Liberation80: KVH Club in Spisske Bystre Identified Fallen WW2 Heroes

Spisske Bystre/Bratislava, April 17 (TASR) - History enthusiasts in the High Tatras region have been striving for several years to preserve the legacy of the WW2 for future generations, with one of the achievements of the Military History Club (KVH) in Spisske Bystre being the discovery of the names of two fallen soldiers buried in the area of Hranovnica village. According to its founder Jan Jurcik, the club was formed by individuals interested in WW2 and its messages about the horrors and consequences, who, at the same time, wanted to point out discrepancies presented by both experts and laypeople. The club currently has 24 members ranging in age from 22 to 80. The mentioned fallen soldiers were two young men – Alexander Holbik and Vojtech Hukel. Jurcik noted that they gave their lives heroically and selflessly while covering the retreat of a partisan unit from attacking German forces. "The place of their final rest was unknown. Through our work in cooperation with our historian Peter Roth, we discovered the identity of these heroes and built them a memorial. We also contacted their living descendants and family, who after 75 years of not knowing now have a place to lay wreaths at the graves of their loved ones," he explained. Jurcik pointed out that financing their activities is quite challenging, as membership fees only cover the basic functioning of the organization. If they want to do anything extra, such as repairing a memorial or organizing an exhibition, sponsorship contributions are necessary. Municipalities try to help, but given their limited budgets, it’s not easy either. "From our perspective, it would help if a subsidy system was created under the Ministry of Culture based on the size of the club or the projects being prepared, so we wouldn't have to fill out piles of paper applications," Jurcik remarked. He emphasized that preserving military history is just as important as preserving national or world history. He believes it is necessary not to allow the rewriting of historical events and to remember the evil that occurred during the WW2 and the number of victims it brought. mf