Memorial room of Jozef Ignác Bajza

The origin of the Jozef Ignác Bajza Memorial Room has its history. The path to the present form of the Memorial Room of Jozef Ignác Bajza was thorny and many obstacles and vicissitudes preceded the creation itself. The memorial room was created at the latest, ie as the last of a similar nature, which were established in the vicinity. A memorial room in memory of Juraj Fándly is open in Naháč, and a room dedicated to Ján Hollý was created in Dobrá Voda. From the historical and cultural point of view, the Memorial Room of Jozef Ignác Bajza is of great importance for the village. In addition to a rare church, rectory and stone works (crosses), it is the rarest building and landmark in the village. We can read about the first mentions of the parish in which the Memorial Room of JI Bajz is currently located in the visitations. However, a significant change took place in the parish at a time when the priest Štefan Ujságh was working in the parish. For a description and a better understanding of the history of the building, we quote a text that has already been described elsewhere in this book.

In 1856, the village was largely hit by fire, which devastated the school building after the rectory. At that time, next to the old parish building, the pastor was building a house for himself, the current parish building. When he moved into this new building, he fired the old rectory for the school and the teacher's apartment. From this knowledge it follows that until 1856 the building was used as a rectory and after 1856 the building was used for school purposes. It was justified until 1974, when it moved the kindergarten to new premises.502 After 1974, the building served for the needs of the municipality as a storage space. Until 1954, the church had ownership rights to the building, and after September 29, 1954, ownership passed into the hands of the Czechoslovak state. Based on the delimitations of the property, in 1991 the ownership of the building passed from the state to the Municipality of Dolné Dubové.

The last step was the return of the building to the church according to Act no. 282/1993 Coll. On the mitigation of certain property wrongs caused to churches and religious societies. The property was restored on June 11, 2001. The first known document dealing with the establishment of a memorial room is a letter from the parish administrator Petr Rajtar dated April 20, 1983, addressed to the MNV Council in Dolný Dubov. We select from the letter: “Two hundred years ago, on August 18, 1783, the Slovak national awakener Jozef Ignác Bajza entered the territory of the village of Dolné Dubové as the administrator of the Catholic parish of Dolné Dubová. Through the performance of this national awakener, the village of Dolné Dubové got into the history of Slovak literature by starting to write and publish not only religious, but also educational and entertainment books to a greater extent in the language of the Slovak people in the West Slovak dialect at the time. The erudite writer JI Bajza dared to overcome the frozen surface of Slovak "lady break first" for over 800 years, as he himself expressed and as the Slovak literary community rightly attributes to him. "

We also select from the letter: “Other municipalities would consider it a high honor if they could report with such a historical fact! The municipality of Dolné Dubové should also take a positive stand on this two-year anniversary! At the time of this anniversary, it would be necessary to take steps at the appropriate administrative places in the district of Trnava, furnish a memorial room JI Bajza and place a memorial plaque on the front of the house under serial number 35. " , where we read about the demand of citizens to establish the Memorial Room of JI Bajza. The request was submitted to a public meeting of the MNV. We also read that this intention did not materialize, because at that time the Museum of Book Culture in Trnava opened the exposition Bernolákovci in the Slovak national revival, where this topic was represented.

The statement of the MNV in Dolný Dubov could have been influenced by the given political conditions in the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic. Another written proof of the establishment of the memorial room is the information of the Commission of Culture from 1991, which informs the municipal council that it will consult at the parish and episcopal office on the possibility of establishing a memorial room of JI Bajz. The first written document, which deals with the creation of a report on the house no. 35, is from the meeting of the municipal council of March 2, 1992. In the same year, additional information appeared at the meeting of the municipal council (July 16), where the mayor Leonard Kocán informs about the preparation of the project task of repairing house no. 35. - room JI Bajzu. The first mention of the possibility of financing the reconstruction comes from the meeting of the municipal council of 20 January 1995.

The mayor of the village Mária Tomovičová informs about the reconstruction of the house no. 35, where the room of JI Bajza is to be set up and further informs that she has visited the headquarters of the Pro Slovakia fund. About the actual state of damage to the house no. 35 and its emergency condition, which threatened the establishment of the memorial room, the parish administrator Jozef Horvátik knew the most. He was the first to point out the real condition of the building after 1989 and sought solutions to save it. Although Jozef Horvátik was not born in our village, he was interested in its history and traditions, studied and collected documents related to the village. Towards the end of his life, he decided (many people also called it his last work in life) to set up a memorial room of JI Bajza. The first idea related to house no. 35 was the establishment of a room of life and traditions in the village together with a room that will be dedicated to JI Bajz. In cooperation with the Department of Ethnology of the University of St. Cyril and Methodius in Trnava, professional ethnological research and the exposition of the house were to be carried out. The idea was in the world, but the biggest problem arose with the financing of the reconstruction of the house. The initial plans included a subsidy from the Pro Slovakia fund, the applicant was the municipality.

František Remenár was in charge of supplying and purchasing the material. The work in the first week was related to the construction of a retaining wall from the yard, which followed on from the concrete foundation. In the first month of the reconstruction, several citizens of the village gradually became involved, some of them began to become acquainted with the issues in which they would be helpful. Stanislav Damašek took care of the electrical installation project, Jozef Čapkovič the locksmith work project and Štefan Čapkovič Jr. project for carpentry and joinery work. The family of Leonard Hrčka took care of the removal of internal plasters and their removal to the landfill. From the family, Leonard Hrčka, Jozef Hrčka Sr., Jozef Hrčka Jr. took part in the work. (both living in Veselý), Marek Hrčka, Jozef Hrčka, Marián Horváth Sr., Marián Horvát Jr. and Andrej Horváth. From the beginning, the employees of the municipality - Anton Dovičič, Pavol Krajčovič Jr., Peter Horvatovič Sr., Viliam Michalička Jr. - also regularly participated in the reconstruction works. and Marián Jursa. The work continued, gradually wrapping the walls and stabilizing them with mesh. In the left room, preparatory work for the reconstruction of the floor began, and the soil was excavated before concreting the floor.

Jozef Junas and Ján Horváth gradually became involved in the masonry work. In October, preparatory work began on the truss, the retaining wall was masonry under the truss, and the floor and lintel above the retaining wall were concreted. Work on the truss began on November 5, 2004 and was scheduled for two days. On the first day, the roof was dismantled and the truss was installed. On the second day, the battens were laid and laid. Carpentry work on the truss was carried out by Štefan Čapkovič Jr., Roman Debrecký and Stanislav Ferech. The youth and ministers Matej Šurina, Ondrej Šurina, Dominik Bohunický, Tomáš Hrčka, Matej Hrčka, Mário Matuškovič, Roman Špalek, Michal Bednár and Matej Bednár also began to participate in the auxiliary work. Daniel Stranovský had the most hours worked among young people. In November, carpentry work was gradually completed, roof gutters and troughs were installed, and plumbing work began, in which Ján Novota and František Kalinec participated. The work gradually continued by concreting the floor, masonry of the outer wall, plastering and operation of the electrical installation. The masonry work in this period was carried out by Jozef Šurina, who provided this work until the end of the reconstruction of the house.

Of the participants in the reconstruction who performed professional masonry work, he had the most hours worked. In 2005, finishing work was done. The work began in April, it was minor masonry work in completing the interior of the building. Work began more intensively in June and July. Work began on the new entrance to the building and the façade was restored. Gradually, the painting of walls and windows was completed. In the end, new entrance doors and linoleum were installed. Jozef Martinkovič Jr., Milan Čapkovič, Ján Lopatka, Ján Horváth and Milan Miksád gradually became involved in the final work. Ing. Jozef Ušák, Radovan Svitek, Pavol Krajčovič Sr., Leonard Čapkovič, Jozef Valentovič, Viliam Jánoš and Jozef Remenár. The last record from the diary on works, expenses and income related to the reconstruction of the house is from July 14, 2005. The reconstruction of the house lasted ten and a half months, including the winter months, when no work was done on the construction site. What is remarkable in this context is the fact that it took a short time to manage the reconstruction.

The condition of the building was more than in a state of disrepair, it was basically reconstructed from the foundations, only the outer walls, some partitions, windows, the chimney and part of the roofing remained original. There are two original rooms in the building, the left and the right room, which are located in front of the building. Two smaller rooms were created in the back of the building. The room in the right part of the building is original and a new room was created in the left part, which was built from the ground up. Another fact is the attitude of citizens, their participation in the renovation of the building in the form of financial contributions, material security and hours worked. In addition to their free time, many also offered their experiences and advice, which proved to be an invaluable gift in the reconstruction of the building. Financing of the reconstruction was provided by Jozef Horvátik. The total financial value of the reconstruction is not precisely quantified. In several professional craftsmen, the craftsmen gave up their wages, only the consumed material was paid for. 813 part-time hours were worked, which were not paid financially.

The employees of the municipality worked 230 hours, their salary was paid by the municipality of Dolné Dubové and the Office of Labor and Social Affairs of the Slovak Republic. In some cases, such as the external bars on the windows and the front door to the building, they were paid for from citizens' financial resources. About 20 families from the village donated more cash. Christmas cash was also donated by Slovenské elektrárne, as and Atomové elektrárne Bohunice. Jozef Horvátik invested the largest amount of cash in the work. The first and undoubtedly the most difficult task was successfully completed. The second, no less important task was the establishment of the memorial room of JI Bajz. As early as 1998, Jozef Horvátik stated that he was the owner of several originals that could be placed in a memorial room in the future. The possibility of placing period artifacts, antiques, objects that would also be provided by the citizens of the village was clearly defined. Jozef Horvátik donated the largest number of items. In most cases, we do not know the origin and historical value of several stored objects. In the left room from the street, the dominant feature of the room is a painting by JI Bajza by the painter Holešová. The painting is located in the former entrance to the old school, today the entrance is built.

The entrance is dominated by the original vault, which is highlighted by a cornice. Another picture in the room is the picture of St. Rochus. In the room there is still a picture of St. Alojza z Gonzaga, which was renovated in 2005. On the wall there are church flags and period wall clocks. An interesting feature of the room is a desk and a chair that can be adjusted to a kneeling position. The table includes four Breviarium Romanum books and period stationery. In the right room from the street there is a glass table, which is dedicated to the reconstruction of the building. Above the board is the original letter addressed to Anton Hlinka from the National Assembly of the Czechoslovak Republic in Prague to the parish priest Dolnodubov Vojtech Plechl. The dominant feature of the room is the image of the crucified Jesus Christ. There are also functional period tiles and objects that were part of church life in the room. The room also has a collection of liturgical vestments used in the past. A rarity of the room is a bust of Vojtech Plechl by the academic sculptor Justín Hrčka, a native of Dolný Dubový. An interesting feature of the collection of objects is the functional harmony from the company Pianora, V. Schönhofer. In the back rooms are various objects that were in the past part of the equipment of households and farms. There is currently no original in the memorial room that would directly resemble JI Bajza.

However, in the outbuilding, which is the rectory, there are original records written by JI Bajz, their historical value is indelible, but their placement in the memorial room is impossible from a security point of view. The memorial room has a museum character, in which we commemorate the place where JI Bajza worked and created. Direct evidence of JI Bajz's activities is the Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary, which stands in close proximity to the memorial room. The reconstruction of the church to its current form was carried out by JI Bajza. Another work that is reminiscent of JIBajza is Calvary - Golgotha, which was built for his performances in front of the church. In the near future, it is planned to set up an exhibition dedicated to JI Bajz. By setting up an exhibition and more prominently recalls the activities and legacy of JI Bajza. The last step, and for many even the most beloved, was the grand opening and consecration of the memorial room. The parish priest of Dolnodubov, Jozef Horvátik, the person who contributed most to the creation of the memorial room, confides in his personal letter to prof. Jozef Šimončič.

We select from the letter: “On Saturday, June 25, 2005, the Jozef Ignác Bajza Memorial Room will be consecrated and opened in Dolný Dubov. This is my last act in Dolný Dubov as a priest. It will be a modest celebration. The program will start at 10:00. Vol. Mass. After it, Archbishop Ján Sokol will perform the act of consecration and thus the building will finally be handed over to its mission. ”The ceremonial opening of the memorial room was organized by the Parish Office in Dolný Dubov. The Farmer's Cooperative of Shareholders in Dolný Dubová and the Municipality of Dolné Dubové provided significant assistance to the parish office. In addition to Archbishop Ján Sokol, priests from the Deanery of Smolenice, close friends of Jozef Horvátik, mayors from the surrounding villages, deputies of the municipal council, representatives of the peasant cooperative and the general public from the village were invited to the ceremony. The program began in St. Mass celebrated by Archbishop Ján Sokol. After St. the act of consecration of the memorial room took place. The act began with the national anthem and the anthemic song Hey, Slovaks, sung by the Men's Singing Group at the Municipal Office in Dolný Dubov.

This was followed by an address by the mayor of the village, Mária Tomovičová, who warmly welcomed the guests and devoted himself to a cross-section of the history of the village. Archbishop Ján Sokol continued his speech, paying homage to JI Bajz. After the intercessions, there was an act of sanctification. The memorial room of JI Bajza was consecrated by Archbishop Ján Sokol. After the dedication, the parish priest of Dolnodubov, Jozef Horvátik, addressed the audience. In his speech, he addressed the initial problems in the implementation of the reconstruction of the building, highlighted the national significance of this work, and efforts to raise the profile of the village. This act closed a long chapter in the reconstruction of the house and the establishment of the JI Bajz Memorial Room. In February 2009, the creator of the idea of establishing a memorial room, Jozef Horvátik, died. His legacy of continuing to raise the profile of JI Bajza and the municipalities have been taken for granted. Following the agreement of Jozef Havlík with the representatives of the municipality, a memorial plaque was realized. The price for the work on the board was paid by Jozef Havlík, the nephew of Jozef Horvátik, and the price for the material was paid by the municipality. In June 2009, a plaque was installed on the front of the memorial room. The memorial plaque commemorates the work of JI Bajza in the village and the ceremonial opening of the memorial room. After many years, its location fulfilled the wishes of Petr Rajtar and later Jozef Horvátik.