Bank of Love, Banská Štiavnica, Slovakia

The Bank of Love in Banská Štiavnica is a unique experiential exhibition dedicated to Marína, the longest love poem in the world, written by Slovak romantic poet Andrej Sládkovič. The only part of this multimedia museum that visitors were allowed to photograph is the mesmerising Vault of Love, built directly inside the former house of Sládkovič’s muse, Marína Pischlová. The reflective floor creates an optical illusion of endless depth, perfectly framing the historic stone archway and warm chandeliers.

Marína is officially the world’s longest love poem. Written in 1844, it contains 2,900 lines and is recognized by the World Record Academy. The walls of this tunnel, a former mining shaft, are lined with 100,000 tiny drawers. Each drawer represents a single letter, space, or punctuation mark from the original manuscript, serving as a repository where people from around the world can store their own tokens of love.

In March 2023, a catastrophic fire devastated several historic buildings in Banská Štiavnica, including the site of the Bank of Love. Luckily, the underground Vault of Love survived, and restoration efforts are underway to rebuild and reopen the house of Marína Pischlová.

Copyright Milan Hutera, 2018. All Rights Reserved