Deň architektúry: YMCA

The hidden corners of the YMCA building, its significance for interwar life in Bratislava, and its future with facility manager Lucia Škyrtová.

The YMCA building in Bratislava is an important architectural and cultural monument that attracts attention with its unique architecture and brick facade. It is the first YMCA building in Europe, built in the spirit of interwar architecture, and has been used for cultural, sporting, and social purposes for more than a hundred years. It is the first work of the then young Moravian architect Alois Balán. For the building, he chose a palace-style architecture with elements of unique Rondo Cubism in the interior. Since 1923, when the building was completed, its walls have hidden surprising stories, unexpected firsts, and unique nooks and crannies. After a period of nationalization and cultural use (cinema, club premises), it is now a symbol of the community, which its supporters are trying to save and restore for the future.