Capsule with soil from Slovakian Kalište handed over to Khatyn

Belarus commemorates the victims of the village of Khatyn which were burned alive by the Nazis 82 years ago – on 22 March 1943.

Kalište is a former rural settlement in Banska Bystrica district of Slovakia, which was completely destroyed by the Nazis along with its inhabitants on 18 March 1945 and which was not restored after the Second World War. The tragedy is commemorated in the memorial complex with the same name, Irina Freistakova, a member of the Slovak delegation, told BelTA.

“For Slovaks, Kalište is as much a symbol of the tragedy of World War II as Khatyn is for Belarusians. Commemorative ceremonies and mourning events are held on the grounds of this complex. We honor the memory of the victims,” Irina Freistakova said.

According to her, it is very important to preserve the common memory today. “You can’t twist, rewrite history,” the guest from Slovakia noted. “We want to show by our actions, by our arrival in Belarus that not all of Europe has gone upside down. We want to support all those who honor the history. We are making every effort to prevent the rewriting of history. We bow our heads in memory of those who died for our peaceful sky”. 

“Our delegation brought soil from the places sacred in Slovakia, so that people know about the tragedy of our country, our burned settlements and dead people,” Irina Freistakova emphasized. “Slovakia knows and remembers the tragedy of the war. We keep the monuments tidy and do what we can. Although the situation in politics is difficult.”

She noted that last year she was in Minsk at the events in connection with the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Belarus from Nazi invaders, visited Khatyn. And then an idea came up to bring such capsules with soil from Slovakia. “Khatyn and Kalište shared an equally tragic fate. These are equally tragic and unforgettable chapters in the history of our two countries,” the member of the delegation said.

The Slovak delegation is set to give a capsule with soil taken from the grounds of the country’s largest war cemetery in Michalovce (Eastern Slovakia) to All Saints Memorial Church in Minsk.