The Družba House of Culture in Levice is one of the cultural and social centres from the 1960s, which were built in abstract forms of the international style. These houses were mostly part of the new urban structures in the wider centre, in direct contact with the historic core of the towns. Their common feature was also the glazed façade covering the mass.
The Družba House of Culture is situated on the historic main square of Levice. The building stands on the site of a demolished historic building and is oriented with its front façade to the square. The building is shaped as a compact mass volume placed on a platform. The main entrance is set asymmetrically in the form of an extended mass with a wide staircase. The interior of the layout is illuminated by a central atrium, which also separates the theatre part from the ballroom part. The theatre hall with its curved acoustic ceiling also hosted a panoramic cinema in the past. The space in front of the theatre hall is complemented by a about 8 metre long mosaic.
The building has served its original function since 1974, when it also included a library and a restaurant. The House of Culture was closed in 2012 due to a planned redevelopment into a department store. The redevelopment never started and the building is deteriorating to this day.
author of the description: Monika Bočková
Bibliography:
HORVÁTHOVÁ, Hana. Dom kultúry Družba, študentská seminárna práca z predmetu Dejiny architektúry a urbanizmu IV. Fakulta architektúry a dizajnu STU, 2022
