Intangible cultural heritage in Slovakia – Blue-dyeing
Intangible cultural heritage in Slovakia – Blue-dyeing
Blue-dyeing, (‘modrotlač’ in Slovak) is a craft process where a pattern is applied to fabric by using a block to print a dye-resistant paste, called Papp, onto the fabric before dyeing it with indigo. Originally an oriental method of decorating fabrics, it became a significant part of Slovak and European textile traditions. It was adopted in Slovak rural areas in the 19th century, becoming an important part of folk clothing and household textiles. Compared with other central European countries, Slovakia maintained considerable regional diversity in blue-dyed patterns and a high density of blue-dye workshops until the mid-20th century. While rural blue-dyeing gradually declined, interest in the practice has recently grown among fashion designers. In 2018 Slovakia’s blue-dyeing tradition was inscribed on the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, as part of a multinational nomination submitted by Slovakia, Germany, Austria, Czechia and Hungary.
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Coin description
Obverse:
The right side of the obverse depicts a craftsman using a hand-crafted wooden block to pattern a fabric for blue-dyeing. On the left is the floralpatterned side of another block, and in the upper right part of the design are three fabrics being hung after dyeing. Between the craftsman and the floral pattern are the coin’s denomination ’100’ and currency ‘EURO’, one above the other. Below the craftsman is the year of issuance ‘2024’ and, to the right of it, the Slovak coat of arms. The name of the issuing country ‘SLOVENSKO’ is inscribed at the bottom of the design. In the lower left corner of the block pattern is the mint mark of the Kremnica Mint (Mincovňa Kremnica), consisting of the letters ‘MK’ placed between two dies; in the lower right corner are the stylised initials ‘KL’ of the designer, Karol Ličko.Reverse:
The reverse design is divided into two vertical halves. Inscribed on the upper left side is the Slovak word for blue-dying, ‘MODROTLAČ’, with its morphemes divided one above the other. Below it, in descending order, are the words ‘NEHMOTNÉ’, ‘KULTÚRNE’ and ‘DEDIČSTVO’, which means ‘intangible cultural heritage’ in Slovak. The right part depicts a hanging blue-dyed fabric printed with the same floral pattern that appears on the obverse design, along with additional horizonal decoration above and below the pattern.
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Coin details
Designer: Karol Ličko Composition: .900 gold, .75 silver, .25 copper Weight: 9,5 g Diameter: 26 mm Edge: milled Producer: Kremnica Mint Engraver: Dalibor Schmidt Issuing volume: 5,600 coins in proof quality Issuing date: 5 December 2024