LITERARY MUSEUM SNK
The history of Martin is closely connected with literature, books and printing. The authors, institutions, publishing houses and printers operating in this town played an important role in the development of Slovak book culture. Visit the SNK Literary Museum and discover the rich history of Slovak literature and printing in one place.
The museum is housed in the historical building I. of the Matica Slovenska, whose foundation stone was laid on 6 April 1864. In 1870, the first national museum exhibition of archives, books, galleries and ethnography was opened. Since 1992, the Literary Museum of the Slovak National Library, which collects and manages collections of literary monuments from Slovakia and abroad, has had its seat here.
From the Great Moravian Empire to Realism and Slovak Modernism
The museum's permanent exhibition will guide you through Slovak literary history from the 8th century to the First World War. In nine thematic sections, rare works from different literary periods are exhibited:
- Great Moravian Empire (800 - 1000): the cradle of Slavic writing
- Medieval literature (1000 - 1500): the period of the Hungarian state
- Renaissance and Humanism (1500 - 1650)
- Literature in Slovakia in the Baroque period (first half of the 17th century - second half of the 18th century)
- Enlightenment and National Revival (1780 - 1820)
- Classicism (1820 - 1840)
- Romanticism (1840 - 1880) and the Matrix years (1863 - 1875)
- Realism and Slovak Modernism (1870 - 1918)
The handiwork of monks and the invention of the letterpress
Visitors' attention is also drawn to original works of art by Slovak artists, historical furniture and various writing instruments from the earliest period. The whole exposition is interesting and very valuable. But visitors can see for themselves, for example, a faithful copy of a medieval table, at which hundreds or thousands of medieval monks sat and honestly transcribed for decades from dawn to dusk, letter by letter, book by book. They sat on hard wooden chairs and of course used medieval writing implements. That's how bloodily books once proliferated. Visitors can also see gems of book culture in the museum. These include facsimiles (faithful copies) and originals of important writings that were produced in the above-mentioned way. The religious hymnbooks of the Bratislava Graduals from 1487 with rich, beautiful illuminations (illustrations) are magnificent. Very interesting and valuable is also the Kremnica Town Book from 1426, also handwritten and illustrated.
Printing press, also Škultéty's glasses
After the manual transcription of books, the stage of letterpress printing came. JohannesGutenberg, who perfected the printing press, is considered to be the inventor of the letterpress. In 1455, he printed the so-called 42-line Bible. In the period between the invention of the printing press and the end of the 15th century, the Incunabula were produced. They are the earliest printed books. The Inkunables can also be seen in the exhibition. And we can also see the aforementioned printing press. It is a press of the Levoca printer Brewer from 1668, on which Comenius' works and other important prints were printed.
The exhibition also includes original works by Slovak artists. There are also personal objects of the authors, such as the eagle pen of Jozef Miloslav Hurban, writing instruments of Bozena Slančíková Timrava, or glasses worn by Baťko Škultéty. Through these objects, visitors can more easily transport themselves in their minds to the time when the literary works of the authors were created.
Opening hours:
- Tuesday - Saturday: 08:00 – 16:00
- Sunday, Monday and public holidays: Closed
Admission price list:
- Adults: 3,00 € / person
- Pupils (primary and secondary schools): 1,00 € / person
- Students (HE): 2,00 € / person
- Seniors over 62 years of age: 2,00 € / person
- Family ticket: 5,00 € / minimum 3 persons, maximum 6 persons
- Teaching lesson in the permanent exhibition: 10,00 € / group
- Ticket for a solo exhibition: 1,00 € / person
- Ticket to the National Cemetery: 1,00 € / person
- Children up to 6 years of age, holders of disability cards, holders of ZMS, ICOM cards: Free
Text: PhDr. Milan Gonda
Actual photos of monuments donated by Mgr. Ján Farský
Historical photos provided by Ing. Vladimír Bullo
English 
Slovak 
German 
Polish 
Hungarian 
