Masarykov kult na Slovensku? Vznik Československa a formovanie republikánskeho naratívu vo verejnom priestore
Masaryk's Cult in Slovakia? The Creation of Czechoslovakia and Republican Narrative in Public Space

Summary/Abstract: The article deals with the resonance of the personality of the first Czechoslovak President T. G. Masaryk in Slovakia. It focuses on the construction of his image through celebrations of his birthday, official presidential visits, summer stays in Slovakia, and his monumentalization in public space in the form of memorials and busts. The study underlines the continuity between the representation of Emperor Francis Joseph and the first Czechoslovak President, especially in the field of birthday celebrations. It points to the similarities in their personal habits as well as in the public expectations and symbolic depiction. It shows the celebrations of Masaryk's birthday as an extremely useful instrument for introducing Masaryk into Slovak society and for the construction of a new republican narrative. Special attention is paid to the first official presidential visit to Slovakia in September 1921. The paper collects different attitudes of local leaders of political and cultural life verbalised in the welcome speeches and newspaper articles. It analyses the organisation of Masaryk's official visits and the reactions of Slovak representatives as well as those of the general population. Attention is also paid to the creation of historical memory connected to Masaryk and its transformations in Slovak public space. The study distinguishes three important types of Masaryk memorials and focuses on the statues and busts constructed in inter-war Slovakia (Nitra, Prešov, Košice).

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