The Municipal Office and Štefánik

Milan Rastislav Štefánik (21th July 1880 - 4th May 1919) - Slovak astronomer, photographer, journalist, military flyer, general of french army, diplomat and politician.

He got work in an observatory, he made journeys to far countries and he climbed Mont Blanc several times. He also performed diplomatic tasks and during the First World War he had the most significant contribution in shaping the Czechoslovak National Council (i.e. resistance government). He played a major role in arranging contacts with the French government officials and organized the Czechoslovakian legions.

He founded the Czechoslovak National Council together with Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk and Edvard Beneš, leading to the creation of Czechoslovakia. He was vice chairman of the council (founded in 1916 in Paris), minister of war in interim Czechoslovak government and, subsequently, in the newly established Czechoslovak Republic.

Thanks to his view on the “Europeanisation” (harmony of nations in Europe) and actions, he can be perceived as “European”. When in May 1919 the French general Milan Rastislav Štefánik was returning back to Slovakia on a plane, it fell near Bratislava.

On 7th May 2004 he was promoted by the President of the Slovak Republic to the rank of General of the Armed Forces of the Slovak republic in memoriam. Although this significant personality never visited the town, he went down in history of the town thanks to his closest relatives.

In 1927 his mother Albertína Štefániková, née Jurenková moved into town and in the last year of her life (from 17th June 1927 to 7th June 1928) she lived on Letná street 64 with general’s younger brother JUDr. Ladislav Dušan Štefánik. He worked as a notary public in the town.

The author of the memorial is the academic sculptor Ladislav Kacvinský. The memorial was unveiled by the President of the Slovak Republic in July 2007. The original monument dedicated to M. R. Štefánik, erected on the initiative of Matica slovenská from 1929 until the beginning 50s. of 20th century, was situated in the park on Radničné námestie square in front of Evangelical church, and south from the Statue of Captain Jan Nalepka.

Address:

Štefánikovo námestie 1,
Spišská Nová Ves