Nora Čechmánková
Jozef Tomčala (1977) was born in the town of Dunajská Streda. Now, he is a trader with a blacksmith workshop in the village of Lehnice. He learnt to carry on the artistic metal processing trade, particularly blacksmith and locksmith trades at the Secondary training school in Bratislava. He is now an art blacksmith. He learnt a lot during two years as an apprentice in the workshop of Manfred Bergmeister in Ebersberg, Germany.
He makes typical forged iron products such as bells, candle-sticks, fireplace tools and animal figures. He also does restorations and renovations of crosses or old lattice frames. Tomčala makes copper works for churches, metal gates, railings, lattices and furniture pieces. His collaboration with the ÚĽUV started in 1999, when visual artist J. Menkynová was searching for an art blacksmith for her designs. Tomčala transforms his designs into brass and copper bowls, trays and plates. He also participates in the ÚĽUV events. He also was a first-time lecturer of the blacksmith course in the ÚĽUV School of crafts. Jozef Tomčala was awarded the master of folk art production title in the blacksmith trade in 2010.