Matica slovenská

This article is about the Slovak cultural and scientific institution founded in 1863. Slovenska matica is a cultural and scientific institution in Slovenia, founded in 1864.

Memotial tablet at first building of Matica

The Matica slovenská (translation: Slovak Matica or Slovak Foundation/Association) is Slovakia's public-law cultural and scientific institution focusing on topics around the Slovak nation. It is based in the town of Martin.

Before the creation of the Slovak Academy of Sciences (1942/1953), the Matica functioned as a substitute for a general supreme scientific, and initially even for any other, institution of the Slovaks. It is governed by the "Act on Matica slovenská" of 1997. In 1994, the Matica had some 450 local branches and approximately 60,000 members with club houses in many towns.

Institutions

The Matica includes the following institutions:

• the Scientific, Informational and Members' Headquarters
• Slovak National Library
• Monument of National Culture
• Slovak Literary Institute
• Slovak Historic Institute
• MS Archives
• MS Center for relationships of nationalities,
• MS Museum of Slovaks living Abroad (Krajanské múzeum),
• information and culture centers of Matica slovenská abroad,
• MS publishing house (publishes i.a. the journals Slovenské národné noviny, Slovenské pohľady, Slovensko)
• Lending Office of Folk and Other Costumes
• Cabinet for the Research of the History of Slovak Exile

Associated entities are especially:

• Nadácia Matice slovenskej – a foundation
• Neografia, a. s. – a printing company taken over by Matica in 1993; historically for decades the most modern and significant printing house of Slovakia producing for Western Europe;
• Vydavateľstvo MS, s. r. o. – the company of the above-mentioned publishing house

Name

"Matica" used in this context is a Serbian word and means "source" or "mother bee". The first Matica was the Serbian "Matica" founded in 1826. It was a kind of volunteer cultural association. Similar "maticas" were established in other Slavic countries.

History

The first Matica (1863 - 1875)

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 Moyzes and his vice-chairmen were Karol Kuzmány, Ján Országh and Ján Francisci. In 1873, the Matica had some 1300 members, many of which included entities such as municipalities, libraries, schools and associations.

The Matica slovenská drew members from all parts of the nation. It became the representative and symbol of Slovak "independence". From the beginning, the Matica was forbidden to be involved in political activities and to establish local branches. Nevertheless, its supporters could be found in many towns and settlements and its membership was quite large. The Matica was especially involved in collecting activities – it laid the foundation of national librarianship, and of archives and museum sciences in Slovakia. It also developed a broad education program for the public, published various practical manuals, calendars, readers, and scientific monographs, and initiated the development of amateur theatre and of social singing. It also supported research activities and published the results of the research in the first Slovak scientific journal "Letopisy" (literally: annals). Finally, the Slovak National Museum was founded within the Matica. The establishment of scientific departments (linguistics, law and history, philosophy, mathematics etc.) was in preparation in 1871, but could not be carried out anymore before 1875 (see below). Gradually, Matica became a center for organizing the national life of the Slovaks and served as a substitute for national political institutions, whose establishment was prohibited in the Kingdom of Hungary under the conditions of strong Magyarisation efforts.

The then Hungarian minister of the interior Kálmán Tisza had Matica abolished by force – by the decree No. 125 of April 6, 1875 and confiscation of its property (consisting exclusively of donations) in favour of the state. The official reasons given were that Matica was "against the government" and "anti-patriotic" – statements for which there was not the least evidence. The confiscated property went to support the process of enforced Magyarisation (e.g. foundation of the Magyarisation organisation FMKE). When interpellated by a Serbian member of the Diet (there were no Slovak deputies in the Diet) why Matica's property was not returned to the Slovaks, the then prime minister Kálmán Tisza answered that he did not know of a Slovak nation.

The second Matica (since 1919)

The Matica slovenská could not resume its activities until after the dissolution of the Kingdom of Hungary and establishment of Czechoslovakia in 1918, when the conditions for the national life of the Slovaks improved. On August 5, 1919, it was reopened and rededicated in the presence President Tomáš Masaryk. Matica slovenská played an important role in further development of Slovak culture and scholarship. lt was supported by a wide membership (in 1950, it had 1,125 local branches with more than 100,000 members). Institutional offices were built gradually. Local branches throughout Slovakia were primarily engaged in public education and cultural activities. The Matica also played a significant role in the development of amateur theatre. The Matica founded and operated one of the largest and most significant publishing houses in Slovakia, Neografia, which published scholarly journals, public education literature, classic and contemporary Slovak authors, translations of world literature, and especially supported and enhanced the publishing of literature for children and young people. The Matica established a unique collection of prints, manuscripts and pictures related to the development of Slovak national culture, which became the basis of the Slovak National Library. It also established several research sections (for history, literature, history, linguistics, ethnography, philosophy, sociology, psychology etc.), which publish series of books, journals etc.. Before the establishment of the Slovak Academy of Sciences, the Matica was also the regulator of the Slovak language.

The establishment of the Communist regime in 1948 initially threatened the existence of the Matica slovenská, since communist ideology, policy and the principles of socialist culture contradicted the principles upon which the Matica slovenská had been established. Local branches were dissolved, its research sections, journals and publishing activities gradually were transferred to other institutions or abolished. According to an act of the Slovak National Council of 1954, the Matica slovenská was reduced to the Slovak National Library and Biographic Institute with a limited role within the fields of librarianship, bibliography and archives. The Matica came under severe ideological and political control of the Communist party and of state organs. Many of the members of its staff were persecuted, discriminated or dismissed. The Communists did not manage to fully uproot the traditions and spirit of the Matica. They were manifested openly in 1963 during the celebrations of the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Matica slovenská and culminated in 1968-69 (the Prague spring period) when Matica became a significant cultural and political institution again. An act of the Slovak National Council re-established the local branches, new working places were established and the foundations for a new modern building were laid. After the defeat of the reform movement in Czecho-Slovakia in 1969, the normalization regime almost liquidated the effort to renew the Matica slovenská.

The collapse of the communist regime in November 1989 brought new possibilities of development for the Matica. Matica's position and functions were amended by several acts, the last one in 1997. theposition and functions of which were the subject of a parliamentary act in 1991. In principle, Matica slovenská was separated from the state. The state continues to subsidize those activities in which it has clear interest and serve to preserve, foster and represent national culture. The remainder of Matica's activities is self-financing (incl. from members), resources obtained from business enterprises, sponsors, gifts and EU funds. The Matica slovenská seeks to establish and manage various foundations devoted to the support of Slovak national culture and research. Moreover, the possibility for the public to become members has been renewed after the fall of the communism. The attitude of Matica and its members during the social and political struggles in Slovakia around 1989 – 1995 was that it supported the Languages Act, the Declaration of Independence of the Slovak Republic (1992), and the collection of voluntary goods and money for the so-called "National Treasure", created in 1992, whose purpose is to help finance the activities of the Matica. The value of the "National Treasure" was almost 40 million Slovak crowns after 12 years (in February 2005).

Leaders

Since its establishment, the Matica has been headed by important figures from Slovak social and cultural life.

Chairmen and/or vice-chairmen of the Matica:

• 1863-1875: Štefan Moyzes, Karol Kuzmány, Ján Országh, Ján Francisci, J. Kozáček
• 1919-1945: Pavol Országh Hviezdoslav, Martin Dula, František Richard Osvald, Vavro Šrobár, J. Janoška, M. Bláha, J. Vanovič, J. Országh
• 1945-51 and 1968-74: Ladislav Novomeský
• 1974-1990 : Vladimír Mináč
• since 1990: Jozef Markuš

Over the years secretaries and/or administrators of the Matica have included:

Pavel Mudroň, Michal Chrástek, Jozef Škultéty, Ján Vlček, Štefan Krčméry, R. Klačko, Jozef Cíger Hronský, J. Martík, P. Vongrej. I. Sedlák and M. A. Kováč.

Controversy

Matica recently started to publish its newspaper Matičné zvesti as an annex of a newspaper published by Slovenské hnutie obrody, an association praising the WWII Slovak Republic and Jozef Tiso. The editor of Matičné zvesti said that the reason was lack of money for an own newspaper.

External links

• Official site