This week, we’re writing about two art installations, lookout towers, and a museum that is open only in the summer.
Inner Life by Maotik (Source: Facebook/Old Market Hall)Art returns to Bratislava Old Market Hall
Visitors to the Old Market Hall in Bratislava can become part of the latest art installation, “Inner Life”, that is on display during the summer.
Last year, the market hall became home to the “Tube” by the Austrian and Croatian group Numen/For Use. The new artwork, which reacts to visitors’ movement, was created by French digital artist Maotik.
The floor of the hall serves as an interactive screen that looks like a magnified natural microworld. By moving around, visitors can create digital images and sounds.
“Mathieu Le Sourd (Maotik) is known for his multimedia environments that are oftentimes based on scientific data and facts, and which he turns into visual poetry,” Zuzana Pacáková, head of the White Night festival, said.
The installation is available to visitors from Sunday to Friday until September 2.
Synagogue in Lučenec: Peter Kollár exhibits his “365” installation, making people stop and think about why we should kneel.
Captivating views from three lookout towers
Breathtaking vistas are to be seen in the Malá Fatra mountain range for both locals and visitors. Some 150 kilometres of marked hiking trails run through the national park, plus more through the remaining part of the mountain range not in the park.
It is not always necessary to plan a several-hour-long hike up steep inclines to enjoy a view. In the Žilina Region, there are dozens of lookout towers that allow tourists to enjoy the surrounding country from above.
The Slovak Spectator chose three viewing towers that take less than an hour to hike to, from which you can see far into various corners of northern Slovakia.
Hike to the Terchovské Srdce lookout tower in Terchová, northern Slovakia. (Source: Nina Hrabovská Francelová)Other news:
- Ancient wise trees, the hidden treasures of old gardens, receive expert maintenance.
- A 4,000-old grave has been found outside Trnava.
- An old Swedish inclined elevator in the Čierny Váh hydropower plant will be replaced with a newer version after more than 40 year of permanent operation.
- In the summer, you can swing around the Trenčín Region. Here’s a list of top 10 swings you can try in the region.
WEEKEND READ
Writer’s flat reopens as museum
The dining room in the 1980s. (Source: Courtesy of MMB)As an open critic of the wartime regime, writer Janko Jesenský was a thorn in the side of the ruling powers.
Jesenský wrote passionate anti-fascist poetry attacking the regime of Nazi Germany’s satellite Slovak state. Manuscripts were secretly smuggled across borders, and their words made their way back over the airwaves to listeners at home via wartime broadcasts on London radio.
He settled with his wife, Anna, ,, in one of three flats in a villa in Palisády, a prominent district near Bratislava Castle. He lived there until his death in 1945. Shortly after his death, the apartment was turned into a museum dedicated to him.
“It was the first literary museum in Slovakia,” said Daniel Hupko of the Bratislava City Museum.
The villa was designed by architect Friedrich Weinwurm.
Final recommendations before you go
Read: Slovak writer, journalist, and dissident Hana Ponická was banned by the communist regime in the years 1977-1989. Well-known for her children’s books, the late writer was born on July 15. None of her books was translated into English, but her life was penned down by Josette Baer in the new book called “The Green Butterfly”.
Listen: The late Czech singer Karel Gott, who was born on July 14, released the “Karel Gott Dnes” album in 1980. Here’s an upbeat and summery tune called “Léto jak má být” [Great Summer] from the record.
An elongated cloud was seen in the Poprad area on July 13, 2022. (Source: TASR)Watch: The Croatian drama “Murina”, Antoneta Alamat Kusijanović’s debut, premiered in Slovak cinemas on July 14. Youth, complicated family relations, and the Dalmatian coast all come together in the film.
Go: Get to know lesser-known stories from the Second World War and the 1944 Slovak National Uprising during the “Začnite s vysťahovaním!” event on July 16 in Špania Dolina.
That’s it for this week. Have a great weekend! - Peter
Do you have any tips? You can reach Peter at peter.dlhopolec@spectator.sk
