The two-day official ceremony on the occasion of the 74th anniversary of the Slovak National Uprising starts today in Zvolen, central Slovakia. Soldiers in historical uniforms are meeting in the city centre for a bicycle ride on historical vehicles through the villages in its vicinity. They will finish at the Uprising memorial in Banská Bystrica where a concert by the Banska Bystrica opera house will be held in the evening. The pious ceremony will start on Wednesday with the Slovak Air Force Squadron aerial review. At 11 am, top state representatives, members of the anti-fascist resistance movement along with ambassadors to the Slovak Republic will lay wreaths at the memorial. The official part of the ceremony will be closed by a parachutist descent and a performance by the Military band featuring singer Juraj Benetin who has been known for singing the Slovak anthem at the protests held in support of the murdered investigative journalist Ján Kuciak and his fiancée Martina Kušnírová.
The novelty of this year's ceremony to be held in Banská Bystrica, the centre of the Slovak National Uprising in 1944, will be a touch screen placed in a partisan bunker. Visitors and passing by tourists will have the chance to purchase a 0 EUR bank note with the motif of the SNP Memorial and combat trains. The admission to the Museum of the Slovak National Uprising in Banská Bystrica will be free. If visitors have their train ticket stamped in the Museum, their return journey will be for free. The programme in the 1944 centre of the Slovak National Uprising against the fascist regime will be closed with a concert by several Slovak as well as US and Russian bands. It is important for all foreigners to know that 29th August, which is on Wednesday this year, is a bank holiday in Slovakia. To learn more about the Slovak National Uprising, listen to the RSI show tomorrow.
