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Check out The Slovak Spectator's choice of cultural events in Slovakia for this week.

IT IS probably not intentional that after you enter the Slovak National Museum (SNM) to head for the new exhibition of traditional Japanese arts and crafts you must first pass by a large Slovak country wagon and several rooms recalling the atmosphere of a typical Slovak village. Nevertheless, the contrast between the robust, rough style of Slovak folk art and the tiny, fine Japanese artefacts and the filigree of that country’s traditional crafts is quite marked.
The exhibition, entitled Handcrafted Form – Traditions and Techniques, was prepared by the Japan Foundation and has been touring Europe. It arrived in Slovakia from Belarus and after a month in Bratislava it will travel to other parts of Europe.

Enjoy your time in Bratislava with our weekly event guide! Guided tours, city festivals, sports, concerts, museums, galleries and much more..

The city has a full calendar of festivals events, and regularly attracts large meetings and conventions. Check out our events calendar 2012.

THE PETRŽALKA Catholic Church of Our Lady of Sorrows (the patron saint of Slovakia) was due to receive a special arrival from Brazil on January 20, just after this issue of The Slovak Spectator went to print. At a special mass held in this modern church a sculpture of Our Lady of Aparecida, the patron saint of Brazil, is being enthroned after having travelled all the way from Brazil.

ABOUT 650 animals are being bred at Bratislava Zoo and last year the zoo recorded a baby boom. “The most recent newborn is a giraffe named Miss Salome, who will surely be popular with visitors,” Katarína Matejovičová of the zoo’s marketing department told the TASR newswire. Salome was born on December 4, 2011, to her parents Tejla, age 13, and Batar, age 14.

AFTER spending more than two years in a ‘borrowed’ venue – the historical building of the Slovak National Theatre – the Slovak Philharmonic (SF) Orchestra and Choir will soon return home. The old “Reduta” building just opposite the national theatre, where the SF has been resident since 1949, has been undergoing a complete renovation and is almost ready to welcome the ensemble back.

Do you want to visit a 1st Winter MTB Marathon & Running Trophy, programme of most successful dances, songs and music of Folklore ensemble SĽUK or exhibition of Mikuláč Klimčík - Selection of Works? Read about these and other cultural events happening in Slovakia this week.

THE FINAL athletic event for 2011 was a mass run across all of Bratislava's bridges on New Year’s Eve, typically called Silvester in Slovakia because December 31 is the name day of Silvester. Nearly 1,000 runners took part in this symbolic farewell to the old year that has now been organised for 23 years.

Are you looking for some cultural events this week? To get some ideas, check our Countrywide Events column.

New Year's Eve Run across the Bratislava Bridges, Ice skating for the public, New Year's Concert by the Slovak Philharmonic, and various exhibitions... check out a selection of what's on countrywide in Slovakia from 19. December 2011 till 8. January 2012.

LEMONTREE, a restaurant in central Bratislava, has become the first Thai restaurant in Slovakia to be recognised by the Kingdom of Thailand’s Department of Export Promotion, in the form of its Thai Select award. The award is granted to qualifying restaurants outside Thailand, of which there are currently around 1,200 worldwide. Nongnuth Phetcharatana, Thailand’s ambassador to Austria, officially gave the award to representatives of the restaurant at a special ceremony on November 23.

BRATISLAVA is perhaps not the veritable cultural hub of Europe but its central location and its proximity to other nearby capitals makes it a good base for a dance company that wants to offer its performances to a wide audience. Balet Bratislava, a new dance company, recently established itself in the Slovak capital and on November 11 premiered its first piece – Romeo and Juliet – choreographed by Mário Radačovský, the company’s artistic director, to the music of Sergei Prokofiev.

Are you looking for some cultural events this week? To get some ideas, check our Countrywide Events column.

SLOVAK photographer Karol Kállay is well-known in Slovakia as well as in other parts of the world for his photographic art. He has published more than 40 photographic books. Even though he has released monographs on metropolises like New York, Tokyo and Paris, fans of his photography had to wait until late October this year for a book about Bratislava, when the Slovart publishing house officially released Bratislava Moja (Bratislava Mine).

THE 13th INTERNATIONAL Film Festival Bratislava took place between November 4 and 9 in seven movie theatres in the Slovak capital, including new venues in the Eurovea shopping centre and in Lumiere, the recently reopened cinema formerly known as Charlie Centrum.

Check out The Slovak Spectator's choice of cultural events in Slovakia for this week.

LAST year Bratislava’s Month of Photography festival celebrated its 20th anniversary and the event returned again this November, albeit in a slightly smaller format.

Are you looking for some cultural events this week? The PETJAZZ festival and other music and film festivals, exhibition, and the military dog course are among the tips to be found in our Countrywide Events column.

THE ANNUAL Christmas Bazaar hosted by IWCB, the International Women’s Club of Bratislava held at Stará Tržnica, the old market hall in the Slovak capital on November 20, raised a record sum of €88,000.

Budget airline Norwegian Air Shuttle ASA (also named Norwegian) has announced the launch of 34 new routes from Scandinavia to destinations in Europe, including new lines from Copenhagen and Oslo to Bratislava.

THE BRATISLAVA Music Festival (BMF), which for two weeks every year makes the capital a local mecca for lovers of classical music, is offering a full range of events and performers again in 2011.

Tennis Classic, Gerald Radics and the Schumann Quartet, and Jono McCleery playing live... check out a selection of what's on countrywide in Slovakia this week.