The Trenčín 2026 project brought carols, poetry and sounds of nature to the streets of the city. All this can be conveyed to people by the Koledomat, which turned into the Poesiomat today. It is a peculiar object resembling a periscope from a submarine, it has a crank and after turning it first played carols from different countries of the European Union, and now it offers pieces of Trenčín artists from the present and the past or sounds of nature connected with the place where it stands.
Since 2015, poesiomats have been placed in the city’s streets by the Czech association called Piána na ulici, founded by Ondřej Kobza. “Originally, it was primarily about jukeboxes for poetry, but over time the concept has grown into its current form, where the Poesiomat tries to capture the symbolism of a place—it is a kind of amplifier of genius loci, ” explained Ondřej Kobza. “The magic of a place can take different forms. That’s why, in addition to poems, a Poesiomat listener may come across, for example, a fairy tale or the sounds of nature, ” he added.
“The Koledomat, which we installed in Trenčín’s Štúrovo Square at the beginning of December, has recorded 45,000 plays to date, making it the most used of more than 80 Poesiomats in the Czech Republic and Slovakia,” said project manager Martin Šeda.
The idea for an unconventional sound device caught the attention of the organizers of the European Capital of Culture Trenčín 2026 last autumn. “Poesiomat fits well into the concept of the European Capital of Culture Trenčín 2026. It is yet another project among many, which aims, besides other things, to revitalize the city and bring culture to people right to the streets. Thanks to it, even ordinary squares and public spaces become a place to encounter art and poetry. It brings a new dimension to urban space and proves that culture does not have to be confined to theatres or galleries, but can be accessible to everyone, anytime and anywhere, ” said Ján Sudzina, director of the Trenčín 2026 project.
“Thank you for this great idea. Poesiomat will offer the creations of the artists from Trenčín in the center of our city in a completely different way and I believe that it will be a pleasant entertainment for the people of Trenčín and visitors to our city. We also have something to offer for Europe and for the Europeans. I am very excited about this. I will definitely try Poesiomat as well,” said Richard Rybníček, the Mayor of Trečín.
Štúr, Földvári, the underground from Trenčín and contemporary authors
From the end of February, listeners of the Trenčín Poesiomat on Štúrovo Square can listen to the poetic singing of the Matúš of Trenčín poem by Štúr, songs by the Trenčín bands Bez ladu a skladu and Chór vážskych muzikantov, poems by Rudolf Dobiáš, humorous féytons by Kornel Földvári, a fairy tale about the underwatermen Valentin by Vlad Kulíšek, musical works by young musicians from Trenčín, Nina Kohout and Jerguš Oravec, and much more.
Poesiomat was given its voice by actors and actresses of the Normálka Theatre in Trenčín and by the actor and mime Pavol Seriš.
With the installation of Poesiomat, Trenčín joined more than eighty Czech, Slovak and other European and world cities. Poetic pipes address passers-by in Brno, Prague, but also in Paris, Dublin or Buffalo in the USA.
Contact for journalists:
Poesiomat / Martin Šeda, phone: +420 724 784 118, mail: martin@piananaulici.cz
Trenčín 2026 / Tereza Fojtová, phone: +421 918 412 621, mail: tereza.fojtova@trencin2026.eu
