Minister J. Naď attends Czechoslovak Legionaries Memorial unveiling ceremony in Badín
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- Date: 22.06.2021
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Defence Minister Jaroslav Naď attended the Czechoslovak Legionaries Memorial unveiling ceremony in Badín today (22 June 2021). The memorial is a faithful replica of the 1935 memorial dedicated to the legionaries fallen in the Battle of Slovakia against the Hungarian Red Army in 1919. The memorial was damaged during the wartime Slovak State before being completely removed by Communist officials.
Defence Minister Jaroslav Naď said: “The memorial is installed at a site where Czechoslovak legionaries were involved in fighting 102 years ago. Thanks to their courage and determination, the advance of the Hungarian Bolshevik troops was halted. The injustices of the past and the heroes who stood up in arms to defend their country must never be forgotten, not to mention the destiny of the memorial during the totalitarian regime.”
The head of the MOD expressed his appreciation for the Mayor of Badín's initiative, supported by the SVK Ministry of Interior and the CZE Ministry of Defence with the latter officially representing the former Czechoslovak Legion, and the consultations with the Institute of Military History. “Our thanks go out to all those who have contributed to restoring this memorial, including to the memorial designers and, last but not least, to local residents thanks to whom the story of this monument remains alive in living memory and thanks to whom we can unveil the memorial after its restoration today,” he emphasised.
The memorial commemorates a key 1919 military operation commanded by Gen Josef Šnejdárek who along with Gen M.R. Štefánik played a crucial role in building the Czechoslovak Legion in France. Just as with the original 1935 memorial designed by Horn, a Banská Bystrica-based company, the restored memorial integrates a Christian double cross and five squares with the names of the Czechoslovak regiments and battalions that were engaged in fighting at Badín.
Defence Minister Jaroslav Naď said: “The memorial is installed at a site where Czechoslovak legionaries were involved in fighting 102 years ago. Thanks to their courage and determination, the advance of the Hungarian Bolshevik troops was halted. The injustices of the past and the heroes who stood up in arms to defend their country must never be forgotten, not to mention the destiny of the memorial during the totalitarian regime.”
The head of the MOD expressed his appreciation for the Mayor of Badín's initiative, supported by the SVK Ministry of Interior and the CZE Ministry of Defence with the latter officially representing the former Czechoslovak Legion, and the consultations with the Institute of Military History. “Our thanks go out to all those who have contributed to restoring this memorial, including to the memorial designers and, last but not least, to local residents thanks to whom the story of this monument remains alive in living memory and thanks to whom we can unveil the memorial after its restoration today,” he emphasised.
The memorial commemorates a key 1919 military operation commanded by Gen Josef Šnejdárek who along with Gen M.R. Štefánik played a crucial role in building the Czechoslovak Legion in France. Just as with the original 1935 memorial designed by Horn, a Banská Bystrica-based company, the restored memorial integrates a Christian double cross and five squares with the names of the Czechoslovak regiments and battalions that were engaged in fighting at Badín.
