In the early 1970s, the District National Committee (ONV) in Galanta relocated from the neo-Gothic castle, which was deemed unsuitable, to a newly built administrative building in the city centre. This six-storey building, which contained offices and a large separate meeting room, faced the new Mierové námestie( formerly Lenin Square).
As well as the ONV, the building housed the District Committee of the Communist Party and other National Front organisations, all of which had separate entrances. In 1975, the party authorities decided to expand the building due to the need to increase the capacity of the House of Political Education. The extension, which was connected to a new meeting room, was designed as a three-storey building that completed the overall composition of the administrative complex. The connection to the ONV and OV KSS buildings was intended to ensure optimal operating conditions and, at the same time, open up the building to the northeast towards the housing estate. The ground floor housed a vestibule with a small relaxation area and offices, as well as the entrance to the meeting room. The second and third floors consisted of operational spaces and classrooms for the House of Political Education.
Unlike the main mass of the administrative block, which was divided only by a window grid, the mass of the extension was conceived in a freer and more sculptural manner. New elements were introduced, including a staircase that protruded from the main mass and rounded walls that projected outwards. The façade of the extension was unified by characteristic glass mosaic cladding in red and blue.
The administrative offices on the upper floors of the administrative block were reconstructed, but the entrance hall and both meeting rooms in the main wing have been preserved almost intact. Dominant features include decorative ceilings with a geometric structure and works of art. These include stone mosaics and stucco lustro in the lobby, created by Július Dóka and Jozef Bartek.
The building currently houses the Galanta Municipal Office. In the past, part of the former House of Political Education was used as a primary school. Today, the District Court is located there. However, the the meeting room has been unused for a long time.
Bibliography:
Projekt 18, 1976, č. 10, s. 60.
Víťazná cesta: orgán Byra OV KSS a ONV v Galante, 1971, s. 6.
ZALČÍK, Tibor et al. Slovenská architektúra 1976–1980. Bratislava: Veda, 1982, s. 58.
ANDREJČÁK, Tibor a František ŠUBÍN. Okres Galanta. Bratislava: Obzor, 1989.
