While the first two months of 2020, attendance at the Trenčín Museum in Trenčín developed in line with the growing trend of previous years, the remaining months were strongly marked by a coronavirus pandemic.

During the year, the buildings of the Trenčín Museum were closed several times, or their accessibility was considerably limited due to epidemiological measures. After six years of breaking records in attendance, Trenčín Castle and other buildings of the Trenčín Museum recorded a significant decline. The drop in attendance was due to canceled educational activities for school groups, workshops for the general public, annotated professional shows, as well as cultural and social events in the form of summer concerts and mass events. We also saw a clear decline in the number of foreign visitors due to the temporary closure of borders. A total of 103,303 visitors visited the Trenčín Museum, which is about 40 percent less than in 2019.

Among the cultural institutions of the Trenčín Museum, Trenčín Castle was also the leader in visitors last year. Despite the fact that great interest persisted, the interruption of year-round operation and the closure of the castle for more than three months had an unfavorable effect on attendance. The dominant feature of the regional town was visited by 91,319 visitors, which is 60,870 less than in 2019. The highest number of tourists recorded the castle, especially during the summer season in July and August. In that period, the castle was visited by 56,573 people, ie about 7 percent less than in the same period in 2019.

A difficult year at the castle marked by the corona crisis

Several interesting events applied for public support under strict hygienic measures. The biggest attraction were those that took place at the castle on weekends. Particularly popular were events such as Matúš Čák's Fairytale Journey, The Spirit of Mr. Váh and the Tatras come to life, the traditional Children's Day, spooky night tours of the castle spiced with funny scenes and stories from the torture chamber, or the event for children searching for Matúš Čák's treasure. The summer period camp with falconers and their predators added to the attraction. At the end of the holidays, history lovers could experience a guided flashlight night tour of the castle or meet a dragon at the theater performance Dragon's Story.

The interest of tourists was certainly stimulated by exhibitions, among which the exhibition of puppets From Fairy Tale to Fairy Tale or the unique exhibition Ghosts at the Castle, which was installed in the area below Delová Bastion, where the visitor does not normally get, was particularly interesting. In October, Trenčín Castle was transformed into a planet of pedal cars - perfect miniatures of rare and legendary retro cars. In November, an exhibition of the Trenčín Museum Life of a Peasant was opened, which presents a view of the habits of the life cycle as a part of a peasant's life in the middle Považie area.

A significant event last season was the ceremonial opening of the period apiary and the settlement of seven massive period hives at Trenčín Castle. The aim of this project is to revive the interest of children and young people in nature in particular and to create their positive relationship with traditions and beekeeping. We believe that by breeding bee families we will diversify the tour of the castle and with educational activities directly in the apiary we will point out the importance of bees, which will also support the idea of their rescue.

The most important milestone of last year, however, is undoubtedly the opening of the southern fortifications of the castle from the forest park Brezina, which was renovated as part of the international project TreBuChET - Trenčín, Bučovice, Protecting European Traditions. Thanks to this project, Trenčín Castle is one of the largest in Europe due to its size available to the public. The parts of the castle that tourists have not yet been able to see are accessible. In the spring, the museum plans to open a new separate entrance for tourists with a cash register, to which visitors will be able to travel in the future by a tourist sightseeing train.

In October, an attraction was added to the southern fortifications of the castle in the form of a functional replica of a trebuchet as a symbolic artifact of the above-mentioned project, which is to imagine visitors to Trenčín Castle to the late Middle Ages.

The autumn atmosphere at the castle was enriched by the Ecumenical Liturgical Feast in the Manor Chapel, during which the cross was blessed by the representatives of the three churches. At Matúš Čák's castle, church marriages can also take place in civilian times. During the liturgical celebration, a rare gilded Gothic monstrance from the 14th century was exhibited in the Summer Tower.

Life in branches during their closing

Life in the museum's branches did not end even at the time of their closure due to a pandemic. This period was used by the museum's staff for general cleaning, construction work, repairs and maintenance of buildings, revision of collection items and preparation of new exhibitions. Not to be missed is the replacement of the shingles on the roof of the cannon bastion, the reconstruction of the roof on the so-called fifth gate, the replacement of the wooden railing on the bridge in front of the 4th castle gate or work in the bedroom and wardrobe in Barborin Palace.

After two years of reconstruction, the exposition was ceremoniously opened in the Ambrovec Curia in Beckov. The modification and revitalization of the mansion created a space for the exhibition of key collection items of the Trenčín Museum in Trenčín, for cultural activities as well as animation programs and educational activities.

Plans for 2021

Visitors can look forward to the famous well of love, the famine, the Matúš Tower or the magnificent southern fortifications as well as other buildings of the Trenčín Museum this year as well, which will be marked by the 700th anniversary of the death of Matúš Čák Trenčiansky. We are preparing several novelties and a number of events for the visitors, which will be thematically connected with the most famous owner of Trenčín Castle, and which will be a great attraction for the general public.

In addition, visitors will be able to see exhibitions this year in the premises of buildings such as Kat's house, Constance / Karner St. Michala, Župný dom or Podjavorinské múzeum in Novo Mesto nad Váhom or the birthplace of Ľudovít Štúr and Alexander Dubček in Uhrovec, where in November this year we will commemorate another important event - the 100th anniversary of the birth of Alexander Dubček.

"We firmly believe that the rich program offer, upcoming events, exhibitions, access to new premises, pedagogical programs and lectures in individual buildings of the Trenčín Museum, which is under the founding authority of the Trenčín self-governing region, will remain attractive for its fans and supporters and in 2021 will bear fruit. in the form of a large number of new and satisfied visitors ", said Peter Martinisko, director of the Trenčín Museum in Trenčín.

"We firmly believe that the rich program offer, upcoming events, exhibitions, access to new premises, pedagogical programs and lectures in individual buildings of the Trenčín Museum, which is under the founding authority of the Trenčín self-governing region, will remain attractive for its fans and supporters and in 2021 will bear fruit. in the form of a large number of new and satisfied visitors " , said Peter Martinisko, director of the Trenčín Museum in Trenčín.

Source: Ing. Radovana Keliarová, dept. marketing and communication, Trenčín Museum in Trenčín