Matica slovenská
 |
|
| Formation | 1863 |
|---|---|
| Legal status | Active |
| Headquarters | Martin, Slovakia |
|
Region served
|
Slovakia |
|
President
|
Ing. Marián Tkáč, PhD. |
| Website | www.matica.sk |
The Matica slovenská (Slovak pronunciation: [ˈmɑcit͡sɑ ˈslovenskɑː]) is Slovakia's scientific and cultural institution focusing on topics around the Slovak nation.
This all-nation cultural institution of the Slovaks was established in 1863 as a result of the Slovak national efforts to lay the foundations of Slovak science, libraries and museums. Nowadays it is governed by the "Act on Matica slovenská" of 1997.
The anniversary of the 1863 establishment of Matica slovenská on August 4 is locally known as Deň Matice Slovenskej, a Remembrance Day in Slovakia.
The modern sense of the name is Slovak Foundation/Association, historically: Slovak (Bee) Mother. Matica slovenská's name is a source of puzzlement among many Slovaks. "Matica" used in this context is a Serbian word and means "source" or "mother bee". The Matica concept of volunteer cultural associations became popular in other Slavic countries.
The founding of the Matica was inspired by the establishment of the Serbian Matica (Matica srpska) in 1826 and of the Czech "Matice česká" in 1831. The Slovak Matica went on from the Tatrín association (1844 – 1849, the first Slovak nationwide cultural institution).
Slovakia was part of the Kingdom of Hungary, which in turn was part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. It was the Austrian emperor who – as a reaction to the many requirements of the 1861 Memorandum of the Slovak Nation - allowed the Slovaks to found a national cultural institution – they were allowed to found a "unity of lovers of Slovak life and nation". As a result, the Matica slovenská was founded on August 4, 1863 at an assembly of some 5000 Slovak patriots in Turčiansky Svätý Martin (today Martin). It was based in the same town and was financed exclusively by voluntary donations from Slovaks and from the Austrian emperor. The first chairman was Štefan Moyses and his vice-chairmen were Karol Kuzmány, Ján Országh and Ján Francisci-Rimavský. In 1873, the Matica had some 1300 members, many of which included entities such as municipalities, libraries, schools and associations.
...
Wikipedia