Rasi: Foundations of Slovak Identity Were Laid by First Slovak National Council

Myjava, 19 September (TASR) - The first Slovak National Council (SNR) laid the foundations of Slovak identity, which we must preserve, House Speaker Richard Rasi (Voice-SD) told TASR at a commemorative event in Myjava (Trencin region) held on the occasion of the 177th anniversary of the setting up of SNR. "I'm here today because 19 September is an exceptionally important date not only for the Slovak parliament, but also for the entire Slovak nation," he said, adding that the town of Myjava should be seen as the cradle of parliamentarianism in Slovakia. "We must remember this place, where the only Museum of Slovak National Councils and the Anna Kolenyova Memorial House are located — the very place where the first Slovak National Council sat," he added. The first SNR was established in the revolutionary year of 1848 in Vienna, with Myjava becoming its first seat in Slovakia. Director of the museum Alena Petrakova told TASR that SNR was a political body that managed and organised the entire revolutionary movement. "The very first ideas and the first steps began in the Myjava area. In April 1848, Jozef Miloslav Hurban drafted the 'Demands of the Slovak Nation in Nitra County' at Anna Kolenyova's house," she said. However, as the demands weren't met in a peaceful manner, the decision to engage in an armed uprising was made in September 1948. "It was the Slovak National Council - its political leaders, military commanders and two secretaries - who were behind the entire process of organising three volunteer campaigns, which ended with the Summer Campaign of 1849," she added. jrg/df