Catalog number: FPL07CA

Philatelic Commemorative Sheet - Tragedy in Černová

Philatelic Commemorative Sheet Slovakia 2007 - 100th Anniversary of the Tragedy in Černová

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Philatelic Commemorative Sheet Slovakia 2007 - 100th Anniversary of the Tragedy in Černová
Author: acad. painter Ivan Schurmann
Issue number: 026 PaL 408/07
Date of issue: 27.10.2007

Specification:
© Slovak Post, a.s., 2007 A prominent British Slavist, professor at the University of London, a friend and advocate of the oppressed Slovak nation in Hungary. As a student, he was a great admirer of Hungarian "liberalism," and therefore decided to go study it in Austria-Hungary. During his studies in Vienna, he met local Slovak students (especially A. Štefánek), who acquainted him with the true nature of this "liberalism." He visited Slovakia several times and, after familiarizing himself with the situation there, became a fervent advocate and supporter of the oppressed Slovak nation. Especially after the events in Černová in 1907, when the Budapest brachial power harshly intervened against the local parishioners (13 dead), who did not want to allow the church built with their own money to be consecrated by Magyarized (denationalized) priests, he helped internationalize the Slovak question. In the publication Racial Problems in Hungary, he harshly and factually debunked the myth of Hungarian "liberalism." After the outbreak of World War I, he sided with the Czechoslovak resistance and supported the creation of the Czechoslovak Republic. Even in the interwar period, he continued to promote Slovakia and supported Slovak-Czech reconciliation. During World War II, he sided with the Czechoslovak resistance. The stamp features a portrait of Robert William Seton-Watson from his younger years and a rose, which is associated with the town of Ružomberok and also expresses gratitude for the support provided to Slovaks. The FDC depicts the church in Černová, where the mentioned tragedy took place, which shook the entire cultural world of the time and highlighted the urgency of the Slovak question. The cut trees symbolize the senselessly wasted lives of the Černová parishioners. The FDC stamp features a stylized rose, the coat of arms of the town of Ružomberok. PhDr. Anton Hrnko, CSc., historian

source: pofis.sk