City Martin

A turning point in the modern history of Martin occurred in the revolutionary year 1848 after the performance of the Štúrovts, which received a positive response in Martin and throughout Turkey. Over the course of three centuries, historical development has made Martin a unique center of Slovak historical and cultural events. Today, Martin is the capital of the Turiec region and a modern city, the center of which has undergone significant reconstruction. The historic city center is not big. Repeated fires have damaged the city several times in the past, which means that there are not many old buildings in it. Most date from the late 19th and early 20th centuries and are built in the Art Nouveau (Art Nouveau) style.

In the middle of the main square is the glass building Millennium, which together with the reconstructed pedestrian zone won the most important award in Slovakia, "Construction of the Year 2003".

To the left of the Millennium building is the National House building. It was built between 1888 and 1890 by the Owners' Society according to the plan of Blažej Bull. From II. World War II until 2001, when its reconstruction began, is the seat of the Slovak Chamber Theater. Since December 2008, the National House has been open again. The Slovak Chamber Theater also includes the Studio, built in 1994, which is one of the most modern and best-equipped theaters in Slovakia.

Another interesting feature is the building of Tatra Banka, in which on October 30, 1918 the Slovak political and cultural representation signed the Declaration of the Slovak Nation on the accession of Slovakia to the common republic with the Czechs. In the park in front of it there is a bronze sculpture in honor of the fallen in the First World War, by the sculptor Fraň Štefunka.

From the Millennium building, the square is divided on two sides. At one end, it opens onto Memorandum Square, where a memorandum assembly of the Slovak nation took place in the area under the linden trees in front of the Evangelical Church from 6 to 7 June 1861. An important document was signed here - the first comprehensive program of an independent Slovak policy - the Memorandum of the Slovak Nation. Right next to the Memorandum Square is the first building of the Matica slovenská, in which all the creative and cultural forces of the nation were concentrated in the 19th century. At present, it houses the Slovak National Literary Museum, with permanent exhibitions entitled The Oldest Slovak Literature and the National Hall.

The second building of the Matica slovenská was built in the years 1925 to 1926 according to the design of Ján Palkovič. Today, it is the seat of the offices of Matica slovenskej - publishing house, editorial office of Národné noviny, Slovenské pohledy and the offices of the Slovak National Literary Museum of the Slovak National Library are also located here. In the park in front of the building is a bronze statue "Matica" by Ján Kulich from 1964.

At the other end of the square stands the Roman Catholic Church of St. Martin, which is the oldest monument in the city. According to the patronage of the church, the town of Martin was also named. The church was built in the Romanesque style in the second half of the 13th century and has preserved frescoes from the 14th century, although it burned down several times (in 1433 after the Hussite invasions and in the years 1780 to 1781). It was reconstructed twice in the 20th century - in 1919 and after the war, in 1945. It houses the tomb of the Révai family, the Stations of the Cross with 14 reliefs and the Pieta by the sculptor of the national artist Franňa Štefunka, as well as a painting of the Virgin Mary by national artist Martin Benko.

Opposite the Church of St. Martin is the former County House, built in 1772, which has been the seat of the Turčianska Gallery since 1987 with a permanent exhibition of Slovak modern art of the 20th century. In addition to regular exhibitions and chamber concerts, the gallery also organizes unique international cycles
events - Biennial of Fantasy (for children) and Biennial of Book Art (for creators and lovers of beautiful books).

To the right of the Turčianská gallery stands a sculpture of Jánošík with a retinue by Fraň Štefunk from 1941.

One of Martin's most visited places is the National Cemetery, where most of the greats of the nation that built the city stood at the birth of cultural institutions and associations, financial institutions and industrial enterprises ended their life journey. Later, the remains of great Slovaks from all over Slovakia and abroad were buried here.

One of the largest museums in Martin and Slovakia is the Slovak National Museum - Ethnographic Museum.
When the building of the original museum (now the Andrej Kmeť Museum) was no longer sufficient for the needs and growing collections of the Slovak Museum Society, MSS decided to build according to the project of M. Harminc, to build a new building of the Slovak National Museum. It was built between 1929 and 1932. It includes a travertine staircase with a statue of Andrej Kmeť and a botanical garden from 1934. Historical, ethnographic and natural history collections were gradually collected in the museum. Since 1942, the museum has also served as the first specialized archaeological site in Slovakia. After the Second World War, as part of the delimitation, the collections were gradually transported to Bratislava, to specialized institutes of the Slovak National Museum (Slovak National Museum). In particular, ethnographic collections remained in Martin, and the museum began to specialize as an ethnographic museum. It currently offers 3 permanent exhibitions, namely: Man and Soil, Man and Material and Man and Clothing.

The Andrej Kmeť Museum houses a specialized workplace focused on nature research, which manages more than 160,000 collection items and offers a permanent exhibition on the nature of Turkey.

The Slovak National Library in Martin (SNK) is the oldest, largest and most important national and scientific library in Slovakia. At present, it is a modern scientific, cultural, information and educational institution that serves all citizens of Slovakia and users from abroad.

Martin's visitors are also attracted by the Museum of the Slovak Village (14), the largest open-air museum in Slovakia, which presents folk architecture, housing and the life of traditional Slovak village communities. In its area, almost 150 residential, economic, technical, social and sacral buildings from the Orava, Turiec, Kysuce and Liptov regions are currently concentrated on an area of 15.5 ha. Since In 1991, the Museum of the Slovak Village (MSD) regularly hosts program events of the Ethnographic Year with demonstrations of traditional production, crafts, customs and folklore. The services provided to MSD visitors also include the offer of a wide range of folk art products and the possibility of refreshments in a log cabin from Oravská Polhora from 1818th

Cultural events in Martin
The biggest and most important events include the Martin City Days and the Martin Cultural Summer. The days of the city of Martin are held in the pedestrian zone (on the Theater Square) every June. It is a multi-genre three-day event, which also includes Martin's Dance Day and Martin's Bicycle Day. The program includes performances by domestic Martin bands, as well as performers known throughout Slovakia. In addition to musical performances, you will also find theater, dance, fine arts and sports in the varied offer. Other attractions include craft stalls, bouncy castles and trampolines, and performances by falconry and fencing groups.

Martin's cultural summer takes place in July, August and also includes a number of concerts of popular, classical and alternative music as well as theater and dance performances in the open air. The end of the summer traditionally belongs to the Cyklomaratón event along the SNP road.


Other traditional city events include:

Fašiangy (February / March), Easter Markets (March / April), City for Children (June), Days of St. Martina - Martin's feast (November), St. Nicholas in the city (December) and New Year's Eve (December)