Anniversary of the Memorandum of the Slovak Nation 2023: Facts, Dates and History

The Anniversary of the Memorandum of the Slovak Nation is observed annually on June 7 to commemorate the proposal of the Slovakian Memorandum in 1861. On this date more than a century ago, one of the most significant events in Slovakia’s political history occurred. The Memorandum demanded a separate administrative territory governed solely by and for Slovaks, where Slovak would be the official language of communication in all spheres of public life. This was the most significant emancipation effort by the Slovak public.

HISTORY OF THE MEMORANDUM OF THE SLOVAK NATION’S ANNIVERSARY

The earliest national movements in Slovakia trace back to the 1840s, when the country was still a monarchy. The neo-absolutist regime’s restrictions on political and public activity prompted the majority of public leaders to launch a movement to defend their national rights. The situation was further exacerbated by the Hungarian Empire’s complete disregard for the requirements and interests of non-Magyar nations. Slovakia was among these countries.

This ignorance resulted in the creation of the Memorandum by the Slovak National Assembly. The document outlined conditions and fundamental legal and political requirements. However, the endeavour yielded little fruit as the ruling party attempted to silence their voices by banning their cultural association, Matica Slovenská, and the Slovak Gymnazia, two of the largest institutions that taught in Slovak. With the collapse of these institutions, the Slovaks realised they could no longer remain passive. In 1871, they established the Slovak National Party, and in 1884, they adopted a strategy of electoral passivity to protest the electoral system and national policies that did not favour Slovaks.

This struggle continued until 1918, when Slovakia and the Czech Republic united to form a single state. However, even this union resulted in numerous regional conflicts. The Czecho-Slovak Federative Republic was dissolved in 1992, and Slovakia became an independent, sovereign nation in 1993.

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5 INTERESTING FACTS YOU DIDN’T KNOW ABOUT SLOVAKIA

A capital with dual frontiers

Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia, is the only capital city in the world to share borders with two countries: Austria and Hungary.

Country of palaces

Slovakia is the ideal destination for those who enjoy fairy tales about monarchs and queens, as it contains the greatest number of chateaux in the world.