After two years of the pandemic, lovers of art, history, science, and performance have the opportunity to rejoice. The annual Night of Museums and Galleries held by countries across Europe returns to Slovakia on the third Saturday of May. The event offers a colorful range of guided tours, live music and bold exhibitions. All in a unique atmosphere provided by warm spring nights and history breathing through the walls of historical buildings, says Zuzana Vášaryová of the Slovak National Museum (SNM).
The event is traditionally supported by the SNM in cooperation with the Association of Museums in Slovakia, and the main coordinator of museums and galleries in Bratislava and the Bratislava Region. This year marks the 18th edition of the event.
Night of Museums and Galleries widens horizons for an unforgettable adventure all across Slovakia – visitors are invited to explore hidden historical treasures tucked away in withering complexes, try their luck at an archery course, hike to see proudly-standing castles or peek into the depths of art and science. The museums offer a programme for less adventurous visitors, too, as well as for kids.
What to expect in Bratislava
A number of events are taking place in the capital. The Open-Air Gallery project entitled Garden will be held from 9:00 to midnight. It is made for lovers of unconventional and untraditional art with a light show and ambient music as the great finale, deep into the night. Garden showcases long-lasting cooperation by multiple artists.
For tech geeks, the Slovak Technical Museum provides a look at historical ways of transport from 10:00 to 22:00. Visitors can step into an old train engine, which for certain will fulfill the many wishes of an inner child.
From West to East, from an adult to child
In the Trnava Region, visitors can see military jets and airplanes up close in Piešťany or try a virtual research dig and then rest while watching documentaries. A similar exhibition is also available in the eastern-Slovak town of Svidník.
If military jets aren’t someone’s cup of tea, they can wander around in the open-air Museum of Kysuce Village in the Žilina Region from 17:00 to 21:00. The evening event offers an inquiry into the day-to-day life of an ordinary Slovak person in an extraordinary life accompanied by traditional foods and folk music.
Speaking of folk culture and traditions, the Banská Bystrica Region welcomes visitors to see its core location – mining history in the Jozef Kollár Museum located in the very heart of the region, then castles to relive stories dating to prehistoric times in Slovakia at Fiľakovo; or even try out the diplomatic methods of medieval Hungarian aristocracy in Zvolen. The Slovak National Gallery (SNG) in Zvolen invites their visitors to use creativity and critical thinking in piecing the stories together with clues, engaging whole families and just to simply bask in the light of precious archeological finds.
Art lovers will surely find their niche in Tatra Gallery in Poprad. Starting with a ceramics workshop at 10:00, the creative flow creates the inspiration to test new talent in kids, teens, adults – whoever wants to see the result of a hand-made work, continuing with a dye workshop at 13:00. In the meantime, visitors can find peace, quiet and ease in the halls of a gallery, open for individual tours.
All routes lead to Košice
The trajectory of an adventure ends in eastern Slovakia, in Košice, where art connoisseurs and artists, techies and explorers interested in science, biology and many more come together. The Eastern Slovak Gallery introduces a Czechoslovak cooperation within the Ruka na konci ramena (A Hand on the End of a Shoulder) project, or a collection called Internal Waves. A day full of activities provides the visitor with a curated tour, a small theatre play, a sample of paint restoration and workshops for children.
The Slovak Technical Museum in Košice starts by introducing the hydrogen midibus and goes on to recount a narrative of the upcoming future, the innovation and inspiration behind exploring power production methods. Electricity is the leitmotif of the exhibitions, celebrating 200 years of electrical power, the museum introducing visitors to change, progress and modern evolution. Last but not least, biology, minerals and the wonders of nature await you at the Eastern Slovak Museum in Košice.
The full Night of Museums and Galleries programme is available at www.nmag.sk.
