On 13 August 2021, the Trenčín Museum in Trenčín, under the founding authority of the Trenčín self-governing region, opened the exhibition "The Lord of Libra and the Tatras", commemorating the 700th anniversary of the death of one of the most important medieval figures in Slovak history. The museum will present not only Matúš Čák Trenčiansky himself, but also the time in which Matúš lived.

The exhibition also reveals valuable and unique collection items of the Trenčín Museum in Trenčín. The exhibition is curated by Lukáš Trnkóci from the Trenčín Museum: “In order to bring something new to Trenčín Castle, we decided to prepare an exhibition that will attract visitors at first sight. The outer - entrance - part of the exhibition consists of walls with a gate and a drawbridge. Inside is the main part of the exhibition, the walls of which bear the image of the coat of arms of Matúš Čák, the golden lion on a blue background. "

In the interior of the exhibition, visitors will see the museum's collection items - original weapons from the 13th and 14th centuries and a rare coin treasure of Austrian phoenixes and Prague groschen together with a ceramic vessel in which the coins were stored. The coins date from the 12th to the 13th century, and were found in February 1980 on the site of an old brickyard in today's village of Melčice - Lieskové.

The most interesting exhibit of the exhibition is a copy of the hermit (bust), which is supposed to be the originator of many portraits of Matúš Čák Trenčianský. The original is made of gilded copper and is currently housed in the Hungarian National Museum in Budapest, which was donated in 1812 by the free royal city of Trenčín with the explanation that it was a portrait of Matúš Čák Trenčiansky. According to the accompanying letter of the chief judge of the city, Antal Horečný, the hermit was at the town hall "from time immemorial" and no one knew when it got there. Today, however, we already know that the herm, depicting an elderly man with a thick chin and without hair, originated about 50 years after his death and bears the image of an unknown saint, ruler or other important personality. Herma Matúš Čák symbolically returns to Trenčín after 209 years in the form of a copy. Visitors will be able to admire it at the exhibition for one year.

Based on the local legend, which claimed that it was a bust with a depiction of Matúš Čák, several portraits of Matúš were created, which are part of the collection of the Trenčín Museum in Trenčín. The largest portrait will take its place in the mentioned exhibition. It dates from 1876 and was written by Teodor Boemm.

The last item that will interest the visitor will certainly be a copy of the armor of soldier Matúš Čák, which was made entirely by hand especially for this exhibition. "Armored riders in the service of Matúš Čák Trenčianský belonged to his widely branched familiarity or to professional fighters who served in Matúš's army for a regular salary. The social background, or regular wages for warfare, was directly reflected in the quality combat equipment of these fighters, which predestined them to play the role of the most formidable component of Matúš's army " , explained Lukáš Trnkóci.

At the exhibition, visitors will also encounter documentary material, which is placed on banners. The texts are created in two ways. In the main text part, Matúš Čák tells his life story to the visitor directly, ie in the first person singular. This makes the text more engaging and simpler. However, as it is also a professional exhibition, "nipples" are added to the text, which will bring certain parts of the realities of the Hungarian kingdom and Matthew's life closer - for example, an explanation of the office of a tavern and palatine, excommunication, etc. The texts on the banners are tastefully complemented by hand-drawn pictures by Martin Vincurský, whether it is a map of Matúš's estate, castles or illustrations in the texts.

The original date for the opening of the exhibition was scheduled for April 2021, but due to the known circumstances of the development of the Covid-19 pandemic, the opening of the exhibition was postponed to August.

Visitors can see the exhibition in the barracks at Trenčín Castle daily during the castle's opening hours from 9.00 am to 7.00 pm.

Source: Trenčín Museum in Trenčín