Open-air Folk Museums
Open-air folk museums are naturally connected with Slovak traditions and nature. Their way of documenting Slovak history and preserving the culture is unique. Wooden churches inscribed into the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2008 represent a real architectonic fortune of Slovakia. Precious wooden-house villages with original furniture coming from the nineteenth and the twentieth centuries smell of the wood and the history of Slovakia. Vlkolínec, inscribed into the UNESCO World Heritage list, is a nice example of this kind of village in Slovakia. It is even more interesting because it is still inhabited. Remains of Roman campsites situated in Bratislava and Komárno or a Celtic campsite in Havránok are Slovak historical rarities. Mining or agricultural museums are considered open-air museums and well preserved original watermills situated nearby museums are considered external museum expositions in Slovakia.
Roman Campsite in Iža nearby Komárno
| Location | southern Slovakia, Iža, situated 7 km (4.3 mi) from Komárno |
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This huge Roman fortress is lying in Iža, nearby Slovakia-Hungarian borders, only 7 km from Komárno in southern Slovakia. It used to be a part of the Limes Romanus – an ancient Rome’s border defence system. The campsite was built on Marcus Aurelius’s command. Archaeological excavations from the Roman period, ceramics, plastics, clasps as well as arms and coins from the Middle Ages are exposed in Museum of the Hungarian culture and Danube Region in Komárno. The fortress used to be quite important in times of anti-Turkish raids and anti-Hapsburg rebellions in Slovak history.
Antique Gerulata Museum
| Location | Bratislava, city part Rusovce |
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These 2,000 years old remains of a Roman military camp are an important national historical monument of Slovakia. They used to form a part of the Limes Romanus – an ancient Rome’s border defence system. The museum is opened to public. It is situated just behind the church on Gerulatská Street in city part Rusovce, Bratislava. There were uncovered for example Roman warrior’s tin hat, coins, burial site or remains of ceramics and other interesting articles.
Antique Gerulata Museum is opened daily except Mondays, since June till October, from 10 am to 5 pm
Open-air Museum of the Slovak Village Martin
| Location | northern Slovakia, Martin |
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Museum of the Slovak Village is characteristic by authentic wooden houses with original furniture and tools from Orava, Liptov, Kysuce and Turiec regions. Visitors can admire a church, cowsheds, ovens, cellars, etc. A National Cemetery where many important Slovaks are buried is also situated in Martin.
Čičmany
| Location | village Čičmany is situated between Prievidza and Žilina |
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Houses in the wooden village Čičmany are embellished with national paintings. House № 42 shelters a completely furbished museum representing typical Slovak regional dwelling house. Radenovský House shows the life and work of the Čičmany’s people, their needlework and handicraft products.
Open-air Slovak Agricultural Museum
| Location | Nitra, next to the Agrokomplex exhibition area |
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Slovak Agricultural Museum, part of the Agrokomplex exhibition area in Nitra, offers the possibility to visit an Open-air Agricultural Museum. Visitors can see not only agricultural machines or a fire brigade’s equipment but also many interesting archaeological excavations.
The exhibition consists of representation of the agricultural production in the history of Slovakia, development of the food production or handicraft techniques. Visitors can also see apiaries, mill houses or a steam locomotive. The Museum is opened all year round from Tuesday till Saturday.
Museum of the Liptov Village
| Location | northern Slovakia, village Pribylina is situated 18 km (11.2 mi) from Liptovský Mikuláš |
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There is an open-air Museum of the Liptov Village with characteristic wooden pheasant houses situated in village Pribylina. A Gothic church from the twelfth century looms over wooden dwellings. The museum is opened all year round from 9 am to 2.30 pm in the winter season and from 9 am to 7 pm in the summer season (from July 7 till September 15). Exact opening times you can check on the Museum’s phone number: 044/ 43 22 468.
Museum of the Kysuce Village Vychylovka
| Location | northern Slovakia, village Vychylovka lies close to Krásna nad Kysucou in the Kysuce Region |
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Open-air Museum of the Kysuce Village offers not only typical regional architecture but also the possibility to take train on a historical logging back swath railway. Visitors can have a closer look at typical pheasant houses, chapel, cemetery or shepherd’s dwellings.
Vlkolínec
| Location | northern Slovakia, village Vlkolínec is situated about 2 km (1.2 mi) from Ružomberok on the way to Banská Bystrica |
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VlkolinecVlkolínec is an open air museum in Slovakia and forms part of the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage. It lies nearby Ružomerok. The village is a nice example of a typical old northern Slovakian architecture. House №15 constructed in 1886 represents Slovak life on the beginning of the twentieth century. Its original tools and historical furniture show to visitors how hard life used to be in this region of Slovakia.
It is very interesting that unlike other villages of its kind that are more or less abandoned, there are 29 inhabitants still living in Vlkolínec.
Havránok National Cultural Monument – a fortress ruin
| Location | northern Slovakia, extending on the Úložisko Mountain nearby Liptovská Mara only 2 km (1.2 mi) from village Borovník, between Ružomberok and Liptovský Mikuláš |
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Open-air Museum Havránok is an important archaeological site dating back to the Iron Age. As it used to be a Celtic settlement, there has been built a unique reconstruction of Celtic dwellings. Visitors can see human bones found in a well - remains of Celtic sacrifices to the gods. They can admire church and fortress ruins form the eleventh century. Havránok is a national cultural monument of Slovakia.
Other open-air museums in Slovakia:
- Open-air Museum in Spa Bardejov
- Museum of the Folk Architecture in Stará Ľubovňa
- Beekeeping Open-air Museum in Kráľová nearby Senec
- Open-air Mining Museum Banská Štiavnica
- Museum of the Orava Village Zuberec – Brestová
- Open-air Museum Humenné
- Forest Historical Logging Back Swath Railway in Vychylovka
- Children’s Railway in Čermel
- Farmhouse Courtyard