Edited by IPC Prešov | Košice and Žilina Regions
Basketry
Country: Slovakia
Region: Košice Region
Type of inspiration: Visual arts
Inspiracja
The production of wicker baskets persists to this day. We, too, can boast artists of this creation.Baskets are most often woven from willow wicker. These are harvested in late autumn when they are ripe and need to boil for three hours before they can be worked with. The wicker must be perfectly cleaned and can be knitted during the endless winter evenings. If they didn't have enough willow wicker, they looked for young hazel, oak or maple trees, splitting them into thin strips, called luby, so that they could be plaited. In the past, baskets were used in every house or homestead. Fruit and vegetables were stored in them. They were used for bread. They were used to transport wood, hay or coal.
In Slovakia, the most common baskets are the one-handled baskets with one handle, which could also be carried on the back, but in the southern areas where grapes were grown and wine was produced, special, tall, cylindrical and narrow baskets - strainers - were used. Even our poultry had their own baskets, called clones, which were used by the hens to lay their eggs. Wicker baskets were also made to protect the chicks from birds of prey or foxes. They had a wide base and a narrow opening through which other animals could not pull them out, so they were safe and the mothers were out with them.
The village of Lacková in the Spiš region became famous for the production of wicker baskets. As a sign of respect for their ancestors and their unique tradition, there is a unique basket-making exhibition, the aim of which is to present a traditional craft that has been part of the Spiš region for many years. There is also such a jewel as a still-functioning ship's trunk from 1900, with which the ancestors of the village travelled to America during the Depression. There are still 5 active basket makers in the village, who since 2012 have been presenting their traditional craft at the basket making festival called "Lackovský basket".
Gallery
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Spisska Nova Ves
Slovakia Košice Region
