Matej Krén Passage

Why visit

Passage is a permanent installation by Slovak artist Matej Krén in the Pálffy Palace, one of the venues of the Bratislava City Gallery (GMB). Walls of stacked books and precisely set mirrors make a short corridor appear to stretch endlessly in every direction.

Krén has long used books as a material for memory and knowledge, and the piece is a relative of his better-known book tower Idiom in Prague. It takes only minutes to walk through, but it plays with your sense of space the whole way.

What to see

• The passage: a walk-in corridor of about 12,000 books from library discards, doubled and multiplied by mirrors above, below and on the sides
• The reflections: look up and down through the gaps to see the book walls repeat into the distance
• GMB exhibitions: the installation is part of the gallery’s exhibitions in the same palace, so you can combine it with the current shows

Plan your visit

Enter with a GMB ticket for the Pálffy Palace. The passage is narrow and lined with mirrors, so move slowly and take turns at busy times.

Allow 10–15 minutes for the passage, longer with the other exhibitions. St Martin’s Cathedral and the Main Square are a few minutes’ walk away.