The Monument of Juraj Jánošík

The Slovak national hero is Juraj Jánošík. He lived from 1688 to 1713. He was born in Terchová. During our trip we decided to visit the town and monument.

On the hill next to the village, on the 300th anniversary of his birth, they erected a monument - a statue depicting the character of Juraj (George) Janosik.

According to the story, robbers under the command of Juraj Janosik operated on the Hungarian-Polish border. They attacked rich people and wealthy merchants, keeping the goods mostly for themselves and their people. Part of the loot they gave to girls as gifts.

In the spring of 1713 Janosik was captured and imprisoned in the fortress in Liptovsky Mikulas. There he was put on trial and sentenced to death for the murder of the parish priest of Domaniža, which he denied. He died by hanging on a hook through his ribs.

After his death Slovaks began to idealize Janosik. He gained a positive image like Robin Hood, who allegedly took from the rich and gave to the poor. The story of Janosik found its way into literature, and even on TV screens. That’s how we knew his story. Today he is considered to be a symbol of a person who stood up to injustice.

On the 300th anniversary of his birth (in 1988) in his home village of Terchová, they erected a monument. The figure of Janosik looks toward the village from the hill. Access to the monument is free.

Fun fact: the statue is 7.5 meters tall and made of stainless steel sheets. It was created by the Slovak sculptor Ján Kulich, and the Minister of Culture came to its unveiling in 1988.

We were surprised that in winter the path leading up the hill was covered in snow. When we were there, some tiles were already detached, and the structure of the monument had cracked. We hope that local authorities take care of the monument and prevent its destruction in the near future.