receiver. Inspired by spiritual life and sacral architecture, the ceramicist, painter, and teacher explores humankind's core and seeks a way of living in her works. Her glazed ceramics combined with tin reach over a half-metre high. The prices range from Sk2,000 (€49) to Sk10,000 (€244). Contact: Vlastenecká 2522/11, Malacky. Tel: 0905/556-466.



Even though a bottle of alcohol is not what one would usually expect to find under Christmas tree, give it a try. The original 52-percent slivovica, made from the best species of juicy plums according to tradition and packaged in an unusual and extremely attractive 4.5-litre hand-painted bottle with the typical hat and coat of the legendary Slovak outlaws, will certainly please any man. Also perfect as a gift at any official and unofficial occasions, you can buy the slivovica for Sk6,340 (€158) at KON-RAD, Senecká cesta, Zlaté Piesky, Bratislava. Tel: 02/5022-1131.

Jewels made of gold combined with precious stones make a rather expensive but everlasting present. Original, individual designs made by young artists at the Atelier of Jewels in Bratislava can cost from Sk1,500 (€37) to Sk60,000 (€1,460).

A set consisting of ring, necklace and earrings costs around Sk10,000 (€244). For more information, see the ad below.



Unique, hand-painted silk ties by Jela Priehradníková can be adjusted to a specific order according to the colour of a shirt. Painted in various colours with happy patterns, they cost around Sk800 (€20). Priehradníková also paints T-shirts, women's shawls, scarves, and blouses made of silk. To contact the artist, call 02/4524-1836 (0907/570-511), or send an email to priehradnici@orangemail.sk.

The foreign language bookstore, Eurobooks, recently received a few new titles: English Roses, and Mr Peabody's Apples - fairy-tales written by the music star Madonna (Sk794, or €19, for both of them); and the biography J. F. Kennedy - A Life in a Picture by a team of authors (Sk1,691, or €41).

The Slovak Spectator's tip for a Christmas present is the book Description of a Struggle, a collection of essays by eastern-European writers from 16 former communist countries, which can be purchased for Sk338, or €8. Eurobooks sits on Jesenského 5-9, Bratislava.



The knit fashion by Michaela Trizuljaková revels in colours, shapes, and patterns. The creative designs, comfortable to wear, can be worn to special events or on everyday occasions.

Her original designs of knitted dresses and shawls can be admired at Dielo Gallery on SNP Square in Bratislava. The prices for the dresses range between Sk3,000 (€73) and Sk15,000 (€365); shawls can be bought from Sk2,500 (€61) to Sk4,000 (€97). Contact the artist at 0905/404-825.

Hand-painted bowls, mugs, glasses, plates, bottles, or even mirrors can be a present not only for your wife but also your boss.



A blossoming garden or interesting shapes richly painted on glass create a perfect decorative article that has the power to enliven any household. Created by Maja Prokopovičová, the works can be found in Bratislava at MP Atelier on Štúrova 4 (entrance from Jesenského Street). The prices range from Sk500 (€12) for a pair of glasses to Sk2,900 (€71) for a teapot set. The artist also paints individual portraits, which take one month to complete and cost Sk15,000 (€365).



The Fuse Jazz album Labyrint is the most recent CD issued by the Music Fund Bratislava (HFB). However, the CD we would like to bring to your attention at this time of year is the Cantiones Sacrae Vol. II, an album of 26 sacred songs for Christmas from Slovakia. Performed by Chorus Angelorum Ensemble and conducted by Egon Krák, the CD costs Sk250 (€6).

The HFB's store sits on Medená 29, in Bratislava, and orders can also be made via www.musicaslovaca.sk.



The ÚĽUV Design Štúdio recently opened an exhibition called Good Food, which presents student designs of table settings that revolt against the current cultureless food-consumption style.

The original and fully-functional art designs of teapots, mugs, vases, and saltshakers cost Sk500 - 1,500 (€12 - 38). The studio sits on Dobrovičova 13, Bratislava. For more information, contact Viera Kleinová at 02/5273-1343, or 0905/576-152.

Out of the numerous presentation books on this country, try the double-publication in English by photographer Laco Struhár and writer Stano Bellan - Slovakia:



The Ground We Stand On, and Slovakia: Garden of Dreams. High quality photographs accompanied by poetic description offer a beautiful walk through the lands of the country. In most bookstores, the book has been already sold out, but Slovenský Spisovateľ on Laurinská 2, in Bratislava, has it for sure. It costs Sk1,200 (€29).

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