In Bratislava we visited the Bratislava Regional Craft Center of the Centre for Folk Art Production (ÚĽUV), which aims to safeguard and develop traditional crafts and folk art production in Slovakia. It is located in a historical building in the centre of Bratislava and contains a gallery space, a gift and book shop, studio, and presentation space. ÚĽUV is working to keep the tradition of Anabaptist/Haban ceramics alive.

We couldn’t believe our auspicious find of a restored Haban house turned into an Airbnb in Veľké Leváre, embedded within a former Habansky Dvor (courtyard). Staying in the very heart of the Habansky Dvor situated in western Slovakia brought a closeness and level of connection to the Anabaptist/Haban research we couldn’t have imagined.

August 19, 2025 Next stop on the SSHRC funded research tour was Brno, Czech Republic. The tour began with a pivotal visit to the Ethnographic Institute of the Moravian Museum, housed in the Palace of Noble Ladies.

I travelled from Winnipeg to Prague on August 10, 2025, the first of my SSHRC funded research trips to central Europe in search of collections of Anabaptist/Haban ceramics, sites of production, and to make connections with experts in the field.