The only thing you can hear is the wind in the trees. The Museum of the Slovak Village is situated on the hill, therefore, you can admire the highland landscape from all sides. You can feel the mystery in the air.

The exposition presents the folk architecture and the lifestyle of the Slovaks living in different regions from the second half of the 19th century to the 1920s. The idea of creating the museum of the folk architecture and housing was actually born at the end of the 19th century. The first building appeared in 1943. It was a bell tower moved from Košťany nad Turcom.

The Museum of the Slovak Village is a branch of the Slovak National Museum in Martin. It is the largest exposition of this kind in Slovakia. On the stretch of 15,5 ha, the museum features 143 buildings that used to serve a living, production, social and sacral purposes. They represent the folk architecture of the Orava, Liptov, Kysuce-Podjavorníky and Turiec regions. Some of the buildings are furnished and open to the public. The most remarkable constructions include a 1748 yeoman homestead from Vyšný Kubín, an oil production facility from Oravské Veselé, an inn from Oravská Polhora dating back to 1811, a wooden Roman-Catholic church from 1792 originally located at Rudno, a garden arbour from Slovenské Pravno, a storing space for wagons and an area for livestock from Moškovec. The Museum of Roma Culture in Slovakia is also worth visiting.

The Open air Museum has been organizing programme events to mark “The Ethnographic Year” showcasing samples of traditional folk production, handicrafts, customs and folklore. Dates and focus of the events are in line with customs and folklore traditions of the individual regions of northwestern Slovakia. They include celebrations to mark the “Easter in the village”, “Sunday for children”, “St. Michael’s Day Fair” and “Christmas in the village“.

The museum also offers the possibility of trying traditional dishes in the pub from Oravská Polhora, which enables the visitors to learn more profoundly about particular places, try Slovakian traditional cuisine and moreover feel the atmosphere of this charming place.

Slovenské národné múzeum v Martine – Múzeum slovenskej dediny
036 01 Martin, Jahodnícke háje
tel. (+421) 43 245 81 16, (+421) 43 245 81 11
e-mail: msd@snm.sk
www.snm.sk, www.skanzenmartin.sk