This month, Bratislava takes a nostalgic look back at the city's history with a number of mock-royal pageants and heraldic celebrations; at the same time, the city's young people can enjoy a series of children's theater events.
A re-enactment of the Austro-Hungarian Emperor Jozef I's coronation will be staged on the 310-year anniversary of the Habsburg monarch's accession to the throne in 1687. The pomp and ceremony starts at 3 p.m. on June 22, at Bratislava's Hlavné Námestie. Many of the dynasty's divine-right "chief executives" were crowned at St. Martin's Cathedral, in the heart of Bratislava's old town.
"Drienka," a Slovak children's traditional dance group, will perform at the Stará Radnica (Old Town Hall) at 5 p.m. on June 24; a puppet troupe called "Tatko Ubu" will delight the young at the same location at 8 p.m. on June 28; on June 30, Dychová Harmónia Bratislava will blow medieval trumpets with full heraldry and dash from the tower of the Stará Radnica; "Divadlo Štúdio GONG" will render Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream" (downstairs) in the same location that evening at 8.
Celebrate Romany culture in Košice
For those interested in the social history, culture and art of Slovakia's Romany community, a special event will be held on the fifth anniversary of the Romathan Theater in Košice, the first drama and music ensemble founded by Romany dancers, actors and musicians in Slovakia. Through a fusion of lectures and performances, participants can acquaint themselves with the Roma's 670-year history in Slovakia, as well as traditional music, dance and theater. Sponsored by the Austrian Cultural Institute in Bratislava and the Romathan Theater in Košice, the conference will start at 2 p.m., June 18 in Košice's Východoslovenská Galéria and last through June 20. For more information, contact Almut Hille or Thomas Büttner, two German lecturers at the University of Košice who helped organize the conference, at tel. 095/623-1147.
Foundation keeps kids active
The Children of Slovakia Foundation has awarded grants to local and regional organizations dealing with young people throughout the country. That means financial assistance to community programs and state institutions working to develop job-skills and opportunities for children to participate in social and environmental projects, such as Petržalka's "Klub Kontiki," a support group for impoverished urban teenagers, as well as greater social integration of handicapped children through such theater ensembles as "Divadlo z Pasáže" in Banská Bystrica. The 115,000 Sk in grants will affect 1,000 Slovak children and young people. For more information, contact Csilla Kolomijcová, the foundation's spokeswoman, at tel. 531-7430.
IWC takes deserved summer rest
Having just closed out a highly successful year of charity fund-raising, with 470,000 Sk - twice as much raised last year - the International Women's Club in Bratislava is taking a well-earned break from its formal activities until the fall, but will continue to meet informally at 10:30-12:30 Tuesdays in Bratislava's Hotel Danube through the summer. Pre-school age children in the foreign community can join the Club's playgroup, make friends and have fun while their mothers chat in Hotel Danube's Panorama Room or Cafe Viennois. Meetings are on Wednesday mornings, but contact Peggy Jalink at tel. 07/377-678 or Karen Melcher at tel. 07/366-313 for exact times or drop by on Tuesdays.
