The East Slovak Museum () in
Košice
Košice is the largest city in eastern Slovakia. It is situated on the river Hornád at the eastern reaches of the Slovak Ore Mountains, near the border with Hungary. With a population of approximately 230,000, Košice is the second-largest cit ...
,
Slovakia
Slovakia, officially the Slovak Republic, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the west, and the Czech Republic to the northwest. Slovakia's m ...
, is one of the oldest Slovak museums, founded in 1872. It is located in the
Old Town
In a city or town, the old town is its historic or original core. Although the city is usually larger in its present form, many cities have redesignated this part of the city to commemorate its origins. In some cases, newer developments on t ...
borough of Košice, at ''Námestie maratóncov'' (Marathon Runners' Square).
The museum was founded on 25 June 1876 as ''Felső-Magyarországi Muzeum'' (Museum of
Upper Hungary
Upper Hungary (, "Upland"), is the area that was historically the northern part of the Kingdom of Hungary, now mostly present-day Slovakia. The region has also been called ''Felső-Magyarország'' ( literally: "Upper Hungary"; ).
During the ...
), in the
Kingdom of Hungary
The Kingdom of Hungary was a monarchy in Central Europe that existed for nearly a millennium, from 1000 to 1946 and was a key part of the Habsburg monarchy from 1526-1918. The Principality of Hungary emerged as a Christian kingdom upon the Coro ...
. In 1906, it was renamed to ''Felső-magyarországi Rákóczi Múzeum'' after the reburial of
Francis II Rákóczi
Francis II Rákóczi (, ; 27 March 1676 – 8 April 1735) was a Hungarian nobleman and leader of the Rákóczi's War of Independence against the Habsburgs in 1703–1711 as the prince () of the Estates Confederated for Liberty of the Kingdom of ...
.
A neo-
Renaissance
The Renaissance ( , ) is a Periodization, period of history and a European cultural movement covering the 15th and 16th centuries. It marked the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and was characterized by an effort to revive and sur ...
building was erected in the early 20th century. It was the first building in the town designed to serve its needs as a
museum
A museum is an institution dedicated to displaying or Preservation (library and archive), preserving culturally or scientifically significant objects. Many museums have exhibitions of these objects on public display, and some have private colle ...
. There are sculptures of
Perseus
In Greek mythology, Perseus (, ; Greek language, Greek: Περσεύς, Romanization of Greek, translit. Perseús) is the legendary founder of the Perseid dynasty. He was, alongside Cadmus and Bellerophon, the greatest Greek hero and slayer of ...
and
Vulcan on the
facade of the building.
The museum also possesses a relocated wooden church that was built in 1741.
Exhibits
The main museum building is located at Marathon Runners' Square in central Košice, just outside the Old Town's traditional northern boundary. It serves as the headquarters of the institution, housing several permanent exhibits. It also features a great number of exhibition spaces for temporary exhibits pertaining to history, archaeology, fine arts, historical photography, biology and nature, and other related topics. Temporary exhibitions in the museum tend to last several weeks or even months.
The current number of permanent exhibitions in the main museum underwent a general overhaul in the early-to-mid 2010s, during the main museum building's biggest maintenance renovation in its history. The renovation lasted from September 2008 to September 2013.
In addition to the main museum building, the museum has further branch exhibits in other parts of the Old Town borough, such as the permanent exhibits on nearby Hviezdoslavova Street, the permanent exhibits on Pri Miklušovej väznici and Stará Baštová streets, the specialised exhibition spaces on Hrnčiarska Street, and others.
The following sections provide an overview of the museum's main exhibits, both current and former.
Current exhibits
Exhibits and exhibition spaces currently operated by the museum.
Former exhibits
Major exhibits and exhibition spaces operated by the museum in the past. No longer in existence, administered by different museums in the present or developed into separate museums. Listed in rough chronological order, based on date of founding.
Gallery
Main building (exterior and interior views)
File:14670-Kassa-1912-Felsömagyarorszagy Rakoczy muzeum-Brück & Sohn Kunstverlag.jpg, The museum in 1912 (period postcard)
File:Kosice (Slovakia) - East Slovak Museum.jpg, The entrance facade during daytime (2005)
File:Východoslovenské múzeum - panoramio (1).jpg, Museum at night time (July 2013)
File:Východoslovenské múzeum - panoramio (2).jpg, Museum at night time (December 2014)
File:Staircase in the East Slovak Museum, 2018-05-24.jpg, Decorated handrails of the main staircase
Wooden church of St. Nicholas and belfry (museum park)
File:East Slovak Museum, open air exhibition, Kosice 2018-05-2.jpg, The wooden church of St. Nicholas, originally from Kožuchovce
File:Open air exhibition the East Slovak Museum, Kosice 2018-05.jpg, The wooden church of St. Nicholas, originally from Kožuchovce
File:Wooden Church from Kožuchovce, Kosice, Slovakia.jpg, The wooden belfry and church from Kožuchovce
File:East Slovak Museum, open air exhibition, Kosice 2018-05.jpg, The wooden belfry from Kožuchovce
Archaeological collections
File:0029 Tragbar Lehmofen der Otomani-Kultur im Karpatenbecken, zirka 16 Jh. v. Chr..JPG, Portable clay stove of the Ottomány culture
File:00 DSC 0381 celtic pottery Die Eisenzeit in ostslowakischen Raum. Verschidene Typen keltischer Keramik..jpg, Iron Age Celtic pottery (2nd century BC)
File:004 Ein Topf aus römischer Zeit in ostslowakischen Raum.jpg, Roman era ceramic pot
File:00 DSC 0513 potter's stove from Roman period. Töpferofen (Rekonstruktion) aus römischer Zeit in ostslowakischen Raum.jpg, Roman era pottery stove
File:0094 Wandalische Keramik des 3. Jahrhunderts n. Chr. in ostslowakischen Raum..jpg, Vandalic ceramic bowl (3rd century AD)
Period furniture collections
File:Wedding chest, East Slovak Museum, 2018-05-24.jpg, A historical wedding chest
File:Ceramic stove - East Slovak Museum, 2018-05-24-2.jpg, Cocklestove
A masonry heater (also called a masonry stove) is a device for warming an interior space through radiant heating, by capturing the heat from periodic burning of fuel (usually wood), and then radiating the heat at a fairly constant temperature fo ...
File:Folk art interior, Abaúj county - East Slovak Museum, 2018-05-24-2.jpg, Folk art interior, typical of Abov county
File:Pharmacy interior - East Slovak Museum, 2018-05-24.jpg, Historical pharmacy display in the East Slovak Museum
File:Art Nouveau interior - East Slovak Museum, 2018-05-24.jpg, Art Nouveau interior
Art history exhibit (Hviezdoslavova Street)
File:Miniaturist from Delft - double page from the book of watches in the East Slovak Museum, 2018-05-24.jpg, Medieval book by anonymous miniaturist from Delft
Delft () is a List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city and Municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the Provinces of the Netherlands, province of South Holland, Netherlands. It is located between Rotterdam, to the southeast, ...
File:Miniaturist from Italy -Holy Virgin in the East Slovak Museum, 2018-05-24 txt-2.jpg, Medieval religious miniature by anonymous miniaturist from Italy
Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...
File:Sculpture of St Martin, East Slovak Museum, 2018-05-24.jpg, Sculpture of St Martin
File:Countryside, c 1820 - East Slovak Museum, 2018-05-24.jpg, Painting from the 1820s
Natural history exhibit (Hviezdoslavova Street)
File:Minerals in the East Slovak Museum, 2018-05-24-2.jpg, Mineral exhibit
File:Minerals in the East Slovak Museum, 2018-05-24-6.jpg, Various minerals found in east Slovakia
File:Minerals in the East Slovak Museum, 2018-05-24-5.jpg, Various minerals found in east Slovakia
File:Minerals in the East Slovak Museum, 2018-05-24-7.jpg, Various minerals found in east Slovakia
File:Minerals in the East Slovak Museum, 2018-05-24-4.jpg, Apophyllite
The name apophyllite refers to a specific group of phyllosilicates, a class of minerals. Originally, the group name referred to a specific mineral, but was redefined in 1978 to stand for a class of minerals of similar chemical makeup that compris ...
, mangano calcite and stilbite
Stilbite is the name of a series of tectosilicate minerals of the zeolite group. Prior to 1997, stilbite was recognized as a mineral species, but a reclassification in 1997 by the International Mineralogical Association changed it to a series nam ...
File:Wooden opal, 2018-05-24.jpg, Wooden opal
Opal is a hydrated amorphous form of silicon dioxide, silica (SiO2·''n''H2O); its water content may range from 3% to 21% by weight, but is usually between 6% and 10%. Due to the amorphous (chemical) physical structure, it is classified as a ...
from east Slovakia
File:Archeopteryx, 2018-05-24.jpg, Archaeopteryx
''Archaeopteryx'' (; ), sometimes referred to by its German name, "" ( ''Primeval Bird'') is a genus of bird-like dinosaurs. The name derives from the ancient Greek (''archaîos''), meaning "ancient", and (''ptéryx''), meaning "feather" ...
fossil
File:Ammonites, 2018-05-24.jpg, Ammonites
Ammonoids are extinct, (typically) coiled-shelled cephalopods comprising the subclass Ammonoidea. They are more closely related to living octopuses, squid, and cuttlefish (which comprise the clade Coleoidea) than they are to nautiluses (family N ...
File:Mammoth bones, 2018-05-24.jpg, Mammoth
A mammoth is any species of the extinct elephantid genus ''Mammuthus.'' They lived from the late Miocene epoch (from around 6.2 million years ago) into the Holocene until about 4,000 years ago, with mammoth species at various times inhabi ...
bones
Fortifications exhibit, Rodošto memorial house and House of Crafts
File:Košice - Hrnčiarska 7-2.jpg, Entrance gate to the Executioner's Bastion complex and courtyard
File:Rodosto house, Kosice 2018-05.jpg, The entire courtyard at the Executioner's Bastion and Rodošto memorial house
File:Delo 2.jpg, Period cannon at the exhibit's courtyard
File:Kosice (Kassa) - Rodosto house - panoramio.jpg, Park near Rodošto memorial house and a section of the city walls
File:Košice - Hrnčiarska 7 - Katova bašta a Rodošto-2.jpg, Rodošto memorial house (foreground) and House of Crafts exhibit (background)
File:Košice - Hrnčiarska 9 - múr-1.jpg, House of Crafts front entrance from further up Hrnčiarska Street
See also
*
Slovak Technical Museum (Main Street, Košice Old Town)
*
East Slovak Gallery (Main Street, Košice Old Town)
References
External links
*
Articles on The East Slovak Museum — Cassovia.sk
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Museums in Košice
History museums in Slovakia
Art museums and galleries in Slovakia
Natural history museums in Slovakia
Museums established in 1872
20th-century architecture in Slovakia
Renaissance Revival architecture in Slovakia