Village of Beluj: Museum and Local Pottery

Though visitors will find a quiet village today, Beluj was a buzzing settlement in the past and made its living on farming and pottery. It is assumed that white—biely in Slovak—clay deposits gave the village its name. Regardless, this clay helped to make it famous for high-quality ceramics, and in 1890, a brick-making factory was built here.

The village has preserved its complex layout, with houses along both sides of the stream. Two churches dominate the village, and findings made during plaster renovation of St. Lawrence´s Church prove that the church has a late-Romanesque core. The church is among the oldest rural sacral buildings in the region. The protestant church was built in 1785, and all its later renovations were completed with an emphasis on preserving the original classic design.

The Beluj Pottery Museum is housed in a former evangelical parish office, which was recognised as National Cultural Monument in 2013. Pottery ended in the village by the end of the 19th century, but after 120 years the tradition, history and production was revived in 2014 through the museum.

There are many expositions in the museum. A digital exhibition includes a film about history and technology. You can see how pieces of pottery are made on a traditional potter's wheel. Photographs of original pottery are stored in the museum from deposits all over Slovakia. The museum organises various workshops including pottery, felting, and other art techniques. There is also a section dedicated to the evangelical parish priest Andrej Gustáv Štolman, who helped preserve the art and history of Beluj pottery.