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History of Central Slovakia Museum

The history of the museum started in 1889, when the town council of Banská Bystrica, according to proposal of Dr. Štefan Holesch at the meeting on 12th July 1889, approved the foundation of the Municipal Museum. On the basis of this resolution there were made accessible some historical artefacts from the municipal archive in the official rooms. In the archive there were things connected with the history of the town. The copy of the town council meeting memorandum is annually on that day accessible to the museum visitors. In 1893 the burghers formed a museum committee to support the Municipal Museum called Banská Bystrica Historical and Archaeological Society at the head with Július Csesznak, a reeve of the town. In that year the Municipal Museum was relocated into the building next to Petermann’s tower (demolished in the thirties of 20th century), which had served before as a flat for the castle tower watcher. In 1907 the renovation of Matej’s house began in the area of the castle, which was supposed to become a representative building of the town intended for the Municipal Museum. The enthusiasts, the members of the Historical and Archaeological society, raised the finances for that demanding reconstruction. They also came from the sources of the Hungary government, but the substantial part was provided by the town. On 17th October 1909 in this house, there was handselled the first municipal museum exposition, installed under the supervision of Kornel Divald, a commissioner of the Supreme Inspectorate for Museums and Libraries in Hungary. It was situated on four floors; on the first one, there were mineralogy and ethnographic collections, on the second one, there were historical and cultural-industrial collections, on the third one, there were cultural-historical and numismatic collections and on the fourth floor there were some church life antiquities. The Museum owned, before 1909, about 2500 different collection items excluding mineralogy and numismatic collections. Kornel Divald wrote in 1909 also the first guide of the Municipal Museum called „Beszterczebánya múzeum kalauza“. With the beginning of the museum there are connected names of the significant personalities of the cultural life in Banská Bystrica, such as Jozef Schweng, dr. Štefan Holesch, dr. Samuel Bothár, prof. Emil Jurkovich and Karol Kiszely. Along with the things from the municipal archive, the foundation of the museum collections was made especially from the gifts of the local burghers and church dignitaries. The artefacts of the natural and scientific character were also given to the museum by famous Czech traveller Emil Holub and also Imrich Bende, a bishop of Banská Bystrica. These were to become, together with Bothar’s collection of minerals and various kinds of natural substances, the foundation of the natural and scientific part of the museum. However, because of insufficient room, these zoology and botany collections were distributed among the schools of Banská Bystrica.

Development of the museum continued even after the World War II. In 1958 the exposition of at that time Regional museum was open in the renewed building of Thurzo’s house. In Matej’s house there was constituted the depository of the museum. In 1970 0 the name of the museum changed from National to Central Slovakia Museum. In 1973 there was granted the building of Tihányis’ manor house in Kráľovej to the Central Slovakia Museum, where in 1989 there was, on occasion of the centenary celebration of the museum, open the natural and scientific exposition of the museum.
The significance of the museum is proved by the fact that it participated in the most significant cultural events. In 1896 it was Millennium Exhibition in Budapest, in 1900 at World Exhibition in Paris it showed 22 representative things. In 1937 it participated at the exhibition called Ancient Art in Slovakia, in 1939 at World Exhibition in New York. During the World War II the museum presented its collections at the exhibition in German Stuttgart. In 1955 the museum participated in the celebration of the 700th anniversary of the town. The exhibition called Banská Bystrica being town for 700 years had an unusual success.
In 2005, on occasion of 750th anniversary of the town, the museum prepared the exhibition called Alive in Bystrica, after death in heaven. The visitors had access to the most significant artefacts of the past of the free royal town.
In the presence the Central Slovak Museum is a regional institution with complex documentation of the society and nature development in the region of Banská Bystrica. On the basis of the survey and scientific research it gathers, using scientific methods it evaluates, administers professionally, protects and makes accessible the collection artefacts as a part of the cultural and natural heritage. The essential part of the museum’s mission is presenting and educational-pedagogical activity (making the exhibitions, arranging the educational events, lectures and seminars) dedicated to wide professional and laic public with the special regard on the school young people.