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Explore Artisans Museums & Galleries Experience Itineraries About
©Michal Melicherčík
©Eva Csutorová
©Michal Melicherčík
©Eva Csutorová

Michal Melicherčík

  • Blacksmith
  • Hriňová, Slovakia
  • Rising Star
Michal Melicherčík Blacksmith
Contact
Slovak, English
Hours:
By appointment only
Phone:
+421 907350883
©Eva Csutorová

From paper rings to knives

  • • Michal has always been intrigued by different materials
  • • He tries to preserve the techniques of his ancestors
  • • His first foreign order came truly from afar

Michal Melicherčík's interest in craft was largely influenced by the region he was born in. Podpoľanie, the area in the heart of Slovakia, is full of traces of the original crafts and craftspeople continuing various traditions. Michal's first experience of his craft was when he created his first blacksmith forge from old bricks he found lying nearby to his home. Nowadays, he tries to base his craft on ethnographic tradition he discovers on his research visits to museums and private collections, not only in his own local region but also in other countries such as Ukraine. And as for the future of his craft he is not worried at all: “What I observe around me is a great interest in crafts of all kinds,” he says.

Read the full interview

Works

  • ©Michal Melicherčík
  • ©Michal Melicherčík
  • ©Michal Melicherčík
  • ©Michal Melicherčík
  • ©Michal Melicherčík
Photo: ©Michal Melicherčík
Traditional whip of Carpathian shepherds

The decoration of the whip comes from Slovakia's Gemer and Hont regions. Inlaying of three materials was used to decorate the whip's handle: pewter, black cow's horn and deer antler. The loose tin rings on the handle were cast and turned directly on it. The whip has a leather braided core wrapped in eight strands.

Length 30 cm
Length 270 cm

Photo: ©Michal Melicherčík
Decorative hair comb

This hair comb was inspired by the tradition of wearing combs in the region of Horná Orava in central Slovakia. It is also based on traditional folk embroidery. Plant folk patterns were transferred into metal through metalworking techniques. The plastic inlay technique is complemented by engraved and embossed decoration.

Width 10 cm
Length 10 cm

Photo: ©Michal Melicherčík
Francúzska Spona Do Vasov brooch

This stylized alpaca and copper brooch is based on folk jewellery from the Slovak village of Kokava nad Rimavicou. The snake depicted on the brooch is a protective symbol that often appeared in Slovak Wallachian culture. Engraving and embossing decorative techniques were used to achieve the adornments.

Width 9 cm
Height 3.8 cm

Photo: ©Michal Melicherčík
Traditional knife of Carpathian shepherds

Stylized shepherd's knife from the Slovak Carpathians. The decoration of the knife is based on traditional folk ornaments. Traditional pewter inlay technique is used on the knife's handle, combined with bone inlay. The knife blade is made of 300-layer carbon damask with a very fine pattern.

Length 12 cm

Photo: ©Michal Melicherčík
Traditional men's hat

This replica of a traditional men's hat from the Podpoľanie region composes of alpaca chains. The traditional decoration of the hat consists of four metal decorative plates called “columns” and 14 rows of hand-knitted wire chains between them. This type of hat was worn in a rural setting in the Podpoľanie region in the 19th and 20th centuries.

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