The Imaginary Rusyn Underground
Zvolo�: Svidnik Underground Home

A new Slovak-language website dedicated to "imaginary Svidnik underground culture" hit the internet recently. The site is called Zvolo�, which in the local Slovak dialect means "rabble."

Svidnik, in northeastern Slovakia, is home to a sizable Rusyn minority, and the site clearly reflects this. One of the site's pages is dedicated to the Rusyns, "or Rusnaks, as the common locals of Svidnik are called." Aside from a brief history of the Rusyns, the local Skazen (open-air museum) of Rusyn folk architecture is also featured prominently.

According to the site's author, "the imaginary Svidnik underground draws its strength from the influence of the unrepeatable word plays of that uncodified [Rusyn] language. One of them is also the name of the entire project." Though it is part of the local Svidnik dialect, the origin of the term Zvolo� is in fact Rusyn.

The local Andy Warhol Pop Art Club, run by Joe Keselica, also has a page on the site. The club organizes exhibits, concerts and other cultural activities. Keselica's film 15 Minutes of Fame, a documentary about Warhol's Rusyn roots, won a UNESCO award in 1993.

Also on the site are descriptions of the local bar scene, local bands, art and a performance space called Cafe Holi�stvo. Zvolo� also features a travelogue of Transylvania.

"Zvolo�: Svidnik Underground Home" can be found here.