It has stood on Freedom Square in Sabinov since 2016 Oscar statuette, which commemorates the greatest success in the history of Slovak cinema. It was produced to mark the 50th anniversary of the film winning an Oscar Shop on the Corniche, which was filmed in Sabinov. The statue is now one of the town’s landmarks and a popular spot for taking photos.
The City of the Oscars
In the summer of 1964, the exterior scenes for the film *Obchod na korze* (The Shop on Main Street), directed by Ján Kadár and Elmar Klos and based on a story by Ladislav Grosman, were filmed in Sabinov. The filmmakers chose the town deliberately because its centre had retained its historic character even after the war, with no new buildings. On 18 April 1966, the film won an Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film, the first film from Czechoslovakia to do so. To this day, it remains the only Slovak film to have won this prestigious award, and Sabinov has thus earned the nickname ‘the Oscar town’.
The creation of the statue
The statue was officially unveiled on 15 June 2016 in a park in the town centre. It was created by Juraj Andraščík, a native of Sabinov, who is an art designer, sculptor and computer game developer. He collaborated on the work with the artistic blacksmith Ladislav Ďudák. The statue is 2.5 metres tall, weighs approximately two tonnes and consists of 80 plates, which were cut by a robotic arm using plasma cutting technology.
Oscar with a button
The sculpture is not an exact replica of the famous statuette. Whilst the original Oscar holds a sword in his hands, the Sabinov Oscar holds a button. This symbolises the haberdashery shop in which the film’s main plot unfolds. The statue is made of Corten steel, which naturally preserves itself through surface corrosion. The rusty surface is intended to remind viewers that this is not a new Oscar, but a memento of an award from a decade ago.
Oscar and Sabina
At the northern end of Sabinov’s main square stands a statue of Oscar; at the southern end the statue of Sabina by the same artist. The two works represent opposites. Sabína, made of polished stainless steel, greets the morning sun as it rises in the east and alludes to the future, whilst the heavy Oscar, made of rusted Corten steel, watches the sun set and evokes the past.
More memories of the film
Other sites also serve as reminders of the town’s Oscar history. On the promenade stands a life-size bronze statue of the protagonist, Tón Brtko, by Juraj Karniš. Running through the town is The ‘Shop on the Promenade’ Walkway featuring 11 panels, the QR codes on which play a scene filmed at that location. The building of the former Piarist monastery houses a permanent exhibition dedicated to film.
Source: OOCR RŠ
Source of photographs: OOCR RŠ
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The Oscar statue on Freedom Square in Sabinov commemorates the 50th anniversary of the Oscar awarded to the film *The Shop on Main Street*, which was filmed in the town in 1964. It is the only Slovak film to have won this prestigious award.
The statue was unveiled in 2016 and was created by Juraj Andraščík, a native of Sabinov. It is 2.5 metres tall, weighs approximately two tonnes and is made of Corten steel. Instead of a sword, he holds a button in his hands, symbolising the gallantry seen in the film.
