About us

As an organization and facility, the Záhrada Cultural Centre (Záhrada) was preceded by the Ivan Palúch Theatre, where we all met and became enthusiastic about one idea introduced by Viera Dubačová and a few other cultural enthusiasts, who later teamed up with us. We began to run this space as an open platform for art and the home stage of Theatre from the Passage. In October 2010, we relocated from the former pancake house in the Arcade Passage to our present location in the courtyard of the Beniczký Passage. In November 2010, we hosted the first concert of the DVA Czech group in the then abandoned building that housed our cultural center.

Years of renovation, organizing small and modest events followed. The initial youthful enthusiasm and idealism made us believe that quite soon, we would be able to find sponsors, patrons, and otherwise enlightened people and complete the basic renovation within a year. It's been ten years, and only now are we slowly becoming economically sustainable, with the community center building largely renovated. We renovated on our own with the support of our families, friends, people from the Pasáž Theatre, and local volunteers. We replaced the roof, built a sewage system, installed electricity, cleaned up a building with several tons of garbage, rehabilitated the garden park, and gradually transformed the building into a facility for the arts. Thanks to Norway Grants, we installed heating, insulated the building, built sanitary facilities, and carried out other necessary interventions.

We managed to create a permanent working team and professionalize it into the current form. The physical appearance of the Záhrada building is different every year, as we revamp it according to financial possibilities.

The Záhrada Cultural Centre is currently a fully established organization in Slovakia and abroad. In addition to creative and artistic activities, the Záhrada is an island of positive deviance and a platform for many human rights events and civic activism.

So far, more than 50 artistic productions (theatre, dance, performance art) have been created in the Záhrada. It is also the home stage of Theatre from the Passage – a municipal theatre established in 1995 as the only professional community theatre in Slovakia working with people with special needs. The Záhrada is also home to the SKOK! Civic Association, founded by Jaro Viňarský, which serves as an information and residential center for contemporary dance and physical theatre.

Ľudia

Milan Zvada
director, project manager, dramaturge

Milan Slama
chief technician, sound and light designer, economist

Kristína Chmelíková
promotion, dance dramaturge, community worker

Barbora Šuhajdová
production, administration, runs the café

Marek Štrajánek
music dramaturge, runs the café

Monika Kováčová
theatre dramaturge

Csilla Droppová
economy, financial management

Lukáš Kubičina
sound and light designer

Jan Kostaa
curator of the visual program, photographer

Ján Loula
technical cooperation

Christophe Henri Laurent
park keeper

Dušan Krnáč
graphic designer

Katarína Baranyai, Gabriela Bírošová
photographers

Ján Chmelík
photographer

Lucia Laššáková
runs the café

ADDRESS AND CONTACT

Address:

Nám. SNP 16/16
974 01 Banská Bystrica
IČO: 37954610
DIČ: 2022080236

Contact:

info@zahradacnk.sk
+421 907 628 127

Opening hours:

Mon.: 10:00 - 22:00
Tue.: 10:00 - 22:00
Wed.: 10:00 - 22:00
Thu.: 10:00 - 22:00
Fri.: 10:00 - 00:00
Sat.: 12:00 - 00:00
Sun.: 12:00 - 22:00

Parking:

Strieborné námeste (square)

Projects

2021–2022 | SKOLARTCITY for Creativity in Schools and Public Space / Erasmus+ KA2 - more info
2019–2021 | Záhrada's year-round dramaturgy project / Arts Support Fund - more info
2020-2021 | European Voluntary Service / European Solidarity Corps - more info
2019-2020 | Jouissance ("Dreamers") / Arts Support Fund
2017–2020 | FREIRAUM / Goethe Institute Bratislava - more info
2017–2019 | Community EXPRESS, Záhrada PERSPECTIVE, Záhrada SPACE / Orange Foundation - more info
2017–2018 | Terre Promesse – METROPOLIS / Creative Europe - more info
2017-2018 | RE-Connecting Europe / Europe for Citizens - more info
2017–2018 | YAW / Arts Support Fund - more info
2016–2016 | Pawel Korbus: ID-Influence Diagram / Visegrad Fund - more info
2016–2017 | VERZUS / Arts Support Fund - more info
2013–2014 | ZAhradA / Norway Grants–Active Citizenship and Social Inclusion - more info
2013–2014 | It's about us / Youth in Action - more info

Residences

2021
Natália Vaňová [sk]
Radoslav Piovarči & Paulína Šmatláková: CHARON [sk]
Diana Khwaja: ConAction [sk]
Pawel Korbus: Post-Apocalyptic Contemplations [pl]
Jatun Risba & Xiola Yin: 'Numb Nature' [si/tw]
ALTER EGO (X): Leche mon coeur [fr]
Joanna Maria Gierdal: MEYDL [sk/pl]
Jazmína Piktorová & Sabina Bočková: Mikrosvěty [cz]
Divadlo z Pasáže: Ako si želáte
Divadlo z Pasáže: Lásky SHOCK

2020
Záhrada/Nela H. Kornetová/Kristína Chmeliková: Jouissance ("Dreamers")
Ondrej Lipovský/Bora Debnárová: YU (Perie)
Myši na poli: Bratia K (Diel I.)
Hana Launerová, Mário Drgoňa: Hľadanie vnútornej krajiny
Jozef Vaľo: Coming Out
Jatun Risba [si]: Be-coming Cow

2019
Čakanie na Godota: Portréty lásky 
Zdenka Sviteková
 Tomáš Janypka: Songlines
 Michaela Nezvalová: ATOPIC 
Divadlo z Pasáže: NORMA
Odivo: Unplugged; Kde je poézia?

2018
Stano Dobák [sk] & Jamie Lee [aus, can, mys]: DISEASE (SKOK!)
Terre Promesse – METROPOLIS [ro/it/sk]: Melodia Confusa/No Border Machine/Ticho v mase
Milan Kozánek: PURE 2 (SKOK!)
Viktor Černický [sk]: PAROLAPOLEA (work-in-progress, SKOK!)
Tomáš Janypka [sk]: Nové sady (work-in-progress, SKOK!)
Divadlo z Pasáže [sk/usa]: „Daj mi šancu…“ / Take a Chance on Me (autorská inscenácia)
Yuri Korec a spol.: Sólo nielen pre jedno telo (work-in-progress)
Tomáš Mischura: Düsseldorf (monodráma)
Kovalčíková/Zvada: Karvaš Parkour & Poznámky o slobode slova (scénické čítania)

2017
Divadlo z pasáže: Neprebudený/í (r. Monika Kováčová)
Záhrada: YAW (audiovizuálna performance)
Marek Menšík [cz]: TWO OR TEN (fyzická báseň, VARP)
Lukáš Homola a kol.: Erózia (tanečná inscenácia)
Terre Promesse – METROPOLIS [ro/it/sk] (scénické čítania)
Záhrada: “When I was a girl…” alebo LGBTI&QU (osvetový kabaret)

2016
Divadlo z pasáže: Malý Princ (r. Šimon Spišák)
Matthew Rogers [usa]: A Fragile Son
ProFitArt/Talaga/Matejka: BOI (r. Matej Matejka)
Pawel Korbus [pl]: ID – Influence Diagram
Carlos Carmonamedina [mex]: Migration is natural, borders are not
Tomáš Danielis: Mainly Love
Tereza Slavkovská & Robert Andrés Diaz Diaz [sk/co]
Lukáš Homola: Solus
Maria Jesús Oporto [esp]: Nomeolvides

2015
Maroš Rovňák: 10000. Evanjelium pre ruže.
Chmelíková/Danadová/Burianová: Verzus
Monika Kováčová/Marek Turošík/Lorca: Láska P a vášeň B
Matthew Rogers: Fluid body (USA)
Divadlo z pasáže: Čakania na GO(do)TA (r. Katarína M.-Hitzingerová)
Ľuba Lesná: Oslepené hudbou (r. Viera Dubačová)
Milan Kozánek a spol. Artyci: PURE

2014
Ján H. Mikuš: SK.ART (r. Ján Mikuš)
Maroš Rovňák: Asile de Nuit (r. Maroš Rovňák)
Kremnické divadlo v podzemí: Hana (r. Jana Mikitková)
Divadlo z pasáže: Dobrý človek zo Sečuánu (r. Šimon Spišák)
Compagnie T’d-U: All the things… (ch. Zuzana Kakalíková)

2013
Jaro Viňarský a Marek Menšík: ANIMALINSIDE (ch. Viňarský)
Divadlo b a b y g a n g: Piata mafia (IT) (r. Carolina de la Calle Cassanova)
Divadlo z Pasáže: Rómeo a Júlia (r. Šimon Spišák)

2012
Divadlo v Záhrade: Stoličky (r. Viera Dubačová)
Divadlo v Záhrade: Téma Palach (r. Viera Dubačová)
Divadlo z Pasáže: Hamlet a syn (r. Ján Mikuš)

2011
Jaro Viňarský a ProRodopi Art Centre: Ball (SK & BG)
Jaro Viňarský a Viera Dubačová: Helver a tí ostatní

Partners and cooperations