The Vagač family's bryndza

In 1787 Ján Vagač established Slovakia's first bryndza manufactory in Detva. Originally from Stará Turá, he worked as a trader and butcher. The display devoted to his family traces the transition from pastoral farming to organised sheep's cheese processing. Podpoľanie's extensive grazing land and established sheep farming provided the local basis for the business.

Bryndza is made from ripened cheese, which is broken down, kneaded and salted. In the documented Vagač process, unsalted cheese matured on shelves before being worked with a wooden roller; mechanical rollers were used later. After dry salt was added, the mixture rested until the following morning, was mixed again and packed into small wooden barrels. This processing changed the cheese's consistency and helped preserve it.

The family's products reached customers beyond the region, including markets abroad. The original late-eighteenth-century factory building has not survived. The Vagač family house still standing today dates from 1905, so the business began well before the construction of its recognisable home.