Exposition of folk architecture in Bardejov Spa, the oldest open-air museum in Slovakia, commemorated a significant jubilee on Sunday 10 August 2025 - 60th anniversary of its opening.
The open-air museum welcomed its first visitors on 29 August 1965 with six buildings. Gradually, it grew by another 23 buildings, which today form a varied collection of wooden houses, barns and farm buildings from the historical regions of Šariš and Zemplín.
Among the biggest uniquenesses is the fact that it is the only open-air museum in Slovakia with two wooden temples - the church from Zboja (1766) and the church from Mikulášová (1730). Another rarity is a historical drill for the production of wooden water pipes and a working replica of a field pottery kiln (the so-called kochu), which reminds of the long tradition of pottery in the region.
Gifts for the anniversary
On the occasion of its 60th anniversary, the open-air museum received three significant „gifts“:
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Extensive reconstruction of roofs of the twenty largest objects from the funds of the Interreg Poland-Slovakia Programme.
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Dendrochronological dating selected buildings to determine their age more precisely - for example, to verify whether the bell tower from Janovce is really the oldest and dates back to approximately 1700.
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Jubilee celebration, which brought together history, folklore and traditional crafts.
Programme of celebrations
The festive day started in the morning with craft and sales stalls, creative activities and demonstrations of traditional techniques. The anniversary was marked by the planting of royal walnut.
In the afternoon from 15:00 a rich cultural program was held, in which Muzikanci Raslavicki, dance group Bardfa, Folk music of Róbert Harčar and Michal Smetanka performed. The event was accompanied by Martin Juríček.
The celebrations were also an opportunity to take stock of the past decades and to express wishes for the future - that the open-air museum will continue to attract curious visitors, host inspiring events and remain a place of beautiful experiences for all generations.
Source: taken from the press release - sarisskemuzeum.sk
