SLOVAK NATIONAL LIBRARY

The Slovak National Library invites you to the  the Apponyi family library in Oponice to the exhibition "Od Proglasu po ypsilon", which will guide visitors through the fascinating development of the Slovak language from its origins in Old Slavic language to the form it accepted in the middle of the 19th century.

It will be possible to look into the documents like Proglas, Kamaldulská Biblia or linguistic works of A. Bernolák, Ľ. Štúr and M. Hattalu - all documents that are considered to be historical milestones in the development of our language. "It's a unique opportunity to look into the historical processes that influenced this development and learn how we got from Old Slavic to, for example, ypsilon," said the manager of the Apponyi family library in Oponice, Ondrej Šomodi. The exhibition will take place from 3rd until the 31st of March.

Proglas The book is considered to be the first literary document in the Old Slavic language. It was discovered in 1858 in Serbian manuscripts in the Hilandar Monastery on Mount Athos. Its authorship is attributed to Constantine the Philosopher (St. Cyril)

The Kamaldu translation of the Bible from the 18th century (the so-called Kamaldu Bible) is one of the most important linguistic monuments of Slovak history. It is an effort to bring the biblical text closer to the broad strata of Slovaks in their native language. The translation was created in the environment of the Camaldol monastery in Červený Kláštor, where the monks worked on its completion for decades.

Visitors will also see the works of A.B and Ľ.Š – the pioneers of the codification of the written Slovak language. In 1787, Anton Bernolák codified the Slovak language for the first time on the basis of the West Slovak dialect and created the first Slovak orthography, known as Bernolák ortography („bernolákovčina“) . His work was an important step towards theunification of the Slovak nation through language. A few decades later, Ľudovít Štúr modified and expanded the codification of the language, based on the Central Slovak dialect. In 1843, at the parish in Hlboké, Štúr, Hurban and Hodža agreed on the principles of the new written Slovak language, which still form the basis of our language today. With their work and visions, both linguists left an indelible mark in the history of our culture and laid the foundations for the modern identity of Slovak (1,2).

The exhibition Od Proglasu po ypsilon is suitable for students and teachers, families with children as well as for lovers of history and linguistics. Come and join us on this fascinating trip to the past in the most beautiful interior library in Slovakia. We look forward to meeting you!

However, do not forget to reserve it in advance: +421 915 851 883, ondrej.somodi@snk.sk. The exhibition lasts until March 31, 2025