Slovakia now has its own Tomb of the Unknown Soldier as a central site of remembrance in honour of nameless heroes

Defence Minister Jaroslav Naď along with the most senior government, parliamentary and military leaders, officials of Bratislava City Council and Bratislava Old Town Borough Council, and members of the public attended the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier unveiling ceremony on Rázus Embankment in Bratislava today.

The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier has been created in Bratislava's city centre as a central site of protocol ceremonies and a focal point of reflection and remembrance, symbolising the ultimate patriotism and heroism of the Slovak Unknowns who have laid down their own lives in the struggle for freedom.

Addressing the gathered audience on this very special occasion, Defence Minister Jaroslav Naď said: “My thanks go to all – whether it be the Government Office, the Ministry of Finance, Bratislava City Council or especially the Institute of Military History and Bratislava Old Town Borough Council – thanks to whom we have joined other developed democracies for which such a central site of remembrance is a matter of course. There is no doubt that the fallen heroes and their deeds deserve never to be forgotten.”

The ceremony also featured the lighting of the tomb's eternal flame and the act of interment of the remains of an unidentified warrior from the 1st Czechoslovak Army Corps who fought and died in the Battle of the Dukla Pass in WW2. The remains found and excavated in 1997 have recently been moved from the Museum of Military History (MMH) Branch in Svidník, only to be laid to rest at this memorial site in Bratislava.

Mayor of the Bratislava Borough of Old Town Matej Vagač said: “Not only over this Christmas period, but all year round, the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier will remind us of all those whose final resting places remain unknown to us. At the same time, the Tomb is to join Bratislavaʼs other “exclamation marks” that stand as a warning against war – against the worst that may befall a democratic society. Today we know better than ever before that we must remember the painful moments of our past, since human memory is short.”

According to former Mayor of the Bratislava Borough of Old Town Zuzana Aufrichtová, recognising that the fallen heroes without names deserve our respect, we as a community have succeeded in agreeing on the idea of building a site of remembrance dedicated to them. ”Over the past year, the stretch of the embankment adjacent to Bratislavaʼs iconic Propeller Building has been redesigned to allow for the installation of the new sculpture artwork by Marek Kvetán. Thanks to this, Bratislavaʼs public spaces have gained a contemporary – present-day rendition of the theme which at the time when the design contest was announced may not have been so close to being existentialist, yet today it has evolved into actual and authentic respect for those fallen in the battle for freedom,” Zuzana Aufrichtová said.

The memorial is based on the winning design from the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier Design Contest, which produced 24 concept designs by artists from Slovakia, Czechia and Moravia. The memorial has the shape of a levitating circle, symbolising a shield falling or leaning onto the ground, complemented by the motif of eternal flame – a ray of light at night. The author of this sculpture artwork is sculptor Marek Kvetán.