Thanks to a map and Bratislava markets, Slovak creators are easily traceable

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This article was published in the latest edition of our Bratislava City Guide, which can be obtained from our online shop with Spectacular Slovakia travel guides.

Fellowship and good energy. This is what visitors can physically feel when visiting the Nová Cvernovka creative hub, just 15 minutes by tram from Bratislava’s centre. It houses a community of architects, designers, painters, photographers, IT experts and other so-called creatives.

One of several interesting things about Cvernovka is that it has brought together a large number of various types of crafts that fall under the creative industry. The story of this creative community began at the former thread factory colloquially known as Cvernovka. After the building changed hands, the community moved in 2016 into the former chemical school on Račianska Street. Here, they have built up a venue with ateliers for the creative community, serving about 350 tenants, and a cultural space for holding concerts, lectures, theatre and dance performances, festivals and parties, and even weddings. There is a shop offering the goods of local artists – everything from music, books and clothing to paintings. 

Bratislava: Fashion and design (5 photos)

The best day to experience the atmosphere in individual ateliers is to visit the venue on May 1 when all the ateliers open their door to the general public.

Stará Tržnica and Dobrý trh

Another place packed with positive energy and creativity is Stará Tržnica, or Old Market Hall, on SNP Square, brought back to life by 11 enthusiasts in 2013.

It offers Saturday markets and cultural and social events on other days of the week. Each Saturday, visitors can buy fruit, vegetables and delicacies produced by local farmers and manufacturers, craft products as well as second-hand books here.

On the outside of the market hall there are several stands that offer refreshments and snacks like lángos – a deep fried flatbread – Asian food, local and natural wines from small wineries and beer produced by the craft brewery Shenk, located directly in the underground of Stará Tržnica.

(source: Spectacular Slovakia)

The venue also hosts one of three annual street markets Dobrý Trh or Good Market. The remaining two take place on Panenská Street and at Jakubovo Square.

“I like the atmosphere of Dobrý Trh very much, when the streets it takes place on are closed for cars and flanked with stands with various goods,” said Dáša Briestenská, a regular visitor of Dobrý Trh.

The original idea of the organisers of was to make Panenská Street more visible, to clear it of cars and create space for meeting people, in addition to getting neighbours involved in the activities.

“One of the objectives of Dobrý Trh was to create a platform for models of cooperation in neighbourhoods,” said Illah van Oijen, a Dutch-born photographer and activist who co-founded Dobrý Trh and helped create an active community of neighbours.

Mapping out fashion

The Bratislava Fashion Map (www.fashionmap.sk) helps visitors find the latest designs or fashion accessories made by local designers in the capital and its vicinity. Since the map was first published in print in 2017, the number of stores, ateliers as well as other points of interest has grown.    

“It maps and promotes authentic places where local fashion and design is exhibited and sold,” said Zuzana Bobíková, head of the Slovak Fashion Council, the non-profit organisation behind the map.

When recommending the most interesting places to check out, Bobíková says the Slávica on Laurinská Street is a must see.

It is the very first Slovak concept store to offer jewellery, ceramics, graphics as well as accessories.

“Its founder Ivica Jusková mixes, with her distinctive taste, an exceptional offer, which you will love thanks to the special atmosphere in the shop,” said Bobíková.

Bobíková would definitely recommend visiting the studios of respected designers, for example Petra Kubíková, Lenka Sršňová, Dendis, Tikoki and Mile, in person. You can meet the designers who will be very happy to present their work to you.

“Here, you will discover a new world and leave the studio with a model you will have in your wardrobe for the rest of your life and that will be inherited,” said Bobíková.

Where to see historical designs

To get learn more about the history of Slovak design, head to the Slovak Design Museum located in the historical military barracks Hurbanove Kasárne on Kollárovo Square. It was launched only recently, in 2014, with the first efforts going back as far as 1928. The aim was to map and document Slovak design and promote it in Slovakia as well as abroad.

“We serve as a source of inspiration for designers while ordinary visitors find entertainment and education here,” said Maroš Schmidt, head of the Slovak Design Museum.

Time your visit

Those interested in design should consider timing their Bratislava visit around design-related events. One of them is the Days of Architecture and Design (DAAD), an annual autumn festival devoted to architecture, design, art and creativity. An excellent way to get to know what the arriving generation of designers thinks is to visit the Academy of Fine Arts and Design in Bratislava (VŠVU) when it opens its ateliers to potential students and others interested in design, architecture, photography and fine arts.