O nás – NOVÉ SÍDLISKO

Our Association

After a multi-year break, we are returning as a group of enthusiasts who were once brought together by the activities of Ars Preuge. We currently wish to focus on the visual identity of Prievidza — the larger and smaller elements of public space that make Prievidza what it is. Sgrafitos, mining, the history and future of Prievidza. Through visual art activities in public space, we want to cultivate and build upon the existing symbols of the city, as well as those that are gradually disappearing from the physical space and from our collective memory.

At Ars Preuge, we have been realising our vision of a more cultural, more creative, and more active Prievidza since 2009. We have behind us more than 150 genre-diverse events, vernissages, concerts and wonderful collaborations with artists from Prievidza and across Slovakia.

Our Mission

Nové sídlisko is an initiative for the preservation of the heritage and legacy of the Píly housing estate in Prievidza. The urgency of this mission is currently linked to the risk of damage or destruction of original artworks in connection with ongoing reconstructions and insulation of buildings. Through a series of innovative cultural events and artistic interventions, we draw the attention of residents and visitors of Prievidza to the local cultural heritage of the Píly housing estate. We have divided our project into three core parts.

Let’s Discover

This residential complex, built from 1951, is a significant landmark of its era and a prime example of socialist realism. The architecture of the housing estate is complemented by decorations on the façades of the buildings, created by notable artists of their time — reliefs by Drexler, Kompánek and Kordoš, and sgrafitos by Bley, Fedor, Chmelář, Klimčák, Laluh, Maňku, Pavlíčková, Paštéku, Vysočan, Štrompacha and others.

Let’s Preserve

How can we preserve cultural heritage while also saving energy? With the first activities of the project we opened the discussion — now let’s together look for suitable solutions to this dilemma and the right approaches. From examples of already completed reconstructions, we can see that the results of preservation efforts so far are not of sufficient quality and that heritage protection measures are not effective enough.

Let’s Develop

Without preserving values, there is nothing to develop. We can unlock the enormous potential of the old housing estate if we preserve it and approach this place and its residents with respect. From the connection of sectors, groups and generations, further cultural values will emerge — including in the form of new artworks inspired by the heritage of the housing estate.