Božena Slančíková-Timrava, an important realist writer, was born in Polichno into a family of an Evangelical pastor. She was one of the twins born to Pavol and Eva Mária. She spent almost her entire life in Novohrad, first living and creating in Polichno, then in Ábelová, and later in Lučenec. She had a desire to write hidden within her since childhood, and her literary career was shaped, besides her environment, by writers such as Hviezdoslav, Kukučín, and Vajanský. Today, many of us see her as an author of required literature from the period of realism. Most of her works are known to us only from school, and we often do not realize how significant and unique they are.

During our travels across Slovakia last year, we also visited the picturesque Polichno in Novohrad. We already knew that one of the most important Slovak writers, Božena Slančíková-Timrava, came from there, but we did not know the condition of her birth house, where she began writing her first works. The house where she was born welcomed us with open arms, and in every corner of the house, we felt Timrava’s exceptional presence. Yet the sight of the dilapidated and damaged walls left an even stronger impression on us. We walked through the rooms and imagined where she might have sat and created. After a few hours, we left Polichno with a feeling that led us to a decision: we wanted to save her birth house. We found motivation for the entire project thanks to you.

On September 22, 2024, you wrote hundreds of comments under a social media post saying how you could help. And we know that the combination of willing people and enthusiasm can achieve great things. That’s why we created a whole series of Timrava jewelry and accessories, reissued 39 short stories in 16 books, and prepared beautiful prints, donating the proceeds from every sold product directly to the collection for the repair of her birth house. Besides purchasing products, it was also possible to contribute a voluntary sum directly through our website. And how did it turn out?

Thanks to 3,491 contributors, we managed to raise the sum of

34 180,72 EUR

for which a huge THANK YOU is due.

We thank absolutely everyone who contributed even just one euro to make our several-month-long preparation and vision for fulfilling the goal come true. Božena Slančíková-Timrava’s birth house, the place where her thoughts and stories were born, deserves our attention. A place that carries the spirit of literature and the legacy of one of the most important Slovak writers can continue to tell its story and inspire future generations thanks to 3,491 good people.

Thanks to the collection, we managed to raise enough money to renovate four main rooms in the house — Chamber 1, Chamber 2, the hallway, and the kitchen — and also to renovate the entrance gate to Timrava’s birth house. Additionally, we will install a beautiful bench and a book box under Timrava’s favorite apple tree, where she wrote her short stories, and another book box with her works will be placed near Timrava’s well. The funds will also partially cover the museum equipment, including a TV screen and seating, and will allow us to prepare and print promotional and educational materials for museum visitors.