The grand Trenčín museum building was built on the main square in the seventeenth century as the town residence of the powerful land-owning Ilešházi family and in the mid-eighteenth century became the county hall. The museum is housed in the four grand ceremonial rooms on the first floor. Various city offices also share the building and to gain entrance to the museum you will need to enquire at the Vratnica/Porter’s office on the ground floor. He’ll sell you a ticket and walk you upstairs to unlock the doors.
The museum has all the humdrum standard museum exhibits. Stuffed animals and mounted insects from the region as well as various rocks and displays on the geological formation of the landscape. The celebrated Rímsky Napís/Roman Inscription is treated to a display of its own. The roman inscription is a carving in one of the rock faces below the Trenčín castle in which the leader of 800 Roman soldiers expresses thanks for their military victories over the local Quadi tribes during the Markoman wars, and survival through the winter in the settlement then named Laugaricio. The inscription dates from the year 179 and much is made of it in every leaflet of brochure even remotely related to the history of the city. It is apparently only visible to the naked eye from the upper floors of the nearby Hotel Tatra. There are also quite a few grand portraits of important-looking men who were undoubtedly connected with the government of the county and its property.
The exhibits that I found more interesting predominantly related to the everyday life of ordinary people in centuries past. The highlights were undoubtedly the whimsical carved wooden beehives in the form of people, clad in the folk dress of the day. There were also several actual examples of the colourful embroidered costumes safely displayed behind glass. In a further glass cabinet was a hand-illuminated Bible almost as thick as it was either wide or tall and some interesting metal stamps for ink and for wax seals.
The museum is apparently not terribly popular with foreign visitors, as the extensive explanations have not been translated from Slovak at all. On a weekday afternoon in July, I was the only visitor for the whole hour or so that I was there.
Entrance is 20Sk for adults and 10Sk for students, and the museum is open Tuesday through Sunday from 9am to 11am and 11:30 am to 4pm.