Park kultúry a oddychu

Park kultúry a oddychu
Park kultúry a oddychu as seen in 2009
Alternative names	PKO
General information
Type	exhibition hall
Architectural style	modernism
Location	Old Town, Bratislava, Slovakia
Address	Nábrežie arm. gen. Ludvíka Svobodu Street
Construction started	1951
Completed	1954
Demolished	2016
Design and construction
Architect	Pavol Andrik, Kamil A. Gross, Ján Štefanec

Park kultúry a oddychu abbreviated PKO (English: Park of Culture and Relaxation) and in the past commonly referred to as Pekáč was a complex of buildings in Bratislava, Slovakia on the Bratislava Riverfront by the Danube, built in 1954 and demolished in 2016. Until 2010, the complex was a major place for cultural events in the capital city featuring musical concerts, TV show tapings, balls, high school proms (Slovak: stužková) and dance class graduations (Slovak: venček). In 2010 Park kultúry a oddychu became the focus of a public scandal concerning the signing of some contracts in secret by the then-Mayor of Bratislava Andrej Ďurkovský resulting in the public learning about the building being demolished in the future.

The buildings contained many artworks both inside and from the outside. The entrance hall contained 28 stained glass windows by national artist Janko Alexy, the floor in the hall was made from unique colored marble from near Lučenec, the first floor above contained a monumental painting Dožinky by academic painter František Gajdoš. The outside of the main building was decorated with two statues by sculptor Tibor Bártfay, above them was a sgraffito decoration.

Park kultúry a oddychu also contained an astronomy section where regular astronomy lectures and nightsky observations were being held. This institution was a lone representative of its kind in the city, uniquely among European capitals, Bratislava lacks both an observatory and a planetarium. Demolition of Park kultúry a oddychu started on 29 December 2015 and finished in the early 2016.