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„Long live our just cause!“ The Slovak National Uprising, august 29-October 27, 1944

An exhibition of the Gedenkstätte Deutscher Widerstand Berlin in cooperation with the Institute of History at the Slovak Academy of Sciences

The Slovak National Uprising began in late August of 1944 and was one of the biggest insurgencies against National Socialist rule in Europe. In the last months of World War II, a series of insurgencies broke out all over the continent in an effort to fight the German occupation forces and the collaborationist regimes. The Slovak uprising was planned in agreement with and received support from the Soviet Union, the United States, and Great Britain.

It was directed against the collaborationist, authoritarian, and extremely anti-Semitic Slovak government. The united resistance groups that organized the nationwide armed insurgency included democrats, communists, and partisans, as well as soldiers and officers unwilling to fight alongside the German army.

The Slovak National Uprising emerged through the cooperation of all these groups and the endorsement of the Czechoslovak government in exile. It involved tens of thousands of people willing to fight against the German forces that invaded Slovakia in order to quell the resistance movement. The leaders of the resistance overcame their ideological differences in order to work toward common goals: the liberation of Slovakia and the restoration of a state in which a democratic Slovakia and the Czech lands are equal partners.

The insurgents were defeated by the German forces in late October of 1944. However, the Slovak partisans continued fighting until Slovakia is liberated in April 1945. The uprising significantly changed the image of Slovakia from an obedient German vassal to a recognized member of the anti-Hitler coalition. It demonstrated that tens of thousands of Slovaks preferred a democratic Czechoslovakia over an authoritarian, collaborationist Slovak state. The history of the Slovak National Uprising became an integral part of the struggle against National Socialist rule in Europe. The uprising created a lasting legacy for Slovakia, upholding the European ethos of humanism, democracy, and solidarity in the struggle for freedom.

The exhibition opening took place on Monday, September 19, 2016, at 6:30 pm in the German Resistance Memorial Center, Stauffenbergstraße 13-14, 10785 Berlin, second floor, hall B.

The exhibition is on display in the special exhibition area on the first floor until January 19, 2017.
Opening hours

Mon-Wed, Fri 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Thurs 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Sat, Sun and public holidays 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

We reserve the right to make changes. Information by telephone: +49 (0)30-26 99 50 00.