Visitors to Nová Cvernovka, the Nové Mesto borough, during the annual Day of Open Studios event. (source: TASR)
"We formed because local people demanded it," says Anna Karako from the Stará Jedáleň (Old Canteen) venue, a community centre in the Krasňany locality in Bratislava's Rača borough. The building of the former school canteen had been deteriorating a long time, until the locals decided to acquire it for a long-term lease and convert it into a community centre.
With trees growing on its roof, the ruin was turned into a space with a multifunctional hall, low-threshold youth club, community kitchen and spaces for smaller events.
It had to be closed down due to the pandemic just after a few months; making the return to previous functioning slow. "Currently, we are enjoying a well-established operation and there are fans of every format in our programme," adds Karako.
Stará Jedáleň is one of the many cultural and community centres emerging outside the city centre, and responding to the interest and need of residents for meeting and seeking cultural experiences.
Nearby is the Nová Cvernovka (cverna means thread) venue, the dramaturgy of which is aimed at people from all over Bratislava. "When we moved here from the old building [near the Mlynské Nivy bus station] and decided to create a cultural centre in addition to studios, we also thought about what its operation would be like further away from the city centre," says Boris Meluš from the Nová Cvernovka Foundation.
"People are quite sensitive to moving. Even though it's only 15 minutes from the city centre by tram, we still struggle with it. They are used to everything happening in the centre."
