Slavín – a memorial to Soviet soldiers killed in the territory of western Slovakia during the Second World War – was built between 1957 and 1960. The memorial was unveiled on the 15th anniversary of Bratislava’s liberation by the Red Army of the former Soviet Union. It was constructed during the rise of the communist regime with its harsh propaganda, a period characterised by the building of Slovakia’s largest memorial complexes dedicated to the Red (Soviet) Army (in Svidník and Liptovský Mikuláš). 

     Author of the architectural concept was Ján Svetlík, a Slovak sculptor and architect whose project won the third round of the competition for design of the memorial. An elaborate sculptural showpiece was envisaged from the outset, so the architect collaborated with various renowned sculptors – Tibor Bartfay, Jozef Kostka, Rudolf Pribiš, Ján Kulich, Ladislav Snopek, Alexander Trizuljak, Juraj Krén, and Dezider Castiglione.    

           The memorial architecture comprises three compositionally interconnected sections – a southern entrance with monumental staircase, a central cemetery, and the memorial itself to the north. The front wall of the staircase is adorned with L. Snopek’s granite relief Oath on the Battle Flag, and the area leading to the graves features two sculptures by J. Kostka – Gratitude and Passing of the Wreaths.  

          Slavín’s dominant element is a memorial built on an elevated platform. Accessible via the staircase, it features two statues – T. Bartfay’s At the Grave of a Comrade to the left_,_ and J. Kulich’s After the Battle to the right. Entry to the ceremonial hall is through a double door adorned with figural reliefs by R. Pribiš. A tall, tapering, prismatic obelisk rises from the hall, topped by the statue Victory by A. Trizuljak. 

       Sculptural embellishment complements and supports the core objective of the memorial –celebration of the heroism of the Soviet army and gratitude of the Slovak people. The sculptures depict the violence of combat and hardships of war while also celebrating victory. 

        Two bronze statues mounted at the sides of the staircase that leads to the area in front of the communal graves symbolise the gratitude of the Slovak nation. Both sculptures – Passing of the Wreaths on the right and Gratitude on the left –face the memorial. They were created between 1961 and 1963 by J. Kostka. 

       Passing of the Wreaths depicts two young women in calf-length dresses standing side by side. With open arms raised to chest level, they hold a ribbon with the inscription, “Wreaths we have woven for you freedom fighters.”

ZZ

Research status as of 30 June 2023.