Professional Documents
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11
FOCUS / CULTURE
August 8 21, 2011
Illah van Oijen
keeps mapping
the character of
public spaces in
Slovakia
The Szkelys of Sekule
WE HAVE learned only
slowly about the history of
the many villages in the
Zhorie region perhaps be-
cause the Hun-
garian kings
made Zhorie a
buffer zone
against raids
from beyond the
empires bor-
ders.
This whole region was
sparesly inhabited mostly by
barbarian tribes whose sole
task was to guard the borders.
This certainly applies to
the Szkelys who lived in
this village, Sekule. The
first official mention of
them appears as late as the
16th century but some re-
cords indicate the Szkelys
arrived much earlier.
Not much is known
about the origins of the
Szkelys. The name is at-
tached to Hungarians living
in the region of Szkely, an
ethno-cultural area in east-
ern Romanian Transylvania.
It is possible the
Szkelys arrived in Zhorie
some time around the be-
ginning of the Great Hun-
garian empire, as reports
mention them as guards of
border regions as early as
the 11th century.
The Szkelys also resided
in the Small Carpathians
within the territory of todays
Trstn. In all likelihood they
settled there to guard the road
leading through the Small
Carpathians to
Moravia.
The Szkelys
were not the only
non-Slovaks resid-
ing in Sekule. In
1634, Serbs were
reported to have lived in the
village, brought there from
the Balkans by the Bakis
family, the local squire. It is
likely that a good number of
Serbs lived in the village as
they built their own chapel.
In this postcard, we see
how Sekule looked in the
times of the Austro-Hungari-
an Empire.
By Branislav Chovan
HISTORY TALKS
WesternSLOVAKIA
Bratislava
l LIVEMUSIC: Rock v mzeu
The Rock in Museum series
brings legendary rock drum-
mer Carl Palmer (of Emerson,
Lake & Palmer) and his power
trio S. Fitzpatrick and P.
Bielatowicz to the Bratislava
district of Podunajsk
Biskupice. Apart from this
concert, they will give only six
other performances inItaly.
Starts: August 10, 19:30;
Mzemobchodu, Linzbothova
16. Admission: 29. Tel: 02/
4524-3167 (also for ticket book-
ings); www.rockvmuzeu.sk.
Bratislava
l CLASSICAL MUSIC: Il Divo
Four singers arrive in Slov-
akia, offering tunes in sever-
al languages. US tenor David
Miller, Spanish baritone Car-
los Marin, Swiss tenor Urs
Buehler and French pop-
singer Sbastien Izambard
will play in the romantic en-
vironment.
Starts: August 11, 20:20;
Courtyard of the Bratislava
Castle. Admission: 120-
220. Tel: 02/5293-3321;
www. ticketportal.sk, www.
ildivo.com.
Bratislava
l SUMMER EXERCISE:
Cvienie pod stromami Ex-
ercise under the Trees. In
summer, Bratislavans will be
able to try new forms of exer-
cise (Yoga, Pikala-Yoga, Tai-ti-
Juan and self-defence) in the
openair.
Starts: August 15, 18
(Yoga); August 11, 16, 18
(Pikala-Yoga); August 10, 11
(Tai-ti-Juan); August 22, 25
(Self-defence); Medical Gar-
den (Medick zhrada) public
park near Americk Square.
Admission: free. More info:
www.kamdomesta.sk.
Bratislava
l PHOTO-EXHIBITION: Miro
volk Vek ena mal Mu /
Big woman small man This
photo exhibition is only
loosely inspired by his ex-
hibiton last year. All cycles of
this exhibition are, however,
focused on the human body
and its details.
Open: Tue-Sun 13:00 18:00
until September 4; Central-
European House of Photo-
graphy, Prepotsk 4. Admis-
sion: 3. Tel: 02/5441-8214;
www. sedf.sk.
ervenKame
l ROMA FEAST: Cignsky
baavel / Gypsy Feast The
multi-cultural festival has
entered its second year, and
after the young Roma talents
go through a Summer Aca-
demy and prepare their pro-
gramme, they will show their
talent - which will also fea-
ture Cignski diabli, Kal from
Serbia, bands Bohmiens,
Therne have, Farsa Duo, per-
former Patrik igo and dance
ensembles Romathan, Dance
Masacre, Merci, and others.
Starts: August 13, 13:00-
late at night; erven Kame
castle near Modra. Admission:
6-8. Tel: 02/5244-4074;
www.divemaky.sk.
Central SLOVAKIA
Sitno
l FOLKLORE FESTIVAL: Pod-
sitnianske dni hojnosti / Days
of Plenty under Sitno The
municipality of Prenov offers
its annual folklore festival
whichtakes place fromJuly to
August, always intwo to three
villages. This 11th year of the
festival called V Prenove na
rnku will feature home-made
food delicacies, folk music,
dancing and traditional crafts
including metal work and a
display of old works that are
seldom seen anymore. The
festival will end with dance
music until the wee hours of
Sunday.
Starts: August 13, 13:00-
very late; Prenov centre.
Admission: 2. More info:
www.prencov.ocu.sk.
Terchov
l SUMMER MUSIC FESTIVAL:
Terchovsk budzog
Terchov Mace Open-air
music festival, this time fea-
turing names like Olympic,
Desmod, Tublatanka, In
Kafe, Citron, Kabt, Horke
sle, and others.
Starts: August 12-14,
16:00-late; Nad Brami am-
phitheatre. Admission: 15
(for one day, Friday and
Sunday) - 20 (for all three
days). Tel: 02/5293-3321;
www. ticketportal.sk, www.
budzogan.sk.
EasternSLOVAKIA
Snina
l SUMMER MUSIC FESTIVAL:
Rock pod kameom - Rock
under the Rock Snina Open
Air Festival in its 9th year
shows performers like Mike
Terrana, Guano Apes, Edguy,
Sonata Arctica, In Kafe,
Witch Hammer, Karpina and
others.
Starts: August 12-13, 13:00
-late; Sninsk Rybnky. Ad-
mission: 16 (one day) - 20.
Tel: 02/5293-3321; www.
ticketportal.sk,
www.rockpodkamenom.sk.
Betliar
l MUSEUM/EXHIBITION:
Porceln aristokracie China
of the Aristocracy One of the
largest collections of Herend
china to be seen outside its
home country of Hungary
shows not just cups and sau-
cers, but also cutlery with
china handles, inkpots, um-
brella handles, playing cards,
and many more artefacts of
aristocratic life.
Open: Tue-Sun 9:30-17:30
until September 20; Mzeum
Betliar, Katiena 6. Admis-
sion: 4-6. Tel: 058/7983-118;
www.snm.sk.
ByZuzana Vilikovsk
EVENTS COUNTRYWIDE
THE LESN kino Horre (Forest Cinema House) organises a
small bring-and-buy sale every Saturday and on August 13 it will
host a big garage sale combined with a second-hand book sale.
Items should be in good condition and preferably be ones that
cannot normally be purchased in stores. Beginning from 10:00,
at the Forest House in Horsk Park in Bratislava, people can visit
to buy or sell, or just to watch the bustle. For more info, please
gotowww.kamdomesta.sk, or www.horaren.sk. Photo: SITA
AT THE PovadloLake near Bansktiavnica, a competitionof
bizarre vessels Utopenec (The Drowned) takes place on August
14 from 11:00. It includes races of unusual vessels (meaning any-
thing that floats), water bicycles, a fashion show, water battles,
a Dragon ship, and performances by Angelika4, Romano Ilo,
ukar divipen, Everest, and others. For more info, please call
0910/958-867 or go to www.banskastiavnica.sk, or
www.mladezbs.sk. Photo: Michal Kr
12
CULTURE
Weather updates and forecasts from across Slovakia
can be found at www.spectator.sk/weather.
A Slovaks name day (meniny) is as important as his or her birthday. It is traditional to present friends or co-workers with a small gift,
such as chocolates or flowers, and to wish them Vetko najlepie k meninm (Happy name day)
N A M E D A Y A U G U S T 2 0 1 1
Monday
Oskar
August 8
Tuesday
ubomra
August 9
Wednesday
Vavrinec
August 10
Thursday
Zuzana
August 11
Friday
Darina
August 12
Saturday
ubomr
August 13
Sunday
Mojmr
August 14
Absorbing Japanese culture
in a very short week
THE LAST week in July
offered quite a number of var-
ied cultural events and enter-
tainment in Bratislava and
anyone who picked this week
for their summer holiday
missed a lot. The Japanese
Embassy in Slovakia chose
the week from July 25 to July
31 for a concentrated present-
ation of Japanese culture and
traditions. Although it first
seemed that the week would
be affected by Slovakias in-
clement weather most of
the events were held out-
doors everything turned out
quite well as if Mother
Nature wanted to show a
moremerciful face.
On July 25 and 26, the
embassys chef, Shoichi Sato,
taught visitors how to pre-
pare and display Japanese
cuisine. July 27 was marked
by the playful side of Japan-
ese culture as there were
workshops on the traditional
paper-folding art of origami
as well as a special type of Ja-
panese chess called Shogi
offered on Bratislavas Main
Square, outside the embassy.
The workshops were primar-
ily led by Slovaks, with
Jaroslav Jaro teaching about
origami and members of the
Slovak Shogi Association
teaching the Japanese chess
game, both of which attrac-
ted not only children but also
a surprisingly large number
of playful adults.
Chef Sato later showed his
skills and firm hand while
sculpting two swans fromice.
Both were true to the original
design sketched on a sheet of
paper but unfortunately the
first graceful ice- bird grew
fragile because of the heat and
its neck broke during its final
transport and positioning.
Nevertheless, the ice sculp-
tures were admiringly intact
considering that sunshine
had finally emerged after a
spell of rainyandcolddays.
Lucia and Marcos Shim-
abukuro taught Slovaks to
play the traditional Shamisen
musical instrument on July
28 and on the next day Luk
Vyletel presented another
traditional Japanese game,
Go, at a workshop in the em-
bassy. On Saturday, the Main
Square literally seethed with
Japanese culture, with Somei
Fuehrmann presenting a tra-
ditional Japanese tea cere-
mony, Shogi being taught
once again, and the evening
ending with the exotic and
powerful music of Taiko
drums presented on stage by
the Kiyo-Kito Taiko band
fromBudapest. The week fin-
ished off with the concert of
classical music performed by
pianist Motoki Hirai, a suc-
cessful composer. A photo
exhibitioncalledKyoto, offer-
ing a selection of works from
the Japan Foundations col-
lection remained on display
until August 5 for fans of Ja-
panese landscapes, architec-
tureandhistory.
ByZuzanaVilikovsk
August 8 21, 2011
Sculptingaswan. Photo: Sme