New Vintage Mobile Phone Museum Now Open In Slovakia

In a small town in eastern Slovakia, a passionate collector recently launched a vintage phone museum to commemorate the times when mobile phones still had “soul.” Stefan Polgari says that since the time he was a teen, he “enjoyed phones as design pieces, not only a multimedia device. Today, mobile phones have only a display with a battery and a small computer inside, but no soul.” Here’s a peek into the two rooms in his home which serve as the Vintage Mobile Phone Museum in Dobsina, Slovakia.

Polgari has more than 3,500 phones in his collection, with 1,500 being unique pieces. He began collecting with the goal of keeping mobile phones as pieces of technical history, as many mobile phones were technical and design gems of their time.

Thousands of old phones line the walls of the Mobile Phone Museum.

The museum has only been open for a few months, but already more than 100 visitors have made appointments to view the collection in Polgari’s home. “When I am at home, visitors can call or write me and reserve a time to enter the museum. But, Dobsina is a little town in eastern Slovakia,” explains Polgari. The location of a museum restricts the number of visitors who might otherwise be interested in seeing the collection. However, Polgari does have hopes of expanding the museum to a larger and more easily accessible location.

Today, the size of the museum is limited. But Polgari has visions of expanding the collection in the future

The revolutionary Nokia 6800 is one of the unique design models in the museum

Polgari has many unique old phones in his collection. He reports that he likes the entire collection, and doesn’t have one specific phone which he holds dear. But when prompted to reveal his favorite; “I like the Nokia 3510i Star Wars edition, because I like Star Wars,” he concedes.

Polgari really likes this old Star Wars phone!

Next, we asked Polgari if he has any strange or incredibly unique phones in his collection. “I don’t have a unicorn,” he replied, although all of his phones are incredibly unique by today’s standards. Polgari uses an iPhone in everyday life, but his museum collection is reserved for celebrating the phones of the past. “For me, it is better to get 50 “new” phones, not only one “unicorn”. I prefer volume over the quality of the phone,” Polgari says.

The Nokia 9000, all the way from 1996. One of the first phones which could connect to the internet!

Although Polgari’s collection already includes 3,500 phones, he is constantly on the lookout for old phones which he does not already have in his museum. If you have an old phone just sitting in the bottom of a box in your basement, life in this Slovak mobile phone museum might be a better option for your old friend. Polgari is always accepting donated phones in person or by mail, and he promises to never sell donated phones. Your old phone could share shelf space with some stellar mobile phones which show the progression of technology and design from the very introduction of mobile phones through to the very first smart phones.

Polgari holds all of the phones in his collection in the highest esteem.

Visiting the mobile phone museum is possible by appointment only. You can reach Dobsina in about an hour and 20 minutes from Kosice. A visit to Dobsina can easily be combined with hiking in Slovak Paradise and exploring the ancient Spis Castle, two gems of eastern Slovakia.

Dobsina, Slovakia & hello@mobilephonemuseum.org

Since you are here, we would like to share our vision for the future of travel - and the direction Culture Trip is moving in.

Culture Trip launched in 2011 with a simple yet passionate mission: to inspire people to go beyond their boundaries and experience what makes a place, its people and its culture special and meaningful — and this is still in our DNA today. We are proud that, for more than a decade, millions like you have trusted our award-winning recommendations by people who deeply understand what makes certain places and communities so special.

Increasingly we believe the world needs more meaningful, real-life connections between curious travellers keen to explore the world in a more responsible way. That is why we have intensively curated a collection of premium small-group trips as an invitation to meet and connect with new, like-minded people for once-in-a-lifetime experiences in three categories: Culture Trips, Rail Trips and Private Trips. Our Trips are suitable for both solo travelers, couples and friends who want to explore the world together.

Culture Trips are deeply immersive 5 to 16 days itineraries, that combine authentic local experiences, exciting activities and 4-5* accommodation to look forward to at the end of each day. Our Rail Trips are our most planet-friendly itineraries that invite you to take the scenic route, relax whilst getting under the skin of a destination. Our Private Trips are fully tailored itineraries, curated by our Travel Experts specifically for you, your friends or your family.

We know that many of you worry about the environmental impact of travel and are looking for ways of expanding horizons in ways that do minimal harm - and may even bring benefits. We are committed to go as far as possible in curating our trips with care for the planet. That is why all of our trips are flightless in destination, fully carbon offset - and we have ambitious plans to be net zero in the very near future.