Slovenská národná galéria

About the museum

The Slovak National Gallery was established in 1948 by an act of the Slovak National Council and began work as an institute at the start of the 1950s. The core of the collections came from works taken over from the Slovak Museum and from the former Commissariat for Education, Science and Arts.

The gallery is housed in the Baroque Water Barracks on the Danube embankment, built in 1759–1763. In 1969–1977 they were joined by a modern extension designed by the architect Vladimír Dedeček. Today's complex combines the Water Barracks, the neo-Renaissance Esterházy Palace, architecture from the 1970s and a new extension. After a seven-year reconstruction, it reopened at the end of 2022.

The collections contain more than 90,000 works, from Gothic art to contemporary visual art: painting, sculpture, drawing, graphic art, photography, video, design and architecture. The SNG also includes sites outside Bratislava: Zvolen Castle, Strážky Manor House, the Schaubmar Mill in Pezinok and the Ľudovít Fulla Gallery in Ružomberok.

Highlights

• The Sacred Art exhibition with the oldest wooden sculptures in Slovakia
• The Moderna exhibition on Slovak art from 1890 to 1948
• Early modern European painting by Italian and Dutch masters
• Design in a Cube and the Biblioman exhibition
• The bridge by Vladimír Dedeček and the courtyard of the Water Barracks

Permanent exhibitions

• Sakrálne umenie – A selection of the most precious Gothic and Baroque paintings and sculptures with a religious function, supplemented by icons and paintings of European art from the 16th to the 19th century.
• Moderna – An overview of Slovak fine art from 1890/1900 to 1948, from paintings and sculptures to photographs, films and installations.
• Európska maľba raného novoveku – A selection of European painting from the 16th to the 18th century: genre pictures, portraits, landscapes and still lifes, mainly by Italian and Dutch masters.

Founded

1948

Director

Juraj Králik

Admission & discounts

Free admission: Admission is free for everyone on the first Sunday of every month (in 2026: 8 November and 6 December).

The basic admission of €10 covers the entire gallery, i.e. all permanent displays and exhibitions. Free admission for holders of AICA, ICOM, IAA and RGS cards, members of the National Trust and INTO, tourist guides with groups of at least 5 people, and teachers supervising groups of at least 15 pupils. The loyalty programme offers unlimited admission to all SNG sites for one year.

Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible
• Elevator
• Accessible restroom
• Accessible parking: no information
• Service dogs welcome: no information
• Tactile models & exhibits
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

The whole site is accessible for wheelchairs and pushchairs. The ground floor is step-free, and accessible toilets are in the entrance hall. Lifts lead to the exhibition spaces in the Water Barracks and on the Bridge. Folding chairs are available free of charge. In the Sacred Art exhibition there are two touch-and-sound aids for blind and partially sighted visitors.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Stroller-friendly
• Baby changing facilities

SNG Family Club, the Saturday Studio and educational programmes for schools and the public (vzdelavanie@sng.sk, +421 915 786 712). There is space for pushchairs on the ground floor; changing tables are in selected toilets. Children under 12 may not stay in the exhibition halls without adult supervision.

Getting there & parking

On foot from Hviezdoslavovo námestie, from Riečna street and from Rázusovo embankment. Bicycle racks are located in several places around the gallery.

Amenities & dining

• Café
• Museum shop
• Coat check
• Lockers
• Wi-Fi

Gallery café and Gallery shop on the premises; lockable lockers and an unattended cloakroom on the ground floor (a charge applies if a locker key is lost). Bags larger than 40 × 30 × 10 cm may not be taken into the exhibition spaces. Gallery Wi-Fi is available throughout the site.

Events & venue rental

• Spaces for rent

Hire of gallery spaces; contact details are on the SNG page “Venue Hire”.

Plan your visit