Liberation80: SNP Museum Commemorates Anniversary of Attack on Kaliste

Banska Bystrica, March 22 (TASR) - The Slovak National Uprising (SNP) Museum in Banska Bystrica on Tuesday (March 18) commemorated the 80th anniversary of the attack on and burning of the village of Kaliste near Banska Bystrica by German troops during WWII. The commemorative event in the SNP Museum was held in the presence of representatives of the Defence Ministry, the Slovak armed forces, descendants of the inhabitants of Kaliste and dozens of representatives of Slovak towns and villages which were burnt during the war. On this occasion, the Defence Ministry presented awards to 15 prominent SNP figures, including, for example, General Ludvik Svoboda, on whose behalf his great-grandson received the award. Commemorative medals were also presented to dozens of burnt-out towns and villages. After the awards ceremony, the event continued with a short commemoration of the 80th anniversary of the attack on the village of Kaliste. "It was on March 18, 1945 that German troops raided the village, burnt 42 houses and murdered 14 inhabitants on the spot. This operation had more casualties afterwards. We know from German reports that during this attack the Germans killed 44 people and took another 80 prisoner," said SNP Museum head Marian Uhrin. Kaliste is the only Slovak village in which life never returned to normal after such an attack. The burning of towns and villages during the Second World War took place all over Slovakia. This took place during combat on the front but also due to anti-partisan activities carried out by German troops. "The third, smallest but most serious group consists of villages that were burnt as part of reprisals, when they were purposely eliminated, burnt and their inhabitants were murdered," added Uhrin. am/df