Memories from the World Lace Festival in Slovakia

My love for traditions and folklore was inspired by my parents, which significantly shaped my life path. I studied at the Secondary Vocational School in Rakovice, specializing in agrotourism. I now apply my knowledge in the museum Za krakovskú bránu ("Behind the Gate of Krakovany"), which was established in 2005 when our family purchased an old peasant house, restored it, and created the first private ethnographic museum in Slovakia.

The entire exhibition is designed to document not only the life of Krakovany's inhabitants but also of neighboring villages. In addition to furniture, tools, and agricultural instruments, the museum features an impressive display of textiles, folk clothing, and most notably, bobbin lace.

The type of lace traditionally made in Krakovany and nearby villages is a global rarity. In 2022, it was officially added to Slovakia's Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage as Babková bobbin lace.

After living in London for 8 years, I returned to Slovakia in 2013 and rediscovered bobbin lace. I was taught by Oľga Valová, the only person in our area who had mastered this unique technique. However, my very first experience with lace-making dates back to my childhood, when my mother, Daniela Piscová, founded the Krakovany Lace Club in 1996. We learned to lace together.

For the 20th anniversary of the club – now a civic association – we wanted to celebrate with an exhibition. I proposed organizing a lace festival, which quickly grew beyond a local event and found its place in the calendars of lace makers across Europe. Every year, it attracts many exhibitors and visitors.

One of my dreams was to organize a festival of even greater scale. That dream came true in 2024, when I founded the World Lace Festival, held in Piešťany and Krakovany. 

I must also mention the Men Who Make Bobbin Lace Festival, another one of my projects. I organized it in 2018 at the Za krakovskú bránu museum. It brought together male lace makers from Slovakia, Estonia, and South Africa.

Beyond Krakovany lace, I deeply admire the diversity of Slovak regional lace traditions. That’s why I initiated and now chair the Civic Association Slovak Bobbin Lace, which promotes and protects this national treasure. One of our main activities is publishing a magazine dedicated to lace and lace-related events in Slovakia.

As a chairman, member of the Bábence civic association, and a lace maker myself, I regularly attend lace festivals and congresses around the world. These events allow me to share my passion and use the language skills I developed while living abroad – while also fulfilling my dream of traveling.