null Visit to the Ethnographic Collection of Slovaks in Zemplén, Rudabányácska

In the framework of a comprehensive investigation into the nationality content of museums, the Minority Ombudsman and her staff visited the nationality country house of the National-level Slovak Self-Government in Sátoraljaújhely-Rudabányácska. The Ethnographic Collection of Slovaks in Zemplén, which is classified as a museum of public interest, has been run by the Cultural Institute of Slovaks in Hungary as its own institution since 2015.

During the visit, Elisabeth Sándor-Szalay and her colleagues had a detailed discussion with the director of the Cultural Institute of Slovaks in Hungary (MSZKI), Katalin Király, who, in addition to the maintenance aspects, provided a broad insight into the details of the expert aspects through her special expertise and experience as a board member of the Association of Slovak National Country Houses and as the secretary of the National Ethnographic Section of the Hungarian Ethnographic Society. The meeting was also attended by Xénia Zsuzsanna Szabó, MSZKI staff member and director of the country house, and Marika Miklós Holod, leader of the Rozmaring Women's Choir.

 

The MSZKI plays an important role in the preservation and presentation of the cultural assets of the Slovak national community. Apart from the German nationality, the Slovak nationality in Hungary has the largest number of nationality country houses. Currently, there are more than 70 country houses, village museums and ethnographic collections, which are maintained by (local/nationality) self-governments or associations. The Institute also performs important functions related to museological institutions, such as the protection of the Slovak built and material heritage, providing professional assistance and support to Slovak nationality country houses and operating the Ethnographic Collection of Slovaks in Zemplén as its own site.

Rudabányácska is located in the north-east of Hungary, in Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén County, near Sátoraljaújhely. The Slovak community arrived in the village in the 1700s. The inhabitants of the village, who are mainly Greek-Catholic, still speak Eastern Slovak dialect among themselves.

The Ethnographic Collection of the Slovaks of Zemplén was established in 2006 on the initiative of the National-level Slovak Self-Government in the house of Lajos Seszták, a local carpenter. The original house was built in 1880, but was badly damaged by fire in 1929. The character and furnishings of the current building reflect the furnishings of a wealthy family from the 1940s. The renewed permanent exhibition was opened in 2023 and was visited by the Minority Ombudsman and her staff during the visit. The permanent exhibition of the country house was renovated in both form and content with the support of the Hungarian Genius Programme. The new exhibition details the life of the community, its religious traditions and customs. The storytelling cabinets present the work of the Rozmaring Women's Choir, their stage props and the religious traditions of the Greek Catholic Slovaks. Traditional dishes are featured in the kitchen, available in the form of recipes and short videos. The living room is a tribute to the spinning rooms and preserves the local dialect (storytelling radio). A guest room and a community room have been created in the back of the country house, while the barn in the courtyard houses a storage room and a stage. The exhibition has also been designed with young people in mind, with some interactive objects in each room.

The permanent exhibition in the country house is an excellent way of preserving and presenting the national culture of the Slovaks in the country and we congratulate them on the high quality of its renewal.