President: We Bring Life Back to Kaliste through Commemoration Events

Kaliste, August 15 (TASR) – More than 75 years ago, such a terrible tragedy happened in Kaliste (Banska Bystrica region) that life hasn’t returned here, however, with commemoration events on the site of this burnt down village, we bring life back to it, stated President Zuzana Caputova in a speech at an event called Meeting of Generations in Kaliste 2020.

“As long as we remember what happened here, as long as we remember why this tragedy happened, there will be memory and legacy of Kaliste and they will remain alive,” stressed the president in a speech that was read at the meeting by her advisor Marian Lesko.

The fact that the village has not been restored to its original state is an exclamation mark so that the people won’t forget and will confront evil in difficult times, said Prime Minister Igor Matovic (OLaNO) in his speech, noting that the people together should build Slovakia into “a beautiful country where no nation will ever rise above the other”.

Parliamentary Chair Boris Kollar (We Are Family) continued by saying that it’s impossible to count how many memories, plans and unfulfilled dreams were forever burnt to ashes together with the entire settlement. “We’re standing here today commemorating this heinous act which must never be repeated. Let’s not forget our history, historical memory. Let’s talk about it with humility, that we’ll never allow such atrocities again,” said Kollar.

Kaliste was burnt down on March 18, 1945. German units killed 39 people, including locals and sick and wounded partisans outside the village. Today, the village is a national cultural monument containing a memorial dedicated to the victims, a preserved chapel and two renovated houses.