SNP80: Monument in Vrchtepla Dedicated to Partisans who Fell Near Village
The Slovak National Uprising (SNP) Monument above the village of Vrchtepla in the district of Povazska Bystrica is dedicated to the memory of those who fell in guerilla warfare near the village in February and March 1945, Povazska Bystrica local historian Milan Belas has told TASR.
Vrchtepla, August 5 (TASR) - The Slovak National Uprising (SNP) Monument above the village of Vrchtepla in the district of Povazska Bystrica (Trencin region) is dedicated to the memory of those who fell in guerilla warfare near the village in February and March 1945, Povazska Bystrica local historian Milan Belas has told TASR, adding that the monument was the site of ostentatious SNP celebrations until the Velvet Revolution.
"A partisan group led by Soviet army major Pavel Zazulov operated in Vrchtepla as of 1943. The houses in the village served as their dwellings, from where they carried out attacks on fascists in the vicinity of Povazska Bystrica, but also in the Rajecka Dolina valley. Several partisans and their commander were killed during a firefight on February 6, while more partisans fell on March 14," said Belas.
Following the liberation, a mass funeral for all the partisans who perished in those battles was held in Vrchtepla on June 6, 1945. They were buried on Horka hill above the village centre, and a memorial to those who fell during the SNP was built there in 1949. The socialist regime in 1978 decided that a more dignified-looking monument was needed, and the monument in its current form was built based on a proposal of architect Gabriela Cimmermannova, sculptor Stanislav Biros and painter Pavel Manka.
The monument consists of a reinforced concrete platform measuring 11 x 20 metres. There are two separate, quarter-circle, more than 10-metre high pylons made of cast reinforced concrete southeast of the village. They are connected by a white metal star in the upper part.
"The SNP monument was the scene of grand celebrations under the former regime. They were attended not only by people from Povazska Bystrica, but also from further afield, pupils and even SNP participants themselves. Following the Velvet Revolution, the pomp has faded away, it was slowly forgotten, and the celebrations became more and more modest. However, even today people gather at the monument every year at the time of the SNP celebrations and pay tribute to the fallen partisans," stated Belas.
