East European Performing Arts Platform (EEPAP) supports the
development of contemporary performing arts (dance and theatre)
in 18 countries of Central and Eastern Europe.

Stanica Žilina-Záriečie, Slovakia

Sylwia Śmigiel
Contact
E-mail: 
Barbora Uríková, theatre and dance programmation, production, educational program for highschools, VARP - Performing arts residencies: e-mail: [email protected]
Telephone: 
phone: +421902152109
Videos

S2

SPOT: Kinobus 2011 / západná linka / kino

Kiosk 2011

Description
Information about institution: 

The cultural centre Stanica, situated in an old and still operational train station in Stanica Žilina-Záriečie, has since 2003 been an independent venue for creating links, an artistic laboratory and an activists’ collective.

Stanica would like to be a cultural node - creative, educative and critical. They illustrate the tale of a small train station where people stop when passing by and share their news and experiences from their travels.

They run a gallery, a workshop space, residency space for artists, a café, a waiting-room, and a multifunctional presentation venue for theatre, dance, concerts, discussions and screenings. There is also a huge outer space open to the public with a garden, park, summer stage, and a children’s playground.

There are several different children’s ateliers taking place almost every day each week, and there are on average two-three artistic events happening per week.

In 2009, thanks to the hard work of many young volunteers, the new venue S2 from beer crates and straw bales was created. The project of S2(2009) continues their activities in revitalization of the industrial land surrounding Stanica. The opening night of the new venue was on the 7th May 2009, a part of the Trans Europe Halles Meeting – a network of independent culture centres.

Stanica is not just the next cultural center in the town or region, but a platform for information, research, and realization of experimental art/cultural/community projects and international and inter-sector communication that relay activities to other institutions.

Director of Stanica is Marek Adamov. Most important personnel: Katarína Ďuricová, Peter Hapčo, Martin Krištof, Barbora Uríková, Hanka Hudcovičová Lukšů, Dušan Dobiaš, Andrej Hinka, Ints Plavnieks.

Short history: 

In 1898, the villages on the outskirts of Žilina came together to build a railway track to Rajec. On this track a platform and a small ticket office, named Žilina-Záriečie in later years, were constructed. In 1942 the space around Stanica was used as a base from which to dispatch more than 18000 Slovak Jews to concentration camps.

In 1945 the ticket office was replaced by the building in use today and in moved a newly married couple, Mr and Mrs M. They both worked for the railway and had five children. They kept animals next to the track and fruit trees in the garden. The M. family was known by many of the passengers and the station was open for everyone to use. But years passed and everything changed. Disuse and lack of maintenance made the station inhabitable. In the 1980s a circular overpass Rondel was built that engulfed the station in a mesh of roads.

In 1998 Marek Adamov, Robo Blasko, Hana Luksu and a few others created an organisation to advance culture in Žilina. It was called Truc sphérique. On March the 28th 2002, Marek Adamov and his father were driving around Žilina searching for a location in which to fulfill the dream of building a cultural centre to house their organisation. They found Stanica Žilina-Záriečie.

In September 2002, the building was rented to Truc sphérique by the Slovak National Railways, and in 2003 a 30 year lease was signed. In September 2003, the Stanica Open Cultural Space opened and slowly with progressing reconstruction works more and more cultural activities occupied the space.

The most important projects: 

Most important projects:

  • Way to the Station, 2003 - Opening event of the new cultural centre Stanica Zilina-Zariecie. Workshop where 60 young artists from 13 countries of the EU took part and worked together in the field of performing arts, creating a common performance for opening the new cultural venue, as well as a documentary film,
  • European Voluntary Service, 2000-2010, Slovakia, Zilina plus different EU countries - Hosting and enabling young people enter internships in arts and culture. In total they have hosted more than 20 volunteers in Zilina and have sent a similar amount of people to different institutions in Europe,
  • 68/89 Kunst.Zeit.Geschichte, 2008-2009, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Germany (Stanica is a co-organizer of the project, Archa Theatre, CZ – is the main coordinator). Collaboration between theatre artists and historians reflecting an important era of the 20th century – years 1968 and 1989. Theatre productions and touring, conferences, workshops and publications,
  • Stranger Festival, 2008-2009, the Netherlands plus various EU countries - Workshops and other events linked with youth and their expressions in a 1-minute video format. Slovakia participated in the project,
  • Stanica, 2003-2011,  Slovakia, Zilina - Events, festivals, workshops and conferences in the cultural centre where 50% of the participants are of foreign origin. From 2003, more than 500 events has displayed artists and partners from all over Europe. In 2009 a new alternative theatre building S2 was created, made up of beer crates and straw bales. It is a round stage with a 10 m diameter that displays theatre and dance productions, festivals, concerts, and conferences,
  • KioSK festival, 2008-2011, Slovakia, Zilina - Summer festival for daring spectators presents contemporary productions from the Slovak independent theatre and dance scene,
  • Kinobus, 2005-2011, Slovakia, Zilina - Thematic (not only) film festival. Kinobus is focused on revitalization of the old village cinemas. The audience is transported by special festival buses to various old village cinemas, giving them the chance to experience the festival through social interaction within the local surroundings,
  • Fest Anca, 2008-2011, Slovakia, Zilina - Since 2008 they have hosted the International of Animated Films. It also include a competition.
International cooperations: 

International cooperation:
Stanica is a member of European networks, mainly Trans Europe Halles and the European Voluntary Service. They have been participating in several international projects, some of them already mentioned.

In 2004, the Stanica project was awarded the European Cultural Foundation’s annual prize “Enlargement of Mind”.

Websites