Liberation80: Lecture on Ostry Grun and Klak Victims Exterminated by Nazis

Nova Bana, January 21 (TASR) - Pohronske Museum in Nova Bana (Banska Bystrica region) will hold a lecture on the events of the so-called Bloody Sunday of January 1945, when Nazi troops murdered 148 inhabitants of Ostry Grun and Klak villages and burned down both villages. The lecture, to be delivered by museum historian Katarina Stredakova, is slated for Thursday (January 23) at 5 p.m. "In 2025, we will commemorate several WW2-era events. One of those defying our understanding was the event of January 21, 1945, known as the Bloody Sunday," stated the museum, adding that the operation had been carried out by Abwehrgruppe 218 commando, in particular the anti-guerilla unit Edelweiss, responsible for many atrocities against both insurgents and civilians. The assault against Ostry Grun and Klak is considered the most brutal operation conducted by the unit. In the early hours of January 21, inhabitants of Ostry Grun were corralled into the courtyard of the Debnar House, where Nazis murdered 64 people, including 12 children and six elderly. The sanguinary atrocities continued in Klak, where 84 inhabitants were exterminated. "They were killing the people wherever they found them. In Upper Klak, they marched about 300 people out of their homes, lined them up at the open space before a school and chapel. Fortunately, the bloody rampaging was stopped by a message from Zarnovica," added the museum, pointing out that the victims of the Nazi murders are commemorated annually. mf/mcs