SLOVAKIA

A FEW INDICATIONS
The cultural image of Slovakia is influenced by its geographical location in the heart of Europe.  Constituting an intergral part of the central European cultural entity, the foundations of which were laid by various ethnic groups, Slovakia for centuries was a point at which the Germanic, Hungarian and Slav cultures converged.
The Slovak culture has also been strongly marked by the very high degree of religious tolerance that prevailed inspite of the conflicts through history.
The Slovak national awakening resulted, in particular, in creation of a specifically Slovak literature, the language having been definitively codified by a brilliant writer, Ludovít Štúr.  The development of the language, of the literature and of Slovak poetry is intimately linked with the outburst of national feeling in the 19^th century.
This is illustrated by the poet Pavol Országh Hviezdoslav, whose works have been translated into several languages.
Thus, with the folkloric and poetic collections of Ján Kollár (1793-1825) at the end of 18^th century, which were intended as vectors of a national culture marked by Slav authenticity and rural simplicity, Slovak literature has continued its own development to this very day.
As of the start of the 20^th century, Slovakia experienced a high degree of activity in all artistic domains, and produced many internationally famous artists.

ORGANIZATION OF CULTURAL POLICIES
The Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs are the central authorities of the public administration that deal with international cultural cooperation at governmental level. Financing of culture, including international cooperation, is based on funds made available by the Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the regional and local communities, and some private sources.

The financing system is based on six programming focuses:         

1) support for the architectural heritage (« Let’s reconstruct our fatherland »);  

2) literature, the culture of books and libraries (« Ex libris »);          

3) the audiovisual sector and the cinema (« Audiovisual »);            

4) the development and presentation of contemporary arts and of cultural activities;

5) presentation of the culture abroad (« Pro-Slovakia »);

6) promoting the minorities’ culture.

Events connected with the country

Franco-Slovak Tandem

21 November, at theOpéra de St-Étienne

23 November, at the Maison des Arts in Laon

25 November, at the Château de Chantilly

Opera
Mathilde de Guise , by Johann Nepomuk Hummel (1778-1837)
Concert version. Sung in Italian
Solamente Naturali Orchestra (ancient instruments)
Regional choir of Picardy, directed by: Bernard Spizzi
With:  Adriana Kohutkova, Hjördis Thébault, Eva Suskova, Philippe Do, Ondrej Saling, Pierre-Yves Pruvot and Martin Malachovsky.

And also...

1 July, in Paris, Mairie du 16^e
Exhibition
The magic of the number 8 in Slovakia’s history
The Wine Museum
Ignác Bizmayer – the world of vines in ceramics

2-6 July, in Paris, Théâtre du Ranelagh
Puppets
Little mermaid of the sea
A show by the Puppet Theatre of Bratislava, accompanied by a historical exhibition from the Slovak National Museum, in the Theatre Gallery:  The world of puppets (vernissage on July 2).

24 July, in Toulouse, Summer Festival
Concert
Adriana Kucerová
Exceptional concerts paying homage to Slovak composer Eugen Suchon, on the 100^Th anniversary of his birth.

15 October in Bordeaux, Opéra de Bordeaux,
Gala concert by Adriana Kucerová (soprano) and Pavol Breslik (tenor).

15 and 16 September, in Paris, Hôtel des Invalides and Théâtre du Ranelagh
Cappella Istropolitana
Chamber Orchestre.

8-14 December in Paris, Hôtel des Invalides, Théâtre du Ranelagh, Église de la Madeleine (Madeleine Church)
Music
Gala by the opera singers
Bratislava Boys Choir.

• Updated: 17.07.2008

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