Fairytale-magical places in Revúca

In the city of Revúca, "fairytale-magical places" were ceremoniously presented, which will delight locals as well as visitors to the city. Their goal is to recall the literary glory of this city through the fairy-tale characters of the famous Revúk storytellers and fantasy masters Samuel and Gustáv Reuss and Pavel Dobšinský. The city sees this topic as an opportunity for the development of culture and tourism.

To the three art installations by the master of the "black craft" Andrea Ďurčová from Hajnáčka, three more sculptures from the workshop of the local blacksmith Branislav Sviežený were added in Revúca. They were ceremonially unveiled today by the mayor of the city, Július Buchta, together with the vice-chairman of the Banskobystrica self-governing region, Ondrej Lunter, and the director of the regional tourism organization GEMER. It was through the membership contribution of the Development Agency BBSK in OOCR GEMER that this project was financially supported in the amount of 6,000 euros.

The fairy-tale tour of individual cities, enriched by "living" characters in period costumes, began at the statue of Laktibrad in front of the building of the Cityhall. This character is from the fairy tale of the same name, which, like many others, is "stored" in the book Prostonárodné povesti slovanské

"These works of art will not only beautify the center of Revúca, but will also bring an attractive element to the city that will attract visitors as well. We are glad that such beautiful sculptures were created thanks to the skillful hands of regional blacksmiths, " said Jaroslav Hric, from OOCR GEMER.

The mayor of Revúca, Július Buchta, pointed out the importance of realizing the plan for the city, as well as the importance of preserving the literary traditions of Reuss and Dobšinský. "It's always interesting in any city when people can come and, for example, take pictures with interesting sculptures, and I think that these sculptures of ours, which we have here on display, will be a great attraction for tourists, also because they represent Revúca as a city of fairy tales, where our the actors worked and wrote those fairy tales, whether it was Dobšinský or the Reuss family. From the broader context, from the point of view of the City of Culture 2022, I consider it a special contribution and highlight of Revúca, where we may live in a fairy tale. I wish that the sculptures make our little ones happy, that they find themselves in those fairy tales and that they don't forget that fairy tales are not only beautiful, but also instructive."

The second statue is a Cinderella with a dragon's head. Many people also know this character from a Slovak folk tale by Pavel Dobšinský. The third statue is Krutohlav with a balloon. It appears in the famous work of Gustav Reuss Hviezdoved. This work of science fiction was created in 1856, which is 7 years before Jules Verne's debut. Hviezdoveda is a popularization-scientific work in which the character Krutohlav flies to the moon in a balloon from Muráň. Reuss's Astronomy is a valuable work not only because it captures the knowledge of astronomy, geography and physics at the time, but especially because it is a testimony to the unique work with imagination combined with folk tales and fairy tales that Gustáv Reuss and his brother and father collected in the Gemer area. Hviezdoveda is the first work in Slovakia in the field of science fiction.

The fairy-tale sculptures in Revúca offer local residents and visitors another opportunity to spend more time in the city, to transport themselves to the world of fantasy and to "switch to Revúca". According to Jaroslav Hric from OOCR Gemer: "over time, there will be organized tourist walks through the city with guides and an urban game connected with these sculptures, or rather fantasy characters".

The sculptures by the author Branislav Sviežený are complemented by Olejkár artworks, a star telescope and a tree by Andrea Ďurčová. "These beautiful works of art are not only proof of the beauty that creative human hands can produce. They are proof of the beauty that the human mind can create. I am very glad that in Revúca they are aware of the values that the past has left them and are ready to develop the present based on this past. And I am very happy that we can support projects that give meaning and a chance for the development of both culture and tourism", said the vice-president of the Banskobystrica self-governing region Ondrej Lunter.