Slovak arts & crafts

Slovakia has right to be proud of its cultural and artistic heritage, as it had been a centre of art already in royal times. The majority of all hand-made products of Great Hungarian Kingdom had been crafted by artisans who had lived and worked in the area of present Slovakia. All kinds of handicrafts and traditional music and dance heritage have been handed down and enriched from one generation to the next. The most prestigious handicrafts of Slovakia are ceramics, glass blowing, embroidering, wood carving or blacksmithing.

Ceramics
Making objects by shaping and heating clay, being known since the Neolithic Age, is considered to be the oldest branch of human performance. The tradition of ceramic production in Slovakia was started by Slavic settlers in the 6th century. Throughout the 9th century, dozens of ceramic workshops were spread across the country, especially in the central and eastern parts of Slovakia. Among the most famous ranks the Slovak Folk Majolica. Since 1636 and the rise of the first pottery society, the organized form of handmade ceramic production has been developed.

In 1912 a workshop for ceramic production was established in Modra, 25 kilometres northeast of the capital Bratislava. Slovak Folk Majolica has flourished for centuries and today, the open-to-public workshop with its 25 painters and 5 potters, remains the one of the very last handthrown pottery makers. The Modra Majolica is characterized by colour and shape variousness. The traditional Haban decor or colourful decors of wine-growing or hunting motifs are recognizable features of this world-famous ceramics. „Majolica“ or „faience“ represent the techinque of tin-glazed earthenware brought to european continent by the Moors. The faience pottery shipped from the kingdom of Aragon through the transshipping point of Majorca to Italy at the Middle Ages, had been given the name Majolica. The term "faience" has been extended to include finely glazed ceramic beads found in Egypt early as 4000 BC.

Slovak Folk Music and Dance
Thanks to its multi-cultural influence during the settlement of its territory, Slovakia has the an exceptionaly rich music and dance heritage. Traditional Slovak folk songs had been sung by Slovak people for hundreds of years, they had brightened their hard working days and invited people to dance at the traditional folk festivities. There is a number of traditional instruments, made mostly of wood, played by musicians who accompany the singers and dancers. A unique instrument is „fujara“, a 2 metres long wooden flute that plays a thunderous drone.

Several festivals take place in Slovakia throughout the year known for lively music, songs and dance performance. All musicians and dancers are dressed in colourful traditional costumes and everyone is invited to enjoy the festivity and learn a traditional dance.

Detva - the international festival of folklore and traditional folk culture

Since its beginning in 1966, this festival has been held every year in the second week of July in Detva, the heart of Slovakia and the centre of one of the most vivid and original folklore regions.

During these days, Detva blossoms with the music, singing, festal atmosphere, and welcomes approximately 1,500 performers.
There will be approximately ten scenic programs on the stage of the Detva amphitheatre, which is one of the most impressive outdoor scenes. The basis of the programs is the traditional folklore culture in central Slovakia, musical and dance performances and oral lore.
Year after year, folklore groups and groups of Slovaks living abroad present themselves in the program called "Krajanská nedeľa".

Any questions about Arts & crafts in Slovakia ? 

We have visited towns & villages famous for its craftsmen, festivals such as in Detva or Turzovka
We are ready to share our knowledge/experiences with you  

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