Slovakia

The cultural picture of Slovakia is influenced by its geographical situation at the heart of Europe. Slovakia is an integral part of the cultural entity of Central Europe, the foundations of which were laid by numerous nations and ethnic groups; it has been a point of convergence for German, Austrian, Hungarian and Slavic cultures for centuries.

The Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs are the central authorities of the state administration dealing with governmental international cultural cooperation. Within the framework of its competences, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs carries out primary and secondary cultural activities.
The financing of culture including international cooperation is based on the funds of the Ministries of Culture and Foreign Affairs, on regional and local communities, and on private sources.

The Ministry of Culture is responsible for multilateral cooperation in the cultural field. The Ministry is also responsible for the monitoring and administration of treaties and agreements, following the policies of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and it supports the cultural projects of Slovak communities abroad.

Important form of cultural activities promotion is the grant system of the Ministry of culture of the Slovak Republic with 6 programmes aimed at monuments support ("Let's rebuild our house"), at literature, at book culture and libraries ("Ex libris"), at audiovisual and cinematography ("Audiovisual"), at development and presentation of contemporary art and cultural activities, at presentation of culture abroad ("Pro Slovakia") and at promotion of culture of minorities.

There are several cultural institutions in Slovakia which, funded by the Ministry of Culture, have a remit for transnational cultural cooperation. They cover performing arts, music, visual and applied arts, literature and libraries, heritage and folk art. The following is a representative selection: the Slovak National Theatre, the Slovak National Museum, the Slovak Technical Museum, the Slovak National Gallery, the Theatre Institute, the Centre for Information of Literature, the International House of Art for Children (BIBIANA), etc.

For more information on Slovakian culture:
The Ministry of Culture
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs
The Slovak National Theatre
The Slovak National Museum
The Slovak Technical Museum
The Slovak National Gallery
The Centre for Information of Literature
The International House of Art for Children (BIBIANA)
Slovak National Library