istropolitan.skThe First Decade of the Fraternity Istropolitan
On 16 November 1989, after long decades, students and academics took to the streets of Bratislava once again. They set out to fight for their fundamental student rights. From this small seed grew a powerful student movement, with whose help society as a whole succeeded in bringing communist rule to its knees. This marked the beginning of a colourful spectrum of youth movements in Slovakia. Organisations emerged at the political, social, cultural, special-interest and professional levels. Numerous organisations with different areas of activity also formed within the ranks of active Christian youth. Among the largest are the socio-political organisation Christian Democratic Youth of Slovakia (Kresťanskodemokratická mládež Slovenska, KDMS) and the socio-ecclesial organisation Movement of Christian Youth Communities (Hnutie kresťanských spoločenstiev mládeže).
First Contacts
It was precisely the representatives from the ranks of the KDMS, Feri and Hannes, who became acquainted with the activities of the EKV at a presentation in Bratislava in 1992. The political science student Rasty became acquainted with the ÖCV at an event of the Lake Constance Youth Councils in Salzburg, where Andreas Ecker (Danubia) presented the fraternity system. Andreas thereupon invited, on behalf of the ÖCV, several students from Bratislava to a Central European seminar in Bled, Slovenia (April 1993). At this seminar the first contacts were made for the future activity of a fraternity in Slovakia. In May 1993 the above-mentioned fellow students were invited to the festive assembly of the ÖCV and the EKV in the Hofburg in Vienna. At this celebration and on the following day, the first meetings took place with the representatives of K.a.V. Bajuvaria, Marcus Van, Philip Van and Marcus Minar, who offered the future fraternity in Bratislava a helping hand. As early as the summer semester of 1993, a small group of students and academics met in Bratislava in the CD Club of the KDMS (a club of the young Slovak intelligentsia). The persons mentioned were joined by a further committed candidate, Siegfried, who brought with him two years of experience from the life of the couleur-wearing student fraternity CLUB EUNOMIA in Vienna.
Foundation of the Fraternity
The students and academics mentioned were joined by further interested persons, and thus on 2 July 1993, on the premises of the CD Club, the first Slovak Catholic Academic Fraternity (SKAS) ISTROPOLITAN (Slovenský katolícky akademický spolok ISTROPOLITAN) came into being. Translated from Greek, the name of the fraternity means “city on the Danube”; this was also the name of the first university on the territory of Slovakia, the ACADEMIA ISTROPOLITANA (1465). By its nature, the fraternity seeks to draw on the traditions of this medieval university and to build on the traditions of the Slovak student body of the second half of the 19th century. Through its activities it also follows on from the work of the associations of the Centre of Slovak Catholic Students (ÚSKŠ) from the first half of the 20th century. The founding members of SKAS ISTROPOLITAN aligned the fraternity in its essential features with the principles of the Catholic student cartel associations in Austria and Germany.
Festive Assembly
After the fraternity’s first holidays, preparations for the solemn act of foundation began in cooperation with K.a.V. Bajuvaria. On 15 October 1993, following a bilingual Holy Mass in the Jesuit Church, the fraternity was solemnly founded at an assembly in the Concert Hall of the Poor Clares. The ceremony was attended by the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the European Cartel Association and Federal Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Austria, Dr. Alois Mock, the Ambassador of the Republic of Austria to the Slovak Republic, Dr. Maximilian Pammer, the Rector of Comenius University, Prof. Dr. Juraj Švec, the Vice-Rector of the University of Vienna, Univ.-Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. Karl Rudolf Wernhart, and the Dean of the Faculty of Law of Comenius University, Prof. JUDr. Peter Blaho. Rastislav Pavlík v. Rasty and Hannes spoke on behalf of the founding committee of SKAS ISTROPOLITAN, and its then Senior, Andreas Tarbuk, spoke on behalf of the partner fraternity K.a.V. Bajuvaria. The festive assembly concluded with a reception given by the Ambassador of the Republic of Austria to the Slovak Republic.
Commencement of Activities
By mutual agreement, the members of the fraternity began to meet regularly once a week in the CD Club. We devoted the first gatherings of our fraternity to discussions about the activities of the fraternity itself. Further meetings were attended by the Ambassador of the Republic of Austria, Dr. Maximilian Pammer, and by the first spiritual father of our fraternity, Father Bernard Mišovič SJ. On 12 and 13 February the first event of SKAS Istropolitan took place for fraternities from the ÖCV, the fraternity Oeno-Danubia from Passau and the fraternity Danubia from Budapest. It acquainted the participants with the history of the student body in Slovakia. On the second day the event concluded with a Holy Mass and a guided tour of the Old Town of Bratislava. The members of the fraternity in turn subsequently took part in events organised by the ÖCV in Vienna (seminar “Balance of Europe”, November 1993), by the ÖCV at Seggau Castle near Graz (17.12.–19.12.1993), by the fraternity Danubia in Budapest (29.4.–1.5.1994), by the ÖCV in Vienna (12.–15.1994) and by the EKV in Prague (1.6.–3.6.1994). Our contacts abroad were directed not only towards our western and southern neighbours, but also towards the east. In April the chairman of the preparatory committee, Rasty, signed an agreement on provisional cooperation with the Senior of ZAPOŽE. The ÖCV representatives Helmut Puchebner and Walter Maria Stojan, who were incorporated into the fraternity as honorary members, also helped with these visits and with the building up of the fraternity. At the end of the summer semester of 1994 the so-called working Convents of the fraternity took place, at which the future of Istropolitan was deliberated.
Admission to the EKV
On the basis of the fraternity’s activities and its contacts abroad, the fraternity ISTROPOLITAN was offered membership in the Curia of Free Fraternities of the European Cartel Association of Christian Student Associations (EKV), which at that time united 660 fraternities from 120 regions in 12 countries of Europe. On 1 October 1994 the fraternity was admitted to the EKV in Vaduz, Liechtenstein. It was the fraternity’s first successful step on the international stage.
Consolidation of the Fraternity
On the occasion of the 1st anniversary of the foundation of the fraternity, a festive Convent, the 1st Foundation Festival (Stiftungsfest) and a discussion forum on Central Europe took place on 15 and 16 October 1994 in Bratislava in the restaurant “Pod Machnáčom”. This marked the beginning of the first regular semester with the programme of the winter semester 1994/95. At the Convent the first statutes of the fraternity were adopted. From 29.10. to 1.11.1994 members of the fraternity took part in a trip through Slovakia by the secondary-school fraternity FRANKONIA (Banská Štiavnica, Levoča, Žilina, Bratislava and Gabčíkovo). The trip reached its climax in a joint Kneipe of Frankonia and Istropolitan in the Bakchus. The fraternity brothers met regularly on Wednesdays for lectures at the Slovak Catholic Charity (Slovenská katolícka charita, SKCh) as well as at further joint events such as the Frankonia Ball (19.11.1994), the 75th Foundation Festival of Frankonia (26.11.1994), the Christmas Kommers of Bajuvaria (16.12.1994), the seminar “Balance of Europe” (20.–22.1.1995) and the Bajuvaria Ball (25.2.1995). The summer semester began with a presentation of the fraternity ISTROPOLITAN in Košice, for which fraternity brother Arvay deserves credit. The event was attended by Ambassador M. Pammer and the Senior of Istropolitan, Rasty. The fraternity’s own semester programme began with a Holy Mass in the Chapel of St Catherine and the second Convent at the Slovak Catholic Charity. The highlight of the semester was the seminar “Together in Europe” on Slovak–Hungarian relations in Esztergom (24.–26.3.1995), attended as guests by the State Secretary of the Hungarian Prime Minister, Csaba Tabajdi, the spokesman of the Slovak Ministry of Foreign Affairs, fraternity brother Juraj Matejovský, the Chairman of the Hungarian Christian Democratic Movement (MKDH), Béla Bugár, and the Slovak historians I. Mrva, D. Škvarna and R. Letz. We organised the seminar together with the Hungarian cartel association KEDEX. A special experience for the fraternity brothers was the joint Slovak–Hungarian “Kneipe”. The high point of the semester was the 75th Foundation Festival of our partner fraternity Bajuvaria (14.–17.6.1995).
Foundation of Carpathia and Cassovia
On 27 May 1995, on the initiative of the fraternity ISTROPOLITAN and the secondary-school fraternity FRANKONIA from Vienna, and thanks to the commitment of fraternity brothers Maximilian Pammer junior and Svorad Trnovec v. Ludwig, the Slovak Catholic Secondary-School Fraternity CARPATHIA was founded. The foundation of Carpathia was preceded by a founding Convent at the SKCh and a Holy Mass in the Ursuline Church. The solemn act of foundation took place in the Zichy Palace in Bratislava. The guests at this celebration were the Ambassador of Austria to the Slovak Republic, Dr. M. Pammer, and the Members of the National Council of the Slovak Republic (NR SR) Ing. M. Dzurinda and Dr. J. Čarnogurský. CARPATHIA set itself the goal of spreading the ideas of ISTROPOLITAN in secondary schools.
A further success of the fraternity brothers of Istropolitan and of the Austrian Catholic fraternity ALPENLAND from Vienna was the foundation of SKAS CASSOVIA in Košice. The ceremony on 7.10.1995 began with a Holy Mass in St Elisabeth’s Cathedral, celebrated by Bishop Alojz Tkáč. The ceremony itself took place in the Aula of Pavol Jozef Šafárik University in Košice. The festive reception was held in the Catholic House.
Further Programme of the Fraternity
The winter semester 1995/96 began with the publication of the fraternity’s 1st semester programme. Our visit to the festive Kommers in Linz (20.–22.10.1995) contributed to deepening our knowledge of the student traditions of the fraternities in the ÖCV. Fraternity life continued with regular lectures (e.g. by the representative of the IRI in Slovakia, Lindsay Lloyd, and by Father Aurel Štefko SJ), Kneipen and Convents. On 28.10.1995 we celebrated the 2nd anniversary of the foundation with a festive Convent, a Holy Mass and a festive dinner. The fraternity took an active part in the celebrations of the 20th anniversary of the foundation of the EKV in Salzburg. Likewise, the fraternity contributed significantly to the 21st Cartel Assembly. In the pre-Christmas period the family of fraternity brother Ambassador Dr. Pammer invited us to an Advent evening (15.12.1995). At the beginning of 1996 the fraternity brothers took part in a further seminar of the series “Balance of Europe III” (1.–3.3.1996).
Foundation of the Centre
The Catholic student movement has a rich tradition in Slovakia. Above all in the thirties of this century, several associations uniting the young Catholic intelligentsia were active in Slovakia. The then Centre of Slovak Catholic Students (ÚSKŠ) became the umbrella organisation for the cooperation of these associations. The seizure of power by the communist regime interrupted the activities of the ÚSKŠ for long decades, and of the glorious past there remained only the memories of former members and sympathisers.
In 1996 the Slovak Catholic student fraternities Istropolitan, Cassovia and Carpathia decided to take up this tradition. The foundation of the ÚSKŠ became the expression of the endeavour to strengthen cooperation in deepening and promoting Christian values among Slovak youth and students. On Friday, 14 June 1996, a festive reception took place in the Primate’s Palace, at which H.E. Maximilian Pammer v. Roland, Ambassador of the Republic of Austria to Slovakia, and Peter Kresánek, Lord Mayor of the City of Bratislava, gave words of welcome. Our cartel brother the Prince of Liechtenstein also attended the reception. On the following day a festive Kommers took place in the Bratislava Reduta. It was attended by numerous prominent figures of public life, such as the then Deputy Speaker of the National Council of the Slovak Republic, Augustín Marián Húska, the Members of the National Council Ján Čarnogurský, Ladislav Pittner, Ján Cuper and many others. Last but not least, Dr. Sýkora conveyed to this Kommers the greetings of the former ÚSKŠ.
The Fraternity in the Years 1996–1998
At the beginning of October 1996 a delegation of SKAS Istropolitan took part in the Cartel Assembly of the EKV in Budapest. The election of fraternity brother Hannes to the Presidium of the EKV, as the first representative of a fraternity from a country of the former Eastern Bloc, is to be regarded as a great success for our fraternity.
On 30.10.1996, on the occasion of the 3rd anniversary of the foundation, a joint Convent of SKAS Istropolitan took place; the subsequent celebration was honoured by the presence of the Member of the National Council Ing. Mikuláš Dzurinda CSc., who also addressed words of greeting to those assembled. During this period the irregularly published newsletter ISTROPOLITAN – Information Bulletin began to appear.
In the period before Advent, as in previous years, we accepted the invitation of the honorary member of our fraternity, fraternity brother H.E. Maximilian Pammer v. Roland, to an Advent evening on the premises of the Embassy of the Republic of Austria. On 29 January 1997 we had the honour of welcoming in our midst H.E. Ralph Johnson, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the USA to the Slovak Republic, who in his address and the lively debate that followed explained to us the principles of US foreign policy towards Central and Eastern Europe.
In November 1997 the fraternity, in cooperation with the Slovak Foundation for European Studies and the youth initiative New Generation (Nová generácia), took part in a boat trip to visit the Gabčíkovo hydroelectric power plant.
In the spring of 1998 we received with great gratitude the joyful news from fraternity brother Siegfried that our fraternity has its own fraternity premises (Bude). Nor should we fail to mention the memorable excursion of the fraternity brothers (12.6.1998) to the national monument, the venerable Devín Castle, where, following the example of the Slovak patriots of 1848–49, we solemnly gave one another our couleur names and solemnly affirmed our loyalty to the fraternity and to the fatherland; the extraordinary party in the style of the 1920s and 1930s at fraternity brother Albert’s (15.4.1998); or the “Fuchs meeting” of Bajuvaria and Frankonia at our fraternity premises (20.5.1998). During this period we jointly took part in a large number of cultural, political and, above all, couleur-student events (e.g. a lecture by Rev. Ladislav Vrábel on detention and prison in Slovakia).
Involvement of the Fraternity Brothers in the New Generation Initiative
The fraternity brothers Arvay, Titus, Plepo, Rasty, Ambro, Nikefor, Fridrich and Ičo became members of the Slovak youth group New Generation, which at its meeting on 4 November 1997 adopted the Žilina Memorandum of Slovak Youth as a decalogue of the needs, interests and demands of young people. The text of the Žilina Memorandum was supported by the youth organisations of the SDK (Slovak Democratic Coalition) and the MK (Hungarian Coalition), together with further non-political organisations as well as individuals from the Christian Democratic Youth of Slovakia, the Young Democratic Union and the Information Centre for Young People in Žilina. The Žilina Memorandum became the starting platform for the launch of the subsequent, highly successful election campaign of the SDK and its chairman Mikuláš Dzurinda in the summer of 1998, which bore the title “Dzurinda okolo Slovenska na ceste Novej generácie” (“Dzurinda around Slovakia on the Road of the New Generation”). To this day people associate Dzurinda with the bicycle that several Istropolitans conceived and implemented for him. In this way Istropolitan contributed substantially to the profound political change in Slovakia when, after eight long years, it proved possible to oust the totalitarian Vladimír Mečiar from the office of Prime Minister.
The Fraternity in the Years 1998–2001
From the life of the fraternity in 1998, the important joint Convent in November deserves particular mention, at which a new officers’ board was elected whose members had for the most part joined the fraternity only long after its foundation – this, too, a testimony to the vitality of Istropolitan. In order to make the work of the officers’ board functional, we adopted several measures (for example, we passed a standing resolution transferring the powers of the second Consenior and the second Secretary to the first Consenior and the first Secretary respectively). Plepo became Senior.
On 14 November the celebration of the fifth anniversary of the foundation of our fraternity took place. The celebration was also attended by our cartel brothers from Austria, led by Dr. Herkules. On 12.12.98 a group of Istropolitans took part in the traditional pre-Christmas event of the Viennese fraternity Bajuvaria, the Krambambuli Kneipe, and on 18.12. in the Christmas Kommers of Bajuvaria. In January 1999 we welcomed a very distinguished guest at our fraternity premises: fraternity brother H.E. Dr. Maximilian Pammer v. Roland, Ambassador of the Republic of Austria to Tunisia, former Ambassador of Austria to Slovakia and our honorary member, who has rendered great services to our fraternity.
An important piece of news for our fraternity was the appointment of our fraternity brother Ján Petrík v. Pltník as Ambassador of the Slovak Republic to Croatia. During the Kosovo crisis the fraternity brothers took a firm stand on the side of Prime Minister Dzurinda and supported the NATO operation in that sorely tried country.
Of great importance for fraternity life were the discussion rounds with our fraternity brothers Kéfas and Arvay, who are Members of our highest legislative body. Since the parliamentary elections of 1998 several such meetings have taken place. Our encounters with the Austrian partner fraternities likewise continued; for example, on 20.12.1999 we took part in the traditional Christmas Kommers of Bajuvaria in Vienna.
At the joint Convent in November 1999 a new officers’ board was elected, headed by Nikefor. In 1999 our SKAS Istropolitan celebrated the 6th anniversary of its foundation. The celebration took place on 26 November 1999 in the Monastery Wine Tavern (Kláštorná vináreň) in Bratislava.
Of the events organised by our fraternity in 2000, the following deserve particular mention: a two-day excursion through the wine cellars of South Moravia in June, combined with excellent talks by Moravian winemakers, regular football matches in the Svoradov student residence, and tastings of wines from leading international brands at the homes of fraternity brothers Rasty and Ambro, organised by fraternity brother Karl Heinz Auckenthaler, a renowned winemaker. As there are several physicians in our fraternity, they became regular lecturers on medical topics (e.g. MUDr. Pali – ethics in healthcare). From 26 October 2000 Senior Ambro was at the head of the fraternity. Under his leadership the officers’ board organised a whole series of events (celebration of the 7th anniversary of the foundation, lectures, football, cultural events). The Svoradov student residence became – until 2008 – the venue for the regular gatherings of the fraternity brothers.
The Second Decade of the Fraternity Istropolitan
In the second decade of its existence, too, much that was positive happened in the life of the fraternity Istropolitan. With a multitude of events, activities and debates as well as cultural, sporting and spiritual offerings, we filled with life all four pillars to which we have been faithful since the foundation of SKAS Istropolitan in 1993 – RELIGIO, PATRIA, SCIENTIA and AMICITIA.
Death of Rev. Jozef Valábek
Yet our fraternity, too, was not spared difficult hours. In sorrow, but in faith in our reunion in eternity, we bade farewell to our dear fraternity brother, priest and missionary in Russia, Mgr. Jozef Valábek v. Zvárač, who died on 16 August 2005 at the age of 52 as a result of a stroke. Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord!
Brief Overview of Activities 2003–2013
The activities that Istropolitan has organised for its members and friends can be divided into several areas.
- Educational activities
We fulfil the principles Scientia and Patria through educational and discussion events, which form the core of the fraternity’s activities. We have had the pleasure of welcoming numerous distinguished guests from science, culture, business and sport who are among the leaders in their fields. We have probably devoted ourselves most often to history. Lectures were given by historians from the Nation’s Memory Institute (ÚPN) (Martin Lacko, Ivan Petranský, Ľubomír Ďurina), Comenius University (Prof. Róbert Letz, Prof. Martin Homza) and the Slovak Academy of Sciences (SAV) (Peter Šoltés v. Medveď). This also includes several conversations with prisoners of faith from the communist era (e.g. Rev. Anton Srholec, Ferdiš Takáč, Jozef Vicen), whose memories are an inseparable part of our recent history. In 2006 Istropolitan was co-organiser of the major conference “The Modern Evangeliser Prof. Kolaković and His Disciple A. Neuwirth” at the University Pastoral Centre (UPC), at which fraternity member Plepo read out the contribution of the “general” of the underground Church, Vladimír Jukl, who was present but in poor health. A significant event in 2006 was the conference organised by Istropolitan “The Penetration of Bolshevisation into the Slovak Army in the Years 1944–48”, at which leading historians of this period of our history spoke. Extensive conference proceedings were published for both conferences.
Besides history, we repeatedly devoted ourselves to healthcare (e.g. Assoc. Prof. Tibor Hlavatý v. Lukáš, Member of the National Council Viliam Novotný, Alojz Rakús), physics (Assoc. Prof. Martin Možiš), astronomy (Igor Kapišinský), chemistry (Michal Korenko), law (Assoc. Prof. Radoslav Procházka, Mária Kolíková), biology (Prof. Ladislav Kováč), theology (Imrich Sklenka, Rev. Karol Moravčík, Rev. Miloš Lichner SJ), philosophy (Prof. Ján Letz), literature (reading of the forgotten play “Vojna s malým Holandskom” [War with Little Holland] by Rudo Sloboda, conversations with Maroš Krajňak and Anton Hykisch), sport (Peter Šťastný, Stanislav Griga), theatre (Marek Kundlák), music (Koňýk), travel (Radovan Tóth, Albert Otruba v. Vzor, Martin Guzi), ecology (Robert Rajchl), economics (Zsolt Gál, Martin Barto, Jozef Kollár), entrepreneurship (Miroslav Trnka, Michal Hrabovec v. Mišo), criminalistics (Jaroslav Spišiak, Juraj Matějka), security (Assoc. Prof. Jozef Klavec, Róbert Ondrejcsák) or the Church (Rev. Jozef Haľko, Rev. Karol Lovaš O.Praem, Rev. Bernard Mišovič SJ, Rev. Marián Gavenda).
Nor did we leave politics aside. We met politicians who shaped the direction of Christian democracy (Ján Čarnogurský, František Mikloško, Vladimír Palko, Ivan Šimko); our invitation was also accepted by the Speaker of the National Council Richard Sulík, the former President of the Republic Michal Kováč, the regional president (župan) Pavol Frešo, the Member of the European Parliament Anna Záborská, the Members of the National Council Martin Fedor v. Feďo, Ivan Mikloš, Béla Bugár, Daniel Lipšic and others. As there are several local politicians among us, we have also repeatedly devoted ourselves to politics at the municipal level.
This overview makes no claim to a complete record of the topics or the lecturers. It is merely intended to illustrate the educational activities of the fraternity Istropolitan in broad outline.
- Spiritual activities
Istropolitan fulfilled the pillar Religio through numerous joint events. Encounters with interesting priests from pastoral ministry or from various religious orders became a fixed part of the fraternity’s calendar. Besides Roman Catholic priests, we also had the pleasure of welcoming a Greek Catholic (Rev. Peter Iľko) and an Orthodox (Rev. Nikolaj Andonov) clergyman in our midst. Attending the early-morning Rorate Masses together during Advent became a tradition. Several of us had the opportunity to take part in a Sunday Mass in the flat of the hero of the underground Church, Silvester Krčméry. We are delighted that the Dean of the Faculty of Theology of the University of Trnava, ThLic. Miloš Lichner SJ, has recently become the fraternity’s chaplain. The open-air Holy Mass he celebrated (May 2013) is among our finest spiritual experiences.
- Social and cultural activities
We sought to fill with life the pillar Amicitia , which is directed towards cultivating friendship among the members of the fraternity, who often come from completely different professional fields, with numerous pleasant informal events. These include several lamb barbecues in Rusovce, a good number of successful goulash evenings and joint family outings. The fraternity’s boat trip was also lovely. Firmly established is the annual “Krambambuli”, which we adopted from our Austrian fraternity friends and at which, in a slightly modified form, we celebrate the fall of communism on 17.11.1989. The highlight of the summer semester 2013 was a three-day stay in Čičmany, during which our families and children were also able to get to know one another better.
In addition to the discussion evenings on cultural topics mentioned above, we jointly visited several museums and galleries (Nedbalka Gallery, Slovak National Gallery SNG, Carnuntum, Hainburg). Members of the fraternity regularly attend the award ceremony of the Anasoft litera literary prize, which reflects current developments in Slovak prose.
Our outward-facing social activities include our involvement in the Forum of Christian Institutions (Fórum kresťanských inštitúcií), whose programme and goals we support. Mention should also be made of the mutual contacts with our ideologically closest Slovak partners – the Ladislav Hanus Fellowship (Spoločenstvo Ladislava Hanusa) and the Anton Neuwirth College (Kolégium Antona Neuwirtha).
- Sporting activities
The fraternity Istropolitan is more a community of people who like to discuss interesting topics. Yet we do not miss out on sporting events either. One example is the indoor football tournament Istropolitan Cup, which we have organised annually since 2006 and in which several teams take part. It should be noted that the Istropolitan team has never yet won – so we shall have to keep on organising the tournament. Also remarkable are the individual sporting achievements of several members of the fraternity. Among us are a number of marathon and other runners. Several practise various water sports. The greatest sporting success was achieved by Ján Čarnogurský jun. v. Johny, who on 19.5.2011 climbed the highest mountain in the world, Mount Everest.
Istropolitan and Svoradov
Almost since its foundation, Istropolitan has been striving for the spirit of Rev. Eugen Filkorn to return, in contemporary form, to the once glorious Catholic student residence Svoradov. It was therefore with hope that in 2003 we seized the opportunity to set up our own premises in Svoradov. Unfortunately, as early as 2008 we had to move out again – together with our pleasingly growing library. Over the course of this decade we prepared projects and documents for the Archdioceses of Trnava and later Bratislava towards resolving the question of Svoradov. In the matter of Svoradov, in cooperation with the Circle of Friends of Svoradov (Kruh priateľov Svoradova), an audience with Archbishop H.E. Stanislav Zvolenský and several individual meetings took place. Unfortunately, the situation has still not been fully resolved and remains one of our main priorities. To bring it to a good conclusion – by which we mean the return of the student residence to Catholic administration – we are also bound by a moral obligation towards the “old Svoradovers”. On several occasions we had the honour of listening to their accounts of life in Svoradov before the communist seizure of power. The Svoradovers were among the groups in Slovakia most severely affected by communism.
Istropolitan and Sakrakopec
On 24.11.1966 a Bulgarian aircraft crashed above Rača at Sakrakopec. All 82 people on board were killed, making this tragedy the worst air disaster in our country and also in wider Central Europe. The communist regime covered up the disaster, and it was almost forgotten. We therefore erected a permanent memorial with a cross at the site of the tragedy in 2010. A moving moment at the consecration was the participation of bereaved relatives of the victims from Bulgaria. A year later we marked the path to the memorial from the Vajnorská dolina valley and from Biely kríž. In 2012 we installed a trilingual information board bearing the names of the victims, which we had compiled from several archives. In 2013 we set up a bench, which served as an altar table at a Holy Mass offered for the deceased. Through our activities at Sakrakopec the tragedy of 1966 has entered wider public awareness; the print and electronic media took notice of it, and the site was entered on maps. In future we intend to create at Sakrakopec, in small steps, a dignified memorial site in harmony with nature.
Seniors of SKAS Istropolitan 2003–2013
2003 – 2004 – Goméz
2004 – 2005 – Goméz
2005 – 2006 – Plepo
2006 – 2007 – Medveď
2007 – 2008 – Stano
2008 – 2009 – Goméz
2009 – 2010 – Menhard
2010 – 2011 – Menhard
2011 – 2012 – Nikefor
2012 – 2013 – Nikefor
2013 – – Cyril
E-mail: info@istropolitan.sk
Web: www.istropolitan.sk
Written for SKAS Istropolitan
Rasty 2013, Plepo, October 2013