Visual art is present in many forms in Slovakia, and you can experience its richness as you go sightseeing with our Slovakia tour packages. It’s visible through paintings, sculptures, photographs, illustrations, drawings, printmaking, conceptual art, and arts and crafts.
The Slovak National Gallery, established in 1948, has the country’s most enormous network of galleries. Bratislava has two displays, at the Water Barracks and Esterházy Palace, situated adjacent to each other.
Another art gallery to watch out for is the Bratislava City Gallery. Founded in 1961, it is known to be the second biggest of its kind in Slovakia. The gallery contains more than 35,000 pieces of art from Slovakia and international locations. Its permanent displays are present at Mirbach Palace and Pálffy Palace in the Old Town of Bratislava.
Walk on the grounds of one of Europe’s youngest art museums, known as the Danubiana Meulensteen Art Museum. Art lovers can also check out the Ernest Zmeták Art Gallery, East Slovak Gallery, and Andy Warhol Museum of Modern Art.
Slovakia’s folk tradition is evident in its dance, music, literature, and architecture. In fact, Slovakia’s national anthem is based on a folk song. The Východná Folklore Festival, held annually in the village of Východná, celebrates Slovak folklore culture. International participants also attend this event, the biggest and oldest festival held in the country.
The Slovak Folk Art Ensemble represents Slovakia’s music, dance, costumes, and musical instruments. It has supported and represented Slovak folk artists for over 70 years.
The medieval literature created between the 11th and 15th centuries was written in Slovakised Czech, Czech, and Latin. While the epics were mainly written on legends, the church controlled the songs and prayers. Two individuals were responsible for codifying the Slovak language, named Anton Bernolák and Ľudovít Štúr.
Slovakia has been home to reformists and revolutionaries such as Alexander Dubček and Milan Rastislav Štefánik. There have also been Slovak polyhistors, including Ján Kollár, Matej Bel, and Pavel Jozef Šafárik.
Football and ice hockey are two popular sports in the country. Other popular sports include cycling, volleyball, basketball, handball, tennis, and whitewater slalom.
Football is especially popular in Slovakia, with over 400,000 registered players. In 2010, the national football team of Slovakia qualified for the FIFA World Cup. In 2016, it participated in the UEFA Euro 2016 tournament. The players were coached by Ján Kozák, a former Slovak football player who helped them reach the 14th position in the FIFA World Rankings.
Wooden houses are popular in the mountain regions, and clay and straw are used for simpler buildings. These structures are prevalent in the Upper Váh region, Záhorie, and the country’s southern areas.
Slovakia’s folk architecture conservation reserves continue to preserve the country’s unique and typical architecture. Slovakia has about 14 open-air museums showcasing its architecture, folk traditions, and economic history. The Slovak culture has contributed significantly to the country’s architecture. We can customise our Slovakia tour packages so you can visit Slovakia’s castles, churches, chateaus, and manor houses.
Wooden churches are a significant part of the country’s architecture. Of the 300 wooden churches built originally, only 40 exist today. While some are part of open-air museums, some aren’t accessible.