The
Slovak National Museum is the most important institution focusing on scientific research and cultural
educationEducation in its broadest sense is any act or experience that has a formative effect on the mind, character or physical ability of an individual...
in the field of museological activity in
SlovakiaThe Slovak Republic is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe with a population of over five million and an area of about . Slovakia borders the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south. The largest city is its capital, Bratislava...
. Its beginnings "are connected with the endeavour of the
Slovak nationThe Slovaks are a western Slavic people that primarily inhabit Slovakia and speak the Slovak language, which is closely related to the Czech language....
for national emancipation and self-determination."
It is headquartered in
BratislavaBratislava is the capital of the Slovak Republic and, with a population of about 429,000, also the country's largest city. Bratislava is in southwestern Slovakia on both banks of the Danube River...
; however, the Slovak National Museum governs 18 specialized museums, most of which are located outside the city.
The Slovak National Museum was established in 1961.
The
Slovak National Museum is the most important institution focusing on scientific research and cultural
educationEducation in its broadest sense is any act or experience that has a formative effect on the mind, character or physical ability of an individual...
in the field of museological activity in
SlovakiaThe Slovak Republic is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe with a population of over five million and an area of about . Slovakia borders the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south. The largest city is its capital, Bratislava...
. Its beginnings "are connected with the endeavour of the
Slovak nationThe Slovaks are a western Slavic people that primarily inhabit Slovakia and speak the Slovak language, which is closely related to the Czech language....
for national emancipation and self-determination."
It is headquartered in
BratislavaBratislava is the capital of the Slovak Republic and, with a population of about 429,000, also the country's largest city. Bratislava is in southwestern Slovakia on both banks of the Danube River...
; however, the Slovak National Museum governs 18 specialized museums, most of which are located outside the city.
History
The Slovak National Museum was established in 1961. Its origins lie in the
Matica slovenskáThe Matica slovenská is Slovakia's public-law cultural and scientific institution focusing on topics around the Slovak nation. It is based in the town of Martin...
Museum and the Museum of the National House in
MartinMartin is a city in northern Slovakia, situated on the Turiec river, under the Malá Fatra mountains, near the city of Žilina. The population numbers approximately 59,000, which makes it the eighth largest city in Slovakia...
, which developed the Slovak Museology Society. The first permanent exposition funded from a national collection was opened in Martin in 1908. The museum was building
archaeologicalArchaeology or archeology is the science that studies human cultures through the recovery, documentation, analysis, and interpretation of material culture and environmental data, including architecture, artifacts, biofacts, and landscapes...
,
ethnographicEthnography is a branch of anthropology. It is a methodological strategy used to provide descriptions of human societies, which as a methodology does not prescribe any particular method , but instead prescribes the nature of the study Ethnography (Greek ethnos = folk/people and graphein =...
, historical,
numismaticNumismatics is the study or collection of currency, including coins, tokens, paper money, and related objects. While numismatists are often characterized as students or collectors of coins, the discipline also includes the broader study of money and other payment media used to resolve debts and...
, art historical, creative art and natural science collections. The Slovak National Geographic and History Museum was established in Bratislava in 1924 by the Slovak National Geographic and History Museum Society. The
AgriculturalAgriculture is the production of food and goods through farming and forestry. Agriculture was the key development that led to the rise of human civilization, with the husbandry of domesticated animals and plants creating food surpluses that enabled the development of more densely populated and...
Museum, a department of the
CzechoslovakCzechoslovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...
Agricultural Museum in
PraguePrague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Nicknames for Prague have included "the mother of cities" , "city of a hundred spires", or Stověžatá Praha in Czech and "the golden city" or Zlaté město in Czech.Situated on the River Vltava in central Bohemia, Prague has been the...
, was established in Bratislava the same year. In 1940, the Slovak National Geographic and History Museum and the Agricultural Museum were merged into the Slovak Museum. In 1961, the Slovak Museum and the Slovak National Museum in Martin were merged into the Slovak National Museum, based in Bratislava.
The museum today
The Slovak National Museum is the most important scientific research and cultural education institution, with the largest and best collections in the
museologicalMuseology is the study of how to organize and manage museums and museum collections. More generally, museum studies is a term used to denote academic programs, generally graduate programs, in the management, administration, or theory of museums.A variety of careers exist within the discipline of...
field in Slovakia. The museum is also dedicated to scientific research tasks and
publishingPublishing is the process of production and dissemination of literature or information – the activity of making information available for public view...
activities. Moreover, the SNM is "a coordination, methodological, professional advisory, statistical, educational and information centre for the whole field of museology in the Slovak Republic."
Building
The Slovak National Museum's headquarters are located on Vajanské nábrežie (a river front street in
Bratislava's Old TownThe Old Town of Bratislava is the historic center and one of the boroughs of Bratislava, in the Bratislava Region of Slovakia. It is coextensive with the smallest Slovak administrative district by area, Bratislava I.- Characteristics :...
), along with the Natural History Museum. The construction of the building, designed by architect M. M. Harminec, began in July 1925 and was completed in 1928. The museum opened on May 4, 1930.
External links