About us

Záhrada CNK (independent culture centre) as an organization, and also as a physical space, was preceded by the space of the Ivan Palúch Theater, where we all met and got excited about a common idea. We were joined by Viera Dubačová, who, together with a few other cultural enthusiasts, operated this space as an open platform for art, and also as the home stage of the Theater from the Passage. In October 2010, we had to leave the former pancake house in Arcade passage and found Záhrada, this time in the courtyard of the Beniczký passage. In November 2010, we hosted the first concert of the Czech group DVA in the then abandoned building that housed our cultural center.

A lot has changed since then. We replaced the roof, built a sewage system, installed electricity, cleaned up the building containing several tons of garbage, revitalized the garden park, and gradually transformed the building into a facility for the arts. Thanks to Norwegian funds, we were able to install heating, insulate the building, build social facilities and carry out other necessary interventions.

Currently, we have built a stable and professional work team and we have become a fully established organization within cultural centers both in Slovakia and abroad. The long-term mission of the Záhrada CNK is to create professional conditions for the contemporary artistic production of both emerging and established artists and groups, to create space for dialogue on current social and human rights topics, and to provide opportunities for informal education of young people and audience development. Our main activities are the organization of cultural events in the field of artistic presentation and production, their preparation and realization (theatre/dance/performance, music, visual arts, discussions, lectures, workshops, residencies, festivals), while connecting contemporary art, informal education and community life employing the creative potential of young people. Our goal is to develop and maintain the varied program dramaturgy of the cultural center, to improve communication with the public and target groups, as well as to cultivate public discourse on various local, social and environmental topics. The program of our center is aimed at the general public, young adults, high school and university students, artists, professional public, family audience and various local communities.