8. CENTRE OF KOLOMAN SOKOL KOLOMAN SOKOL Námestie osloboditeľov 28, Liptovský Mikuláš, (1902 Liptovský Mikuláš - 2003 Tuscon, USA) Phone no.: +421/44/562 00 35, www.galerialm.sk, He was studying and working in , , Me- open all year: Tue - Sat: 10:00 - 17:00 xico and the United States of America since 1940s. The gallery of one of the most signi cant Slovak Having a lot of personal experience and knowing painters and founder of Slovak and Mexican mo- di cult life conditions of ordinary people, he dern graphic art, Koloman Sokol, is proud of the would often use social themes and depict hun- biggest collection of his paintings. It introduces ger, poverty, beggary, emigration or animals. His 48 masterpieces he gifted to his hometown. The works are usually black and white, livened up by collection also includes several personal items of colours only afterwards, and have clear black con- him, letters and photographs. There is a granite tours. He lived humbly and in seclusion, focused Koloman Sokol plaque with a bust of Koloman Sokol on the faca- on his work only, not interested in fame or praise de of the gallery. he was receiving. 9. BIRTH HOUSE OF JÁN LEVOSLAV BELLA Centre Koloman Sokol: Koloman Sokol: Belopotockého ulica 1, Liptovský Mikuláš of Koloman Sokol Mexico, 1979, 1983 Muse, 1968, 1976 Ján Levoslav Bella JÁN LEVOSLAV BELLA (1843 Liptovský Mikuláš - 1936 ) The composer and founder of Slovak national music was born in the building of an old Catholic school, present Catholic House. He wrote chamber compositions, religious music and is the author of the opera “Wieland the Blacksmith”. His composi- tion called “Bergglocke”, which he wrote after the death of his youngest daughter and which was considered lost for a long time, can now be found in the Museum of Janko Kráľ. Today, this emi- nent personality of music history is remembered thanks to a plaque made by Alfonz Groma.

10. RUMANSKÝ ART CENTRE 11. Ulica E. Martinčekovej- Šimerovej 4506/4, Liptovský MUSEUM OF JANKO KRÁĽ Mikuláš, Phone no.: +421/903 510 072, open all year: Námestie osloboditeľov 30, Liptovský Mikuláš Tue - Fri: 13:00 - 17:00, www.rumanskyartcentre.sk Phone no.: +421/44/552 25 54, www.mjk.sk Unique works of academic painters – brothers 1. 7. - 31. 8.: Mon: closed, Tue,  u, Fri, Sat, Sun: 10:00 Ivan and Igor Rumanskí are exhibited in an ele- - 17:00, Wed: 10:00 - 18:00, 1.9. - 30.6.: Mon, Tue,  u, gant and modern interior of their personal gallery. Fri: 9:00 - 16:00, Wed: 9:00 - 18:00, Sat: closed, Sun: 10:00 - 17:00 IVAN RUMANSKÝ The museum of Janko Kráľ is named after an emi- (1944 Liptovský Mikuláš - 1990 Liptovský Mikuláš) nent romantic poet known in all Europe. Besides A sensitive painter, a big idealist, seeking beauty the life and work of Janko Kráľ, the museum do- and truth. His work was a ected by his illness that cuments the history of Liptovský Mikuláš as well. Museum of Janko Kráľ Sculpture of developed at the end of his college studies. Pain- Opposite the museum, there is the house where Janko Kráľ ting, nature, study and book reading helped him Janko Kráľ was born, with a plaque and relief con- cure it. taining his imaginary portrait. A life-size statue of the poet is placed at the Church of St. Nicholas. Igor Rumanský: IGOR RUMANSKÝ Ivan Rumanský: Backyard (Demänová), (1946 Liptovský Mikuláš - 2006 Bratislava) Portrait, 1973 1977 He was working at the Academy of Fine Arts and JANKO KRÁĽ Design in Bratislava for more than 25 years, was a (1822 Liptovský Mikuláš - 1876 Zlaté Moravce) graphic artist, illustrator, designed stamps and ex Poetry of the big poet – rebel is very emotional libris. He illustrated about 150 books, including 12 and full of revolutionary ideas. Despite being a collections of his friend – poet Milan Rúfus. loner, he would often roam among Slovak peo- ple. He was interested in their di cult lives and sympathised with them very much. He got even arrested for provoking the nation and spreading revolutionary ideas. He was working a petty civil servant, getting isolated from public life more and more and died as almost forgotten. It is still un- known where his remains lie.

12. Mária (Why should we break up), “So slzami v očiach” Rázusová- (With tears in my eyes), “V Tatrách” (In the Tatras) BIRTH HOUSE OF THE RÁZUS SIBLINGS -Martáková or “Nauč sa to odo mňa“ (Learn it from me). Vrbická ulica 312, Liptovský Mikuláš, www.mjk.sk 14. Phone no.: +421/44/552 27 49, open all year: Tue and PaP PETRÁŠ GALLERY Fri: 8:00 - 15:00 Malý Rím 16, Liptovský Mikuláš In memory of an eminent family of Vrbica: MARTIN Phone no.: +421/905 346 699, www.gallery-petras. RÁZUS – a priest, politician, poet and writer, MÁ- szm.com. Entries booked in advance only RIA RÁZUSOVÁ MARTÁKOVÁ – a teacher, transla- The Petráš painters – father and son are drawing tor, editor but mainly author of poetry and prose their inspiration from the countryside of the Lip- for children, MICHAL and MATEJ RÁZUS – signi - tov region. Pavel Petráš, the father, makes monu- cant book printers of Liptovský Mikuláš. The ex- Martin Rázus mental stone mosaics (e.g. entrance of the Muni- position reminds us also of the history of Vrbica, a cipal O ce) and wooden sculptures. One of them village that doesn´t exist anymore, as well as other can be found on the square Námestie mieru. His well-known personalities that were born here. son, Pavel Petráš, paints portraits. His cycle of per- A park with a monument dedicated to Martin Rá- sonalities of the Slovak nation is really impressive. zus is located in front of the Municipal O ce in Both artists can be seen working in their private Štúrova Street. gallery in the town quarter called Palúdzka. 13. Exterior of the PaP Petráš gallery DUŠAN PÁLKA Birth house (1909 Liptovský Mikuláš - 1998 Prague) of the Rázus siblings The author of the  rst Slovak tango (“Nepovedz, dievčatko, nikomu“ = Don´t tell anybody, girl) grew up in a villa in Hodžova Street, opposite the post o ce (private property today). His composi- tions were sung by well-known singers such as F. Kryštof-Veselý, Karol Duchoň, Hana Hegerová, Jana Kocianová or Marcela Leiferová. The most popular songs include “Ešte raz ku tebe prídem” (I will come to you again), “Prečo sa máme rozísť” Dušan Pálka

square Námestie mieru, or the “Sculpture of a 15. Mother with a Child” at the Symbolic cemetery in MILITARY CEMETERY AT HÁJ NICOVÔ Demänovská dolina (valley). Cesta hrdinov, Liptovský Mikuláš ALFONZ GROMA Impressive sculptures and reliefs of the Monu- (1924 Trstené - 1993 Liptovský Mikuláš) ment to fallen soldiers who tried to liberate the town of Liptovský Mikuláš during WWII were crea- He focused on chamber and monumental sculp- ted by local sculptors Alfonz Groma and Miroslav tures and was a talented portraitist and medal Ksandr. The monument is part of the largest mili- designer. tary cemetery in former . It is loca- MIROSLAV KSANDR ted on a knoll called Háj Nicovô, which is a popular (1931 Liptovský Mikuláš – 2003 Liptovský Mikuláš) observation spot as it o ers beautiful views of the town, surrounding mountains and the dam of Lip- A sculptor who changed tovská Mara. Alfonz Groma from observant realist and Works of Alfonz Groma can be also found in va- Miroslav Ksandr monumentalist art to rious public spaces – the sculpture “A girl with a sensitive poetic works dove” at the Secondary Grammar School of M. M. in the background of Hodža, a sculpture group at the fountain on the culture and history of the Liptov region. Watercolour painting formed a significant part of his work.

Alfonz Groma: Miroslav Ksandr: Monument and cemetery at Háj-Nicovô A Man with a Sack, 1955 Ploughman II., 1969

LIPTOVSKÝ MIKULÁŠ sightseeing tour _ ARTISTS OF LIPTOVSKÝ Liptovský Mikuláš, MIKULÁŠ There are so many renowned names related to it, so many exceptional perso- nalities – including various artists who were born here, so many personalities came here along their life journeys. Whole generations were developing spiritu- al values of this town and passing them down like the most precious thing they could share. It may have been the magical nature or its inhabitants who were able to focus on their aims that helped the art develop in all directions here. The past and present of this town is full of painters, sculptors, photographers, the- atre makers, musicians or writers whose works were admired and appreciated not only in but also far beyond its borders. Let us introduce the most signi cant ones so that you can discover their works yourselves. Enjoy a com- pletely di erent experience – take a town guide and wander along alleys of the historical centre where the artists are still remembered.

for information about current events please visit | www.mikulas.travel 1. Discover the town with a town guide 2. G.F.BELOPOTOCKÝ LIPTOV LIBRARY ARTISTS OF LIPTOVSKÝ MIKULÁŠ Štúrova ulica 56, Liptovský Mikuláš Step by step, you will learn tempting life stories of Phone no.: +421/44/552 62 16, www.kniznicagfb.sk artists, their fortunes full of bravery, inner stren- The  rst public library in Slovakia has 96,600 gth and beauty re ected in their works. The guide books to lend, organises authorial discussions will tell you various interesting facts about their and readings, works with children and youngs- works and take you to an exposition with pain- ters, runs a literary club, organises a contest for tings of P.M.Bohúň, an exceptional painter, in a beginning writers - “Wings of Ivan Laučík” and a gallery named after him. contest called “Book of the Liptov Region” every year. One can lend here also books written by wri- free town tours every Friday be- July - August: G. F. Belopotocký Liptov Library ters related to the town of Liptovský Mikuláš. The- ginning at 16:00 in front of the Information Centre. re are quite many of them: poet Janko Kráľ, poet Any other times and dates of guide services must and prose writer Martin Rázus, his sister Mária be booked. There are  ve other sightseeing rou- Rázusová-Martáková – author of children´s books, tes, each with a tempting 1-hour commentary and playwright Ivan Stodola, prose writer Janko Alexy, several stops in the historical centre. poet and essayist Pavol Strauss, poet Ivan Laučík or poets Anna Ondrejková and Margita Dobrovi- For more information and reservations please čová. contact: 3. Information Centre of the town of Liptovský METAMORPHOSIS FOUNTAIN Mikuláš, Námestie mieru 1, Liptovský Mikuláš with the work “Tribute to Creative Thinking” Phone no.: +421/44 16 186, 552 24 18 Námestie osloboditeľov www.mikulas.travel Names of seventy notable natives are inscribed in black granite at the fountain – scientists, inven- 1.7. - 14.9.: Mon - Fri: 9:00 - 18:00, tors, doctors, priests, writers, artists or publicists Sat - Sun: 9:00 - 17:00 who introduced new ideas and artistic values to 15.9. - 30.6.: Mon - Fri: 9.00 - 17.00, the world. Upper rotary prisms of the fountain Sat: 9.00 - 13.00, Sun: closed symbolise continuous movement, change,  ow of foreign language 2 €/ person (minimum 32 €) Metarmorphosis fountain time...

The photographer and the painter met in Bratisla- 4. va shortly after WWII. The events of the war hurt LIPTOV GALLERY OF P. M. BOHÚŇ both of them quite deeply – her husband was exe- Tranovského ulica 3, Liptovský Mikuláš cuted by the Gestapo, he lost his wife, sons and Phone no.: +421/44/552 27 58, www.galerialm.sk father. Martinček was holding high o ce at the open all year: Tue - Sat: 10:00 - 17:00 Slovak National Council. He was imprisoned after The gallery has been introducing  ne arts to the the Communist Coup and they both had to leave wide public for sixty years – there are four per- Bratislava after he had been released from prison. manent exhibitions now, with works of Slovak So they settled down in Liptovský Mikuláš. Here the authors from 1800 to the 2nd half of the 20th doctor of law was assigned manual work at a brick century. The biggest Slovak exhibition hall always plant and his wife, a professional painter, who had o ers attractive expositions. The building was ori- studied painting at two academies in France, re- ginally used as an evangelical school where Peter mained isolated in the large region of Liptov. They Liptov gallery Peter M. Bohúň: Michal Bohúň himself was active as a teacher be- would  nd solace and beauty in the countryside of Peter Michal Bohúň Portrait of Jozefína tween 1854 and 1865. of the Liptov region and its common people. Mar-  u r a n s k á , 1 8 4 9 tinček created impressive cycles about nature and PETER MICHAL BOHÚŇ human lives, his wife was inspired by nature and (1822 Veličná - 1879 Bielsko-Biala) Martin Martinček: was painting tree trunks,  owers, brooks, stones. His life was full of struggles and strokes of fate but Ester M. Šimerová: Mountain Man, From the Their works are exhibited at the Liptov Gallery of P. also continuous artistic work. He painted portraits Braqua Study III., 1967 Liptov cycle, 1963-1972 M. Bohúň, Ester Martinčeková is also the author of of national patriots and townspeople mainly, and stained glass windows at the building of the former also altar paintings, landscapes. He created cycles Regional House or stage curtains in the House of of  gures dressed in folk costumes, did photogra- Culture. phy as well. Thirty-two paintings are exhibited at Martin the gallery named after this notable painter. Martinček: A Guest Came ESTER MARTINČEKOVÁ-ŠIMEROVÁ at Dawn, (1909 Bratislava - 2005 Liptovský Mikuláš) From the Liptov First lady of Slovak painting. cycle, 1964 MARTIN MARTINČEK (1913 Liptovský Peter - 2004 Liptovský Mikuláš)

OUR MOTHER Alojz Štróbl: Our Mother, 1896 renowned 12 to 14-member band couldn´t be mi- The sculpture, which is registered at the Lou- ssing at any signi cant event of the town of Lip- vre museum in Paris as one of the most  awless tovský Mikuláš. sculptures in the world, is placed at the entrance ČIERNY OROL of the Liptov Gallery of P. M. Bohúň. Its photogra- 5. phy used to be sold in the USA on Mother´s Day G. F. Belopotocký Liptov Library, Ulica 1. mája 28/196, for many years. The sculpture was made by Alojz Liptovský Mikuláš, Phone no.: +421/44/552 36 09, Štróbl. www.kniznicagfb.sk Liptov Cultural Centre, Ulica 1. mája 28/196, ALOJZ ŠTRÓBL Liptovský Mikuláš, Phone no.: +421/44/552 29 81, (1856 Kráľova Lehota - 1926 Budapešť) www.lks.sk There are more than 600 sculptural and painting Čierny orol used to be a touring inn in the past. works of him registered, the most admired ones Once a theatre stage was built inside in the 19th include a 12-metre-high sculptural group called century, it became a cultural and social centre of “Dwell of King Mathew” at the Buda Castle in P. M. Bohúň: Piťo, 1862 the town. Today, one can  nd various cultural insti- . He was the  rst sculptor of the Hun- tutions inside – Liptov Museum, G. F. Belopotocký garian Empire, who had even the emperor model Liptov Library – section of non- ction, regional for his works. Štróbl was a spontaneous and ra- literature and documents for the blind and pur- blind; and Liptov Cultural Centre. It also supports ther eccentric artist, who liked surprising people Čierny orol around him. Once he even went to Rome dressed amateur artists of the Liptov region. up in a Slovak folk costume to copy Michelange- In 1830, the  rst Slovak theatre had the  rst perfor- lo´s sculpture of Moses. mance here – the famous comedy by Ján Chalup- ka: Kocúrkovo. The institution was founded by G. JOZEF PIŤO F. Belopotocký, who was aware of the fact that not (around 1800 Tekovské Lužany - 1886 Liptov- many people could read and write at that time but ský Mikuláš) everybody understood their mother tongue on stage. Amateur theatre became an integral part Respectable, talented, with  awless musical me- of town´s life and has had a long tradition here mory and unique skills of interpreting Slovak folk ever since. It´s not only amateur actors of Liptov songs, a patriot – that´s how the famous gypsy who have been meeting here at a festival of ama-  rst violin is described in many literary works. He teur theatre called “Belopotocký´s Mikuláš” for 40 used to play in the building of Čierny orol and his years.

6. CHURCH OF ST. NICHOLAS 7. Námestie osloboditeľov 27, Liptovský Mikuláš, BIRTH HOUSE OF VLADIMÍR KRIVOŠ Phone no.: +421/44/552 21 42, www.faralm.sk, Ulica 1. mája 17, Liptovský Mikuláš available during holy masses: Mon - Fri: 6:15, 18:15*, VLADIMÍR KRIVOŠ Sat: 7:00, 18:15*, Sun: 6:15, 8:00, 9:15, 10:45, 18:15 (1865 Liptovský Mikuláš - 1942 Ufa, Ural) *after summer time changes to winter time, the evening holy mass starts at 17:00 The house of birth with a plaque of this eminent shorthand typist, writer and one of the best de- It is majestic with all works of art inside. A lot of scipherologists in the world is located opposite e ort to renovate the church was made by Janko the building of Čierny orol. His diplomatic and lan- Alexy, a painter and writer. During the reconstruc- guage skills (he spoke 40 foreign languages) brou- tion of 1941 – 43, he painted the church choir and ght him even to the tsarist court, where he was graphics in side chapels; and designed stained glass windows together with painters Ján Želibský working as a secret counsellor of Tsar Nicholas II. Vladimír Krivoš Church of St. Nicholas and Fero Kráľ. The altars were reconstructed by Pe- GAŠPAR FEJÉRPATAKY-BELOPOTOCKÝ ter Július Kern, a famous painter, who was one of a few professional trained restorers at that time. The (1794 Paludza - 1874 Liptovský Mikuláš) portal over the main entrance was formed by the A bookbinder, publisher and bookseller, who was already mentioned Fero Kráľ and carved into stone deciphering Slovak and Czech books, magazines by František Šustek in 1945. and calendars in the whole Slovak-speaking terri- tory of the Hungarian Empire. In 1829, he founded JANKO ALEXY the  rst public library in Liptovský Mikuláš, was (1894 Liptovský Mikuláš – 1970 Bratislava) writing school books, translating, was active in the The founder of Slovak modernism in  ne arts draw  eld of literature, founded a Sunday school where inspiration from everyday life of village people, he himself was teaching and was sending talented painted the Slovak countryside and monuments, boys to Prague to study and learn crafts, among scenes of folk myths and legends. He devoted a others also the painter P. M. Bohúň. The outstan- lot of energy to saving historic-cultural monu- ding personality of Belopotocký is now remem- ments. It was thanks to his sustained e ort that bered thanks to his sculpture at the Church of St. the Castle of Bratislava rose from ruins and was Nicholas in the town centre and a plaque placed Gašpar Church of St. Nicholas opened to the wide public after an extensive re- at the building of the local library which is named Fejérpataky-Belopotocký construction of 1968. He also helped found the after him. Regional (Liptov) Gallery of P. M. Bohúň.

Published by: Information Centre of the town of Liptovský Mikuláš, Municipal O ce Liptovský Mi- kuláš, Tourism Organisation of the Liptov region (OOCR Liptov), 2014 Texts: Information Centre of the town Graphic design: Eva Dudzíková Photos: Archive of the Information Centre of the town, Museum of Janko Kráľ, Liptov Gallery of P. M.Bohúň Guided sightseeing tour