|
MY SUMMER
1997 TRIP TO SLOVAKIA
PART TWO
Friday I rushed to Czech republic for
an evening at Straznice festival and met many friends there. Same evening
I transferred to Eastern Slovakia as Saturday my Vancouver friend Janko
Hruska was getting married in village called Oreske near Humenne. I was
the last guest arriving just prior to the prepossession to the church. I
was really glad that I made it, as Janko Hruska is a good friend of mine.
The wedding was just fantastic and we were dancing till the wee hours of
morning. In the morning without any sleep I transferred to upper Hron
region to attend the festival of Upper Hron at Helpa.
This was fantastic and I didn't really feel tired. Here I met my Canadian
friend from Toronto, Ondro Mihal, who was also taking lots of pictures and
videotaping. On the way from the festival I made a stop at a salas in Lucatin
to visit my friend the Baca. I had some real good cold zincica and
photographed his Cuvac dogs for the next issue.
Monday I went to do some more research
and to visit my friend the Salesian
order priest Father Vit Usak. It was a memorable visit as I
discovered direct link between him and my client. I stopped at Sasovsky
castle and climbed it. The views are just spectacular and the castle is
beautiful.
Tuesday I met our reporter Claudia Veghova
in Prievidza and we went to eastern part of Slovakia to do a research in
Chorvaty a tiny village located almost at the Hungarian border. Well it
turned out to be another 100 % genealogical hit, as we were able to find
my client's first cousin. I went with Claudia back to Komarno and next
morning I went to Hungary, Ostrihom which was the seat of Archbishop for
many years prior to the Turkish Invasion. At which time the archbishop’s
offices moved to Trnava in today's Slovakia. In the Christian museum I
discovered Monstrance, gold glass, altars and Easter grave carved out of
wood from Hronsky Benadik and also Possonyi Madonna-Bratislava's virgin
Mary from the Dome The St. Martin's Cathedral in Bratislava.
Wednesday I visited Viglas castle near
Zvolenska Slatina, Dobra Niva, Castle Modry Kamen, Bzovik and Zvolen.
Here I stayed for the Banska Bystrica's opera performance of Verdi's
Nabucco, performed in the castle's courtyard.
Friday July 3rd, I went to Vychodna.
This year has marked my 10th anniversary of coming to Vychodna festival. I
have been to every festival since 1987 with the exemption of 1995. I was
an official guest of the festival, since 50 of my pictures that I donated
to the organizing committee were published in the program. This was a
great honor for me. The weather wasn't the greatest, but Friday's program
of SLUK called Hara Vara went on without any rain. Hara Vara was the last
musical creation of my friend late Svetozar Stracina. The program got
mixed reviews by the critics some positive some not so positive. Well, all
I can tell you it was different, however very professionally done in every
detail. I did like it as a performance. Saturday morning started in the
Lutheran church with spiritual folk songs by performers from Strba,
Terchova, Liptovske Sliace and Telgart. Following this program there was a
tribute to the late composer Svetozar Stracina in the Catholic Church.
Soon after it started to rain and several performances including the
annual procession of all folk groups' participants were cancelled. Towards
evening the weather has improved enough for the program called "From
the best." These were performances of the folk dance groups from many
regions of Slovakia that won recognition at the all state competition of
folk dance groups held in Povazska Bystrica. Performing were Zeleziar
from Kosice, Druzba from Trencin, Vranovcan
from Vranov nad Toplou, Povazan from Povazska Bystrica, Marina
from Zvolen and Kopaniciar from Myjava. Sunday morning as every year there
was a program of the guests from Italy, USA, Portugal North Setin
republic, and Yugoslavia. Of course my favorite was the USA group from
Provo, American Folk Dance Ensemble Brigham Young University. The audience
couldn't get enough of them; they were just fantastic in every way. Early
afternoon belonged to groups from Czech Republic in the program called
"Neighbors." Moravian groups from Velka nad Velickou, Mikulov,
Rokycany and Czech group from Prague were performing. My friend Cyril Zalesak
directed the final program of the festival called "From Tatras to
Danube." This was very pretentious program as groups from pretty well
whole Slovakia were performing. And soon the 43rd year of Vychodna has
come to an end. Reception followed in the evening for invited guests at
hotel Hybe near by. Here the organizers and guests said last good byes and
we all look forward to Vychodna 1998.
Immediately after the reception I
headed to Eastern Slovakia as I had more research to do and didn't want to
leave it hanging above my head for later date. I traveled until I got a
bit sleepy, so at 2:30 in the morning I arrived at Hotel Saris in Presov.
It was really bad, smelly, dirty, and expensive to add insult to injury. I
will never ever stay in this hotel again. They should just close it down
or pay the guest a fee for staying there.
In the morning I went to Breznicka
found family of my client and followed to Vydran and Cabalovce where I was
successful again in finding missing family for another client.
Few years ago I did photographed all
the wooden churches in Eastern Slovakia and I wanted to improve the
pictures with help of two flashes and umbrellas so I went to the wooden
churches again and photographed Mirola, Prikra, Ulicske Krive, Rusky Potok,
Topola, Kalna Roztoka, Hrabova Roztoka, Ruska Bystra, Inovce, Bodruzal,
Krajne Cierno, Semetkovce, and Jedlinka.
Few days later after finishing the
Churches, I traveled to Martin to visit open-air museum of Orava's village
in Jahodnicke Haje near Martin. I did visit this skanzen in 1989 and
remember how it looked then and now it was even more beautiful and larger
with many added projects finished. Just a pleasant and relaxing visit.
From here I traveled to Strecno
castle high above the river Vah and to Teplicka nad Vahom to see the
naturally mummified body of Zofia Bosnakova.
Friday early afternoon it was time to
go to the 32nd Folklore Celebrations under Polana-Detva.
Dana has report on following pages. I would like to mention few programs
and they are The School of Prof. Nosal, program for his life's
achievements in the area of choreography by his former students. The other
is being at the celebration at the Detva's city hall where Prof. Stefan
Nosal received honorary citizenship of Detva.
Sunday evening I went to Eastern
Slovakia again as I had some filming job at Vinne castle and surrounding
area. Finished late afternoon and went to Snina my favorite hotel located
at Snina's lakes, Hotel Kamei. Just fantastic as before. The rooms are
clean spacious, the service in the restaurant is superb, it couldn’t be
better, and so is the food all well worth the money.
Monday I went all the way almost to the
Ukrainian border to village called Nova Sedlica as the wooden church in
Humenne skanzen is from this village. Funny thing has happened to me when
looking for the skanzen. For some strange reason I thought that it was
located in Michalovce and I did look for it for about 1/2 hour before
realizing that the skanzen isn't in Michalovce at all but it is in
Humenné.
I guess I am getting old. Perhaps I was just getting tired from all this traveling, and I was. Well I made it to the skanzen 1/2 hour before
closing that was enough. You see they close the gates to public hour
before closing and leave you browsing freely for another hour. I got
permission to photograph the church inside and I was happy. This skanzen
is small and very well designed and in an hour you walk through centuries
of village's traditions and you don't feel like walking a marathon. I will
return to this skanzen in some future issue. From here I went to Svidnik,
where I usually stay in Hotel Rubin, reasonably priced, new, nice and
clean but I have something to say about the service in the restaurant. The
food by the way is excellent, but the service? The girls speak only Slovak
and have no clue about basics when I told them in Slovak that I would like
to see the menu instead of Jedalny listok, I was looked at as if I was an
alien from another planet. This is I feel elementary basics of service.
Also about 1/2 hour prior to closing in the evening these servers are
promenading through the restaurant as if they were blind and deaf as they
don’t want any unexpected rush of service prior to closing. I refused to
pay my bill and asked to see the manager, well he never showed up but I
got served the beer I wanted. The problem in Svidnik is that this hotel
simply doesn’t have any competition so what you see is what you get and
if you don’t like it you have no place to go. So I guess that is why
they have attitude such as this.
The next days I spent in Western
Slovakia with my Godson at their summer home in Bure. Few days later I
went visit my friend the Salesian order priest Father Vit Usak in Hronsky
Benadik to continue research connected to Katlovce that I started at the
beginning of my trip. Yes Father Usak and my client are family and his
father was my client’s father’s brother. Few days later I went to folk
festival in Liptovska
Teplicka, report is on following pages.
Following week I spent visiting ruins
of castles in all parts of Slovakia. I visited a total of 23 castles and
they will be featured in the latest movie "Journeying
Through Slovakia 1997" to be released in few weeks. The
final festival on my two months journey was Koliesko at Kokava nad
Rimavicou. I was really impressed with performance of Folk dance group
Javorcek whose dancers all are mentally and physically challenged. They
were performing with folk dance group Bezanka and that was truly
unforgettable performance with everybody in the audience cheering them on.
Here I was a guest of my friend and the director of Vychodna festival,
choreographer Pavol Butor. We all had a blast at his parent’s house.
Sunday early morning I traveled to photograph near by Churches in Rimavske
Brezovo, Kraskovao, Driecany, Male Teriakovce and Rimavska Bana. Saturday
afternoon belonged to folk dance groups of Kokava and surrounding areas
and the evening to the people of Upper Hron and that as usual did hit my
soft spot, as I love the folk traditions, dances and songs of Horehron
region. Late that night I traveled to Bratislava. Next day I packed said
good bye to my friends and at midnight I went to Munich. And my two months
in Slovakia have come to an end. I logged over 18000 Km during this trip.
I am sure I will return soon.
GO
BACK TO TRAVEL
Published in the Slovak
Heritage Live newsletter Volume 5, No. 3, Fall
1997
Copyright © Vladimir Linder 1997
3804 Yale
Street, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada V5C 1P6
The above article may not be copied,
reproduced, republished, or redistributed by any means including electronic,
without the express written permission of Vladimir
Linder. All rights
reserved.
|