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SUMMARY OF THE
SUMMER ISSUE
Volume 10, No. 2, Summer
2002
Slovak
Heritage Live
A Newsletter of the
Slovak Heritage and Cultural Society of British Columbia
published four times a year
Summer issue was published in early
June 2002 and it was mailed to 1500 recipients world wide.
Spiš castle
FROM THE EDITOR
Looks
like this issue is on time. I sure hope that every one of you had Happy
Easter Season and is looking forward to great summer.
We have to remind everyone to please try to renew your membership
early or at least be on time with the renewals and if you can spare
anything over the membership amount, please do so. As we need the funds to
continue publishing. You can be assured that any amount does not matter
how ridiculously large it may be will be gladly accepted and used for
expenses associated with the production and delivery of the newsletter.
Early spring I have been to Slovakia for three weeks and you can read
about my trip on the following pages. And just about now as you reading
this latest issue I am on the way to Europe again. I am using my Frequent
Flyer Points through Air Canada. I am going all the way to Vienna, Austria
and then by car or bus to Bratislava. I will rent a car in Bratislava and
plan to spend the first Saturday in Vienna and I will visit one of the
festivals maybe in Myjava or Raslavice and then on June 25 I will be
traveling with folklore group Jánošík
from Svit to CYPRUS and TURKEY for three weeks. I will
return to Bratislava on July 14 or 15, rent a car again in Bratislava
for few days and on July 20 I will fly to London, England, Toronto
and Vancouver, Beautiful British Columbia. I will try to write my
travel report through the trip and immediately after arrival and include
it in the fall issue of our newsletter.
FROM THE MAIL BAG
Read the correspondence received from our members...
MY SPRING
2002 TRIP
TO SLOVAKIA
Today
is Sunday February 24. The weather in Vancouver is absolutely fantastic,
sunny, blue sky and cold just like in early spring. When I woke up I was
sorry that later on in the afternoon I would be leaving this paradise and
won’t be able to go skiing to Grouse Mountain a peak of Vancouver that
Mathew and I ski a lot during the season. Mathew has an early soccer game
and I am going to watch instead of going to the mountain. I won’t see
him for three weeks and I will miss lot of games. Their team lost 2:1, but
it was a great game. Today is also the gold medal game for hockey at the
2002 Olympic games in Salt Lake City and Team Canada has a chance to end
their 50-year Olympic Gold drought against USA. Well the game is a history
now and as I thought for and believed, CANADA
WON THE GOLD. I left for the airport about three minutes prior to the
end of the game and just as I was pulling out of driveway they scored the
5th goal, the game was safe. When it was over I was just stopped at an
intersection and many young people have run out of the stores with
Canadian flags, cheering and shouting and the horns were horning all over.
Maria and I, we both cried and that was the moment we realized once again
how proud Canadians we are. I guess the whole CANADA was cheering their GOLD
TEAM. And at the end the whole country was at stand still. I arrived
at the airport just one hour prior to departure, worrying that the flight
may be closed already as since last year after 9/11 they recommend that
you arrive for check in 3 hours prior to departure. There were no
line-ups, however the flight was almost sold out. I checked in with no
problems. While in the departure lounge I was able to watch the last
minutes of the game and also the awards ceremony and I cried again. Most
of the people in the lounge had their eyes glued to the TV monitors. It
was a great atmosphere. The flight as it is usual with LUFTHANSA,
THE GERMAN AIRLINE was great. We arrived in Frankfurt of course on
schedule. When I got to the luggage pick up area, my suitcases were
already on the conveyor belt. As they were the last suitcases to get on
and the first ones to be taken off the plane...
THE
SLOVAKS IN CANADA EXHIBIT – A DREAM COMES TRUE!
By Ondrej Miháľ
The
Slovak Cultural and Information Centre, even since its very
inception in 1995 had been trying finding the support and financial means
either here in Canada, or from Slovakia to create an exhibit. The dream
was that we could present an exhibit of the 120 year cultural, social and
political history of Slovaks in Canada to the peoples in the Slovak
Republic and, then also to the general public in both Canada and United
States. During the 5 years existence of the Centre, we were not able to
achieve this objective, mainly because of the changing political climate
in Slovakia. Money from Slovakia never materialized. Two years ago the
name of the Centre was changed to Slovak Canadian Cultural and Heritage
Centre and we redoubled our efforts to make this exhibit a reality. We
informed every organization in Canada and every minister and
parliamentarian in Slovakia that this exhibit is being realized and
solicited their support. We received from Slovakia a lot of moral support
from the politicians and were finally able to get financial assurance that
if the exhibit was created in Canada, the Ministry of Culture SR would
finance its presentation in Slovakia in Bratislava and other cities across
the Slovak Republic.
The road to making the exhibit a
reality has had all the traditional twists and turns of a major movie-both
positive, and sadly to say, negative. There has been intrigue, politics,
backstabbing, in fighting, hidden agendas, and now-a great ending! New
friendships have been made and some others have been frayed to the limit
in order to get this exhibit finished and ready for presentation on July
4, 2002...
G’DAY
FROM AUSTRALIA
Too
much has changed since I last wrote to SHL. I left
Slovakia, so I have thought I wouldn’t write to SHL again. I’m in
touch with Vladimir through the Internet. He also gave me much
support and courage when I came to Australia and felt lonely. Before he
left for Slovakia in February this year, he asked me, why don’t I
write an article about what has changed in my life. So I agreed...
I
always wanted to go to Australia, but there was always something more
important what I had to do, like finishing my studies at university in
Nitra, Slovakia. So after successful graduation in September 2000 I
left for Australia. There was nothing what could possibly stop me.
I
arrived into really excited atmosphere, just four days before the Olympic
games 2000 started. My uncle, with whom I stayed for the first three
months, got me a ticked for athletics. I’m not a big fun of this sport,
but I had a great opportunity to see the Olympic stadium and to feel and
enjoy this special atmosphere. After the Games of the XXVII Olympiad and
the Paraloympic Games, Sydney Olympic Park at Homebush Bay still creates
plenty of the Game’s atmosphere. And as Sydney’s major sporting venue,
with an increasing range of restaurants, bars and entertainment options,
it has plenty to offer year around. Olympic stadium was completed in 1999
and was configured to seat 110 000 people for the Opening and Closing
Ceremonies of the XXVVII Olympiad...
KEŽMAROK
CASTLE
The
territory of Kežmarok was settled as early as 10000 years ago on
Jerusalem and Michal’s
hills.
This is witnessed by the archaeological findings from the Stone Age, later
the Bronze und Iron Ages and the periods of the Roman Empire and the
migration of people. In the 6th century the Slavs came to the territory of
Spiš. In the 13th century the territory of the future city was encroached
upon by the German colonization wave.
Many
localities names found in written documents from second half of the 13th
century evidence presence of Slavs: Gala, Bystrica, Lubica, Lomnica, Bela,
Verbev, Ruskin, Vysoká
etc.
Kežmarok was formed from four settlements the
oldest being the Slovak settlement at the Church of St. Michael above
today’s
railway station.
Their inhabitants were fishermen and watchmen of the road next to river
Poprad.
Kežmarok
is first time mentioned as a town in 1269, when Hungarian King Belo
IV. Granted it city
rights and privileges. The town was situated near important business
routes from Orient to Northern Europe and this supported its fast
development. In
1380 it became a free royal city with several political and
economic privileges (the right of two annual fairs, the right of the
sword, the right to use coat of arms, etc.). These privileges up to that
day were confirmed also by king Zigmund in 1399 and in 1411 he added the
right of free fishing, in 1412 he gave freedom to the inhabitants and
buyers from paying duty. In 1417 freedom to use the forests...
THE
CORGOŇ
The
statute of Atlantis is known in Nitra under the name of Corgoň.
It stands in the middle of the old town at the corner of Vchodná and
Hradná streets. He is placed in the corner of a building, he has robust
body and in his hands above his shoulders he holds the first floor of the
building. The author of this work is Slovak sculptor Vavrinec Dunajský
from Lubietová and he finished his work in 1820.
One
may ask: who was this Corgoň really? To whom was given such a vivid
form? Corgoň was a blacksmith in Nitra’s
Upper Town. He had enormous strength and everybody that knew him admired
his arms muscles. When he hit the anvil with hammer the whole Upper Town
shook...
SLOVAK
FOLKLORE FESTIVALS
For FREE sample issue of
The Slovak Heritage Live Newsletter
please send in or email your postal address to:
Slovak Heritage and
Cultural Society
of British Columbia
3804 Yale Street
Burnaby, BC,
Canada, V5C 1P6
Phone/Fax:
1-604-291-8065
This limited time offer is good
only in North America
GO
TO SLOVAK HERITAGE LIVE MAIN PAGE
vlinder49@shaw.ca
Copyright © Vladimir Linder 2002
3804 Yale
Street, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada V5C 1P6
The above article and photographs may not be copied, reproduced,
republished, or redistributed by any means including electronic, without
the express written permission of Vladimir
Linder. All rights
reserved.
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