Liberation80: Dozen War Graves in Jelsava, Looked After by Town

Jelsava/Bratislava, May 6 (TASR) - In the town of Jelsava, located in the Banska Bystrica region, nearly a dozen war graves from WW2 have been preserved to this day. These graves are situated in the older section of the local cemetery and regularly maintained by the municipality, according to Mayor Milan Kolesar, who spoke to TASR. There are over 40 war graves in the Jelsava cemetery, including nine from WW2. Among them are five military graves, one grave of an unknown soldier, and one of an unknown guerilla fighter. All of these are registered as local historical landmarks, and the municipality takes care of their upkeep. During WW2, Jelsava was part of the Kingdom of Hungary — Czechoslovakia was forced to cede this and other territories in southern Slovakia in 1938 due to the First Vienna Arbitration. As a result, both German and Hungarian troops were present in the town during the war. Jelsava was liberated in January 1945 by Romanian and Soviet forces. “The liberation of Jelsava began on January 13 and heavy fighting lasted for seven days. During the liberation, 30 civilians were killed and 12 were wounded,” said Karol Szabo, a city councilor, who also chairs the local branch of the Slovak Union of Anti-Fascist Fighters. He added that retreating German troops destroyed both the railway and road bridges in the town. A significant figure linked to Jelsava and the WW2 era was Ladislav Remete, a Lutheran pastor who served in the town starting in 1939. He supported the insurgents by providing vital intelligence on the movements of fascist forces and ongoing developments. However, his grave is not located in the local cemetery — he was arrested at the end of 1944 and later executed at the lime kiln in Nemecka. A memorial plaque in his honor has been installed in Jelsava’s Lutheran church. mf