Where to head for the Night of Museums and Galleries

The popular event, also celebrating International Museum Day, returns to Slovakia for the 15th time.

Budatínsky Castle in Žilina will stay open late on May 18 so that visitors could enjoy night tours and observe the night sky.Budatínsky Castle in Žilina will stay open late on May 18 so that visitors could enjoy night tours and observe the night sky. (Source: Považie Museum in Žilina)

The third Saturday of May will present museums and galleries open until night again. For the 15th time, Slovakia will hold the the Night of Museums and Galleries, falling on May 18.

Until late evening hours, more than 100 sites across the country will host different events, including workshops, lectures, tours, screenings and coordinated activities.

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The Association of Museums in Slovakia (ZMS) and Slovak National Museum (SNM), which organise the nationwide event, will also celebrate the International Museum Day.

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During this special night full of history, culture and arts, admission may be free or visitors may be asked to pay a symbolic amount.

Events in Bratislava

All happenings in Bratislava and nearby towns will cost only €3. Visitors will only pay the fee when entering the first museum and gallery.

A total of 40 museums and galleries will host events in the Bratislava and Bratislava Region. Since all the cultural institutions have worked on this big event together, they issued a joint brochure with all the information.

Public transport will be extended all day and night. For those eager to try a special means of transport, which may cost a little amount of money in some cases, historical cars and a steam locomotive will be riding around the capital.

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Here is a list of the best Bratislava events SNM and ZMS have prepared for the public:

  • P. O. Hviezdoslav Theatre (Laurinská 19)
    CO KRYT is a former underground shelter, in which comic books will be on display
  • The Nedbalka Gallery (Nedbalova 17)
    the opening of Umbrella Street and the exhibition of Ladislav Mednyánszky
  • Primate's Palace (Primate's Square 2)
    a tour of the splendid premises of the palace in English
  • B-S 6 “Vrba” & Bunker B-S 4 “Lány” (both in Petržalka borough)
    bunkers and museums mapping the history of the Petržalka fortification during World War II
Read also: Cycling around Petržalka’s war bunkers Read more 
  • BVS Waterworks Museum (Devínska Road 1)
    Sihoť Island, a unique source of drinking water, will be open on May 18 only
  • Old Market (SNP Square 25)
    the latest models and news from the car industry in cooperation with Volkswagen Slovakia and up! City
  • Slovak Technical Museum – Museum of Transport (Šancová 1/A)
    a programme marking 100 years of shipbuilding in Czechoslovakia and Slovakia & workshops on how to model a means of transport from clay and the like

Events in central Slovakia

  • Gemer-Malohont Museum in Rimavská Sobota (M. Tompa Square 24)
    14 replicas of Empress Elisabeth of Austria, nicknamed Sissi, made by designer Mónika Czédly will be on display
  • Slovak Museum of Nature Protection and Speleology in Liptovský Mikuláš (Školská 4)
    a fun tour intertwined with different tasks, including a visit to the underground world
  • Považie Museum in Žilina (Topoľová 1)
    night tours of Budatínsky Castle and the night sky observation from the castle walls in cooperation with a regional observatory
  • Energoland in Mochovce (Mochovce 106)
    NAO robot will entertain visitors, and Professor Beňuška, who is the best physics teacher in the European Union, will teach visitors how school can be fun

Events in eastern Slovakia

  • Slovak National Museum – Betliar Museum in Betliar (Kaštieľna 6)
    the opening of artistocratic sports games for children, and parts of the Betliar manor house that are usually closed will be accessible
  • Slovak Technical Museum in Košice (Hlavná 88)
    a FORD T car, which was made between 1908 and 1927, will be displayed alongside other historic Ford cars
  • Castle in Stará Ľubovňa (Zámocká 22)
    a night tour of the castle with torches, revealing the stories about the life of important women living in the castle

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