President Visits Furdek Library in USA, Opens Photo Exhibition on Costumes

Cedar Rapids, September 27 (TASR-correspondent) - President Peter Pellegrini went to Cedar Rapids, Iowa on Thursday and met representatives of the local community of Slovaks and Czechs at the National Czech and Slovak Museum and Library, TASR learnt on Friday. The Slovak head of state toured the library of Roman Catholic priest, national-consciousness pioneer and first chairman of the Slovak League in America Stefan Furdek and opened an exhibition of photographs of Slovak costumes taken by photographer Martin Machaj. According to the National Czech and Slovak Museum and Library, Stefan Furdek, a native of Trstena in Zilina region, is considered to be the most important figure among American Slovaks at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries. His library contains the largest collection of Slovak books, prints and documents in North America. "It is a real gem, it's our common Slovak-American national treasure," said Pellegrini in his address to the library, highlighting its cultural and educational significance. According to him, it forms an important part of Slovakia's cultural diplomacy. As a gift to the institution, the president brought a man's costume from Ocova (Banska Bystrica region), noting that it will become the 69th costume in its collection. am/df