We celebrate
craft.
Eighty years and counting.
Our Mission
ÚĽUV protects and develops living heritage in the form of traditional crafts and homemade products.
For 80 years, the Centre for Folk Art Production has been protecting and developing living heritage in the form of traditional crafts and homemade products. Its regional craft centres in Bratislava, Banská Bystrica, and Košice provide access to a wide range of both theoretical and practical knowledge—research, expert consultation for producers, product sales, education, publishing, library and exhibition activities.
Through the activities in these areas, ÚĽUV inspires not only skilled artisans and producers, designers, and students, but also the general public. It encourages interest in using local natural materials and traditional craft techniques.
Events
Ongoing programme
OVERLAPPING –
Inspiration for the Young Generations
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Tradition Untraditionally:
Linen and hemp
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Exhibition
Masters of Tradition
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See all ongoing events
LEARN MORESchool of Crafts
Our school has become part of UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage
Check out our selection of craft courses.
FIND OUT MORENews
Stay up to date
The ÚĽUV School of Crafts is world-class!
The 19th session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of UNESCO, held in December 2024 in Asunción, the capital of Paraguay, brought a historic achievement for the Slovak Republic. The ÚĽUV School of Crafts was inscribed on the Register of Good Safeguarding Practices for Intangible Cultural Heritage.
READ MORENew Entry in the List of Best Practices for Safeguarding Slovakia’s Intangible Cultural Heritage
At the beginning of this year, the program Master of Folk Art Production (ĽUV) was included in the List of Best Practices for Safeguarding Intangible Cultural Heritage in Slovakia. The ĽUV master title is the highest recognition for traditional Slovak artisans and brings a mark of exceptional quality to the entire field of traditional crafts.
READ MOREThe Cornhusk Doll Lives On!
If you have ever seen them—or even better, held them in your hands and cuddled them—you know that they are perfect. Tiny figurines refined in every minute detail. Beautiful, light, delicate, resembling ethereal dancers on stage. The well-known šúpolky have, for decades, been one of the most popular and best-selling products of ÚĽUV.
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Publication
ÚĽUV 1945 – 1989
Craft with a brand
Publication date: September 2025
(published in cooperation with Slovart)
The book describes the activity of the Centre for Folk Art Production (1945-1989), its foundation and operation as well as the important figures which shaped it. In the area of folk art production and design, ÚĽUV was an important episode in Czechoslovak history, but as yet there has been no comparison within the Bohemian, Moravian and Slovak environments. The team of authors, composed of Czech and Slovak researchers, presents important phenomena associated with the history of this institution: in the area of research, production, exhibition and publication activities. Their work mapping out traditional folk art production became a launchpad for actively renewing production in cooperation with individual craftspeople and workshops. The specialised studies complete with rich photographic documentation is complemented by interviews with contemporaries. The publication is coming out on the occasion of the 80th anniversary of the foundation of the institution.
Publication date: September 2025
(published in cooperation with Slovart)
