Slovak Roots: knowing where you are going
Learn about a Facebook group that became a Slovak-American phenomenon.
Welcome back Slovak Roots fans!
This is the latest edition of our Slovak Roots newsletter, dedicated to the community of people with ties to Slovakia.
In this instalment, you can look forward to exploring the Myjava region of western Slovakia, "where small farms are nestled among undulating hills, and a deep-rooted tradition of distillation thrives," our colleague Jozef Ryník wrote to describe his travels there.
We have created a map of the districts visited during this series, carefully marking every cemetery to make finding ancestors easier for those who seek to learn about them.
In addition, you'll learn about the Slovak diplomat who fought tooth and nail for every square metre of Czechoslovakia, as well as the story of Slovak-American Michael John Meehan, a descendant of Slovak emigrants.
Discover the Myjava region
Voted the greatest Slovak in history, Milan Rastislav Štefánik's name still resonates beyond the borders of the country. He was both a French general and Minister of War for Czechoslovakia at the same time, among other things. The burial mound on the hill Bradlo, above the town of Brezová pod Bradlom, is his final resting place. He is featured on a variety of souvenirs that can be bought there.
However, the Myjava region also bears the heritage of the Haban people, a group of Protestant Anabaptists who settled in Sobotište in the 16th century. Known for their strict faith, distinctive clothing, communal farming, and ceramic production, their legacy lives on in a museum located in a former water mill which was visited even by descendants of Habans from Canada.
Find out more about what life looks like in the Myjava 'kopanice', a collection of scattered settlements in the hills, as well as in small towns in a new instalment of Jozef Ryník's travels across regions of Slovakia. In addition, he provides travel tips on what to see and visit.
The Zemans own levander farm in the village of Poriadie in Myjava region. (Source: archív: Violet Hill)Reconnecting with the past
For foreigners looking to learn about their Slovak roots, finding the burial site of their ancestors is meaningful for many of them.
To help those who seek to find where they come from, we have created maps of the districts we visited during this series, with every cemetery carefully marked. The list of maps will be gradually expanded. So far, we have covered most of eastern Slovakia and one in western Slovakia.
A group that became a phenomenon
When Michael John Meehan moved from western Pennsylvania to Philadelphia, he found he missed the Slovak traditions of his upbringing. He spent his childhood in a place where ethnicity was important to community life.
In early 2010s, this spurred him to start an online community that would help other like-minded people reconnect with their ancestral heritage. He doubted this would gain much traction; but to his surprise, the group gradually grew into a community of nearly 23,000 members.
Meehan himself has a collection of old pictures and hopes that someone will be able to help him identify some of the family members.
One of Meehan's photos, shared with The Slovak Spectator, features his great-aunts, Bernadette and Mary, and people named Jan (XY's husband) and Halka. (Source: Archive of M. M.)Fighting for his country
The United Nations Museum Geneva holds only a few portraits of figures who made an impact on the organisation's predecessor, the League of Nations. Among them is Slovak Štefan Osuský, one of the most prominent diplomats of the fledgling Czechoslovakia in the early 20th century. His path to this exalted position was a long and unlikely one.
From leaving his homeland because he was forbidden to study, to climbing up the diplomatic ladder and being able to influence then US president Woodrow Wilson's decision, Osuský not only not only did everything he could to help his country, he was also a proponent of a united Europe.
A selection of feature stories published by The Slovak Spectator that we recommend reading:
- Today, corruption is considered one of the factors pushing Slovaks to leave their homeland; 135 years ago, it facilitated their widespread departure. A scandal exposing the dark side of emigration rocked Austria-Hungary in 1889.
- John Palka, a retired Professor of Biology, is a first-generation immigrant to the United States. His parents and he were driven out from home twice for political reasons.
- While its neighbouring countries have already had one or more big video game hits, Slovakia cannot say the same. The small Bratislava-based developers Team Vivat are hoping that their game in the vein of the (in)famous Grand Theft Auto series could change that.
- The French were among the most numerous nationalities involved in the Slovak National Uprising. Despite a lack of equipment and only brief training, the French fought several difficult battles, during which they managed to slow the advance of German forces.
- Now regarded as one of the most disastrous missions in the history of American military intelligence during World War II, the Dawes Mission in 1944 sought to support the Slovak National Uprising but ended in tragedy.
- A 2,000-kilometre land journey from from the quaint coastal Irish village of Ballyheigue to Bratislava in Slovakia opened this Irishman's eyes.
Would you like to share your story with us? Did you enjoy the newsletter? I would love to hear your thoughts, questions and feedback: matus.beno@spectator.sk or spectator@spectator.sk.
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