AFTER celebrating the anniversary of legendary Slovak bandit Juraj Jánošík last year, Liptov (where he was born and executed) wants to focus its attention this year on local artists. The region’s central city, Liptovský Mikuláš, will be the City of Art in 2014.
Liptáks – the locals – will celebrate the anni-versaries of Gašpar Féjer-pataky Belopotocký (a cultural activist and amateur theatre activist), Janko Ale-xy (painter), Ivan Laučík (poet and publicist), Július Lenko (poet and translator) and Dušan Pálka (photographer and artist).
“The year 2014 in Liptovský Mikuláš will be marked by art in its various forms,” Slávka Kellová of the city’s communication department told the SITA newswire. “The local history is closely connected with art, culture and the names of dozens of important personalities who made it into the history of not just of local or Slovak, but European and even global literature, music, art and theatre,” she added.
A series of events has been organised by local museums, galleries, libraries and cultural centres, mostly from Liptovský Mikuláš, but also from the nearby city of Ružomberok.
“The celebrations will be both traditional and less traditional; we want mainly to enliven the city centre, which should be filled with amateur and professional artists. A new aspect during the summer will be the pedestrian zone with light objects at 1. máj Street. We are looking forward to many events inspired by our history... The traditional Stoličné Dni [Regional Days] will be more traditional, but at the same time filled with action,” Guráňová concluded.
