ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH
REFORMED CHURCH
In the late 19th century Ždaňa was the centre of a district with the same name. The old name still persisted though: Füzer District (based around a larger village and castle nowadays just over the border in Hungary). The district comprised 54 municipalities with a total of 24 482 inhabitants. The state authorities acting here included for example the district court, district physician, and district veterinary service. For the first two years of its initial existence, the Class II District Court (1850–1854) did not hold sessions in Ždaňa(!). The judge had his seat in Gyňov, and the auxiliary judge in Vyšný Čaj. For the other two years it was moved to Nižná Myšľa. In 1854 it was closed, and its powers were taken over by the newly-created administrator‘s office (abolished in 1922). Both institutions resided in the building of the present-day combined boarding school. The Austro-Hungarian Compromise of 1867 was a milestone in the organization of state government, quickly followed by the Hungarian laws on public administration passed in 1870 and 1886. After the reforms of 1872, the district court covered a total of 60 municipalities, and Ždaňa remained its seat without interruption until its sessions ceased on 1st May 1914 and its powers were taken over by the Košice courts. A special chapter in the history of town and village councils after 1870 is reserved for the “virilists” (Latin: vir = man, strong man, hero). A new law, passed definitively in 1886, stipulated that half of each municipal council had to consist of the wealthiest local inhabitants, greatly restricting the influence of the nobility. At the turn of the century Ždaňa had a 12-member village council. This law was abolished after the establishment of the First Czechoslovak Republic. It was reinstated however in the years 1939–1944, when Ždaňa was annexed to Hungary. The bridges (Latin: pontes) over the river Hornád have always been of key importance here. In the past tolls were charged for their use. A steel bridge across the river was commissioned in March 1905. In January 1945 it was blown up by the German Army.
Chronology of events 30th Sep. 1938 – Munich Agreement; 1st Oct. – Sudetenland annexed to Germany; 2nd Oct. – Český Tešín and environs annexed to Poland; 2nd Nov. – 1st Vienna Arbitration – decision to annexe extensive areas in the southern and easternmost parts of Slovakia to Hungary, in the following steps:
1332–1337 First written record of payment of church tithes in the parish of Čaňa. 1907 The church is built within a single year by the local congregation, using their own resources, and consecrated to the Virgin Mary Help of Christians (Latin: Auxilium Christianorum), feast day: 24th May. This epithet of the Virgin Mary is linked with the Holy League‘s glorious victory over the Turks in the naval battle of Lepanto, 7th Oct. 1571. 14th Nov. 1907 The church is consecrated by the Bishop of Košice Augustín Fischer-Colbrie (b.1863–d.1925). He held that office from 1907 to 1925. His motto was Evangelizare pauperibus misit me (Latin: He has sent me to evangelize the poor). He was the predecessor of the most famous bishop Jozef Čársky (b.1886–d.1962), whose motto was: Veni quaere quod perietat (Latin: I have come to seek that which is lost → New Testament, Luke 19,10). Both are entombed in the crypt of Košice Cathedral. 1918 The filial church (Latin: filia = daughter) at Ždaňa, which belonged under the parish of Nižná Myšľa, is reassigned to the parish of Ćaňa. 1923 Three new bells: the large and small ones were cast in the Buchner brothers‘ workshop in Košice, the middle one from 1907 by the bellcasters in Sopron (now in Hungary). 1982 The church (still without a tower) is radically restored. 1992 The tower is built. 2007 The church choir called Gaudium (Latin: joy) is formed. Today it has 17 members.
1555 Based on the principle of the Peace of Augsburg (Bavaria, 1555): CUIUS REGIO, EIUS RELIGIO (Latin: Whose realm, his religion), monarchs and princes could determine the religion of their subjects. This principle was rescinded in 1647, but it persisted in everyday practice. In the late 16th C the people of Ždaňa readily accept the ideas of the Reformation proposed by Jean Calvin, originally Jean Cauvin (b.1509– d.1564), founder of the Reformed Church. Calvin‘s most important work was done in Geneva in Switzerland. He was a generation younger than the originator of the Reformation himself, Martin Luther (b.1483–d.1546). Late 17th C The first wooden prayerhouse known to have been built in the village has a separate bell-tower. 1788 Building of the stone church starts, seven years after Emperor Joseph II‘s Patent of Toleration is issued. 1799 A small bell is bought, made in the Prešov workshop. 1866 A wooden tower is added. 1891 A large bell is bought, which is requisitioned (Latin: requirere = to demand back, here for military purposes) in 1917 for weapons production during the First World War. 1912 A stone tower is built, replacing the wooden tower, which had been set on fire by lightning. New pews are added, and a choir gallery and pulpit are constructed. 1924 The current large bell is cast at J. Gedeon‘s bell foundry in Prešov. 2012 Repairs to the roof and tower. 2013 Reconstruction of the interior (electrical and heating systems, floor-tiling, repainting). Texts on the nave wall, on the left: The word of our God shall stand for ever. Isaiah 40,8 On the right: Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly Colossians 3,16
The present-day bridge The economic significance of the village was clearly underlined by the setting-up of the local savings bank, officially opened on 1st December 1905. This financial institution functioned successfully even during the First World War. It was closed on 30th November 1927. As elsewhere, this area was impacted during the 1930s by the Great Depression and its consequences.
Germany
Poland
Český Tešín and environs Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia
Transcarpathian Ruthenia 4
Slovak State 5
Sudetenland 3 Austria
1 Hungary
Romania
2
1/ southern suburbs of Bratislava – until Oct. 1947; 2/ 2nd Nov. – until the end of the War; 3/ Petržalka and Devín from 1st / 20th Nov. 1938, annexed to the German Reich together with Austria in the Anschluss on 13th Mar. 1938, creating a common border between Slovakia and the Reich; 4/ from 4th Apr. 1939 until the end of the War – the environs of Stakčín and Sobrance. 5/ buffer zone. The Czechslovak Republic lost 41 100 sq. km, i. e. 25% of its territory, and 4 880 000 inhabitants, of whom 1 250 000 were Czechs and Slovaks. 14th March 1939 – declaration of the Slovak State; 15th March – establishment of the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia. SECOND WORLD WAR (1939–1945) 1st Sept. 1939 – Germany invades Poland – start of the war; 17th Sep. – Soviet Union attacks Poland on the basis of the Molotov – Ribbentrop pact (of non-aggression), signed in Moscow on 24th Aug., valid for ten years... 21st June 1941 – Germany attacks the Soviet Union, using the Blitzkrieg approach; 7th Dec. – Japan bombards Pearl Harbour in the Hawaiian Islands, bringing the USA into the War; 28th Aug. 1944 – Announcement of the Slovak National Uprising in Banská Bystrica. The Slovaks ally themselves with the anti-Hitler coalition; 8th Sep. – 28th Oct. Carpathian-Duklian operation; 19th Dec. 1944 – 17th Jan. 1945 Battle for Dargov Pass. 17th Jan. 1945 – Liberation of the village; 8th May – Unconditional capitulation of Hitler‘s Germany signed in Berlin. DAY OF VICTORY OVER FASCISM, or VE DAY In 2001 a memorial to the fallen in both World Wars (18 and 40 respectively) was unveiled at the House of Hope.
Inscription on the upper, fourth bell added in 2015: JOHN PAUL II. BE NOT AFRAID, GOD IS RICH IN MERCY. → New Testament, Matt. 28,10. This bell was gifted by Ždaňa-born Salesian Bartolomej Juhás SDB.
2014 An exhibition is held in the renovated congregational hall in honour of the late former bishop Imré Varga, entitled “Ako sa dá....” (How it can be done). He and his wife are buried together in the local cemetery. The last pre-war minister Samuel Körössy, who worked in Ždaňa from 1905 to 1945, is also buried with his wife in the same grave.
Number of inhabitants: 1418 1st Oct. 2018 To mark the 777th anniversary of the first written mention of the village, Ždaňa‘s coat of arms (front cover) is inscribed in the Heraldic Register of the Slovak Republic on 6th Oct. 1999, indexed Z–74/99.
PL CZ
Košice A
Ždaňa UA
Bratislava H
Road distances in km: KOŠICE: 17; Nižná Myšľa: 4; Slanec: 17; Holloháza: 10; (border crossing into Hungary); Miškolc: 83. Historical names of the village: 1222 – Sudan; 1347 – Sadan (for the next four centuries); 1773 – Zsadány; 1808 – Žadáň (Slovak), Zsadány (Hungarian); 1906 – Žadáň (Slovak), 1910 – Hernádzsadány; 1920 – Ždaňa; 1939 – 1944 Hernádzsadány; 1945 – Ždaňa. The full list can be found on the village‘s web-site.
T WO CH U RCH E S
1427 36 inhabited and taxable houses, called portae (Latin: porta = gateway through which a hay-laden cart could enter the yard. The porta was a wide-spread medieval tax unit). The village has around 180 inhabitants. Late 16th C Calvinism spreads in the village → TWO CHURCHES section 1604 Beginning of 100 years of anti-Habsburg uprisings by the Hungarian nobility, ending with the Peace of Szatmáry. The Austrian Habsburg monarchy is reinforced and re-Catholicization intensifies. 1720 and later Influx of new inhabitants, mainly Greek Catholics from the area of present-day north-east Slovakia, repopulating the deserted villages in the Košice Basin. Note: In 1553 Ždaňa had 5.5 portae, in 1715 8 portae and in 1720 11 portae. 1746 Church visitation (Latin: visitatio = official visit, inspection) reports: “Ždaňa (Zsadány). Filial church of the RC parish of Nižná Myšľa. Inhabitants: Catholics 74, Ruthenians 41, Lutherans 12, Calvinists 124, children altogether 85. The people are Hungarian speakers predominantly, with some Slovak speakers. The inhabitants were devout, diligent and assiduous in attending divine service. They tended to break prescribed holy days more frequently. The wooden Calvinist church, built around 50 years ago, was in reasonable state, attended by the preacher from Trstené.” (AACass, KV, Abov, 1746, p. 43).
Most important changes in the period 1994–2017 1994 Reconstruction of the premises and opening of the Health-care Centre. 1995 Reconstruction and upgrade of the postal centre to the Post Office with its own post-code. 1995 Gas mains laid in the village. 1999 Building of the House of Hope funeral hall. 2005–2006 Reconstruction of part of the Cultural Hall and moving of the Council Offices to the centre of the village. 2005 Moving of the Post Office to new premises in the centre of the village. 2010 Building of a multi-purpose sports ground with astroturf in the elementary school grounds. 2011 Reconstruction of the riverside flood-control levees and anti-flood protection structures. 2011 Installation of a CCTV security system in the village centre. 2012 Reconstruction of the changing-rooms at the football ground. 2012 Building of an apartment block with 24 flats for young families. 2013 Reconstruction of the village centre – resurfacing local roads, laying pavements in the centre and along the main street, setting up a bus-shelter and marking out car-parking places. 2017 Building spectator stands at the football ground. 2010, 1st–5th June Catastrophic flooding, when the Turecký stream and river Hornád (max. height 556 cm) overflowed and inundated 52 properties.
THE SECOND WORLD WAR 1939–1945
ADM I N I STR ATIV E H I STO RY AN D SECO N D WO R LD WAR
Coronation of Charles Robert I of Anjou as King of Hungary. Oldest dated mural painting in the Spiš region (1317), restored in 2005, above the north door inside St.Martin‘s Cathedral at Spišská Kapitula (Spiš Chapter).
ADMINISTRATIVE HISTORY OF THE VILLAGE 1850–1945
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Ždaňa lies 17 km south-east of Košice, where the Košice Basin borders on the Slanské Hills. The river Olšava flows into the Hornád in the village territory. 1222 First written mention of the village in the Varadín land register, where the name appears as Sudan. Veľký (Great) Varadín is the historical name of present-day Oradea in the Transylvania region of Romania. 1308 Charles Robert I of the Anjou dynasty becomes king of Greater Hungary, albeit with restricted powers. 1312, 15th June Battle of Rozhanovce (village now in the Košice-Environs district). Charles Robert I defeats the rebellious feudal lords who have taken control of Košice and the surrounding area. The king then rewards his loyal knights with fees (lands and privileges). Over the centuries Ždaňa belongs to various feudal lords.
1740–1780 Reign of Empress Maria Theresa (b.1717–d.1780). 1772 Introduction of the “urbár” in Ždaňa, the property and tax register setting the regular tithes and taxes payable by vassals to their landlords. The growing of new crops is also promoted – potatoes, maize and clover. 1780–1790 Reign of MT‘s son Joseph II. In 1781 he issued the Patent of Toleration, giving Lutherans and Calvinists limited equal rights with Roman Catholics. A year later he also improved the religious standing of Jews. 1784 Population census records 75 houses and 510 inhabitants in the village, including 29 Jews. 1857 The population register shows 697 permanent and 44 temporary residents in the village. By now the number of Jews has quadrupled. 1880–1910 Period of great emigration to America. 1914 Census records 793 out of 970 total inhabitants declaring Hungarian nationality, with 56 Roma also living here. 1914–1918 18 local men perish in the First World War. 1918, 28th Oct. First Czechoslovak Republic is established. 1930 Census records 968 inhabitants in the village. 1938, 2nd Nov. Due to the First Vienna Arbitration Ždaňa is annexed to Hungary till the end of WW2. The fighting, especially on the Eastern Front, claims the lives of 40 men from Ždaňa. 1939, 1st Sept. Second World War starts. 1945, 17th Jan. Liberation of the village. Nine Red Army soldiers are killed in the village territory.
H I STO RY O F TH E V I LL AG E
HISTORY OF THE VILLAGE IN CONTEXT
The river Hornád rises near Vikartovce, approx. 20 km SW of Poprad, and also flows through Košice. Total length: 286 km, with 195 km in Slovakia. Average flow: 31 m3/s. It leaves Slovakia at nearby Trstené nad Hornádom and continues through Hungary to Ónod, near Miškolc, where it flows into the river Slaná, which rises near the well-known, traditional village Rejdová in the Gemer region. After 10 km the Slaná flows into the Tisa, which traverses Hungary into Serbia, and near Nový Sad (Vojvodina region) it flows in turn into the Danube. The altitude above sea-level in the village centre is 185 metres. Ždaňa is a member of the 16-strong Association of Hornád Villages, www.regionhornad.sk. Main source of information up to 1945: Štefan Kolivoško, ŽDAŇA, 2nd edition, 2015 Latin chronogram. The arithmetic sum of all the highlighted symbols gives the year of its origin. D CC XC VI * SVDAN** VICVs VIVVs IDeo LaVs VIator, Vere VenI IbI, InsIste, sentI *D CC XC VI = 796 years since the first written mention, **name of the village in year 1222. U in a chronogram is written like V = 5. 7 9 6 ŽDAŇA Village full of life. Hence praise Traveller, come here, Tourist attractions in this area: stop, experience Archeological open-air museum, Nižná Σ = Ix8+Vx10+Xx1+Lx1+Cx4 Myšľa (3 km); Izra Lake, Slanská Huta (11 km); +Dx3+Mx0= 2018 Slanec Castle, Slanec (16 km). © Jozef Soročin, www.issuu.com/VydSorocinJ, 2018 © Design & Layout: Milan Bobula, mbobula5@gmail.com © English translation: Andrew Billingham, ajbilingual@gmail.com © Photographs: Village of Ždaňa (9); front page, CBS.sk; Peter Olekšák,(13), peter.oleksak@centrum.sk © Ždaňa Council Office, Jarmočná 118/4, SK-044 11 Ždaňa, www.zdana.sk © Printed by: Rotaprint, s. r. o., Barčianska 68, SK-040 17 Košice
ARCHEOLOGY
JEWS AND THE JEWISH CEMETERY
SCHOOLS
CULTURE
SPORT
The DOBOKY burial site at Ždaňa (55 cremation graves over an area of approx. 650 m2, mostly 30–50 cm deep) was the first Hallstatt-period (Early Iron Age, 750–500 years BC) burial site to be discovered within the Košice Basin. It has features of the Vekerzug culture, named after the site of a find to the north of Szeged in Hungary, approx. 300 km south from Ždaňa. This period was characterized by population migration from the east, and by fighting which necessarily resulted from the migrants‘ attempts to penetrate an alreadysettled region. Parts of the burial site were discovered inadvertently on intensively cultivated land by local resident Bartolomej Varga in 1998 (pictured). The first digs were carried out between 1999–2004, followed by systematic archeological research between 2004–2008. An important role was played here by the well-known archeologist Ladislav Olexa.
According to Emperor Joseph‘s population census of 1784, there were 75 houses and 510 inhabitants in the village, 29 of whom were Jews. In 1826 there were 120 Jewish residents here, i.e. one fifth of the total population. Their greatest number, 155, was reached in 1915. In the tragic year 1944 there were 51 Jews living in Ždaňa, who were massed together with others at the Košice brickworks and then deported to the concentration camps. Those who returned subsequently emigrated to Israel. The Jewish cemetery is located above the village, by the road to Skároš.
1769 Canonical visitation records the presence of a Ludimagister, (Latin: schoolmaster) in the village. 1772 Register of elementary schools in the shire of Abov, by order of Empress Maria Theresa from 9th Nov. 1769. 1868 Law on public education. Compulsory six-year school attendance for children from 6 to 12 years of age. 1877 First known teacher in Ždaňa – Ondrej Kratsek. There are 36 pupils in the school, rising to 53 pupils in 1879 and 75 pupils in 1889. 1898 Schools are taken over by the state. 1913 Three teachers work in the school. 1918, 28th Oct. Establishment of the first Czechoslovak Republic. The teaching language changes from Hungarian to Slovak. 1938–1944 When Ždaňa is annexed to Hungary the teaching language reverts to Hungarian → SECOND WORLD WAR section. 1945 Teaching resumes two months after the front passes through (Jan.–Feb.). The teachers are a Slovak married couple. First a single class is opened, then a second roughly a month later. 1961 Nursery school opens in the village. In Oct. 2018 it had 36 children. 1961, 1st Sept. Combined boarding school (current name) opens. In Oct. 2018 it was attended by 111 boys and 80 girls. 1973, 1st Sept. Official opening of the new elementary school building with its own sports hall. 2018/2019 The elementary school has 12 classes, 227 pupils, 106 girls, 121 boys, 20 teachers incl. 2 men, 2 supervisors, man/woman, 4 women assistants, 1 social worker, 1 psychologist, altogether 40 employees. Pupils can choose from 18 school clubs and 2 after-school activity groups. English lessons are compulsory from year 3, with the possibility of joining a club from year 1. German is on offer only in year 8, and Russian in years 7-9.
The initial new annual fair in Ždaňa was organized in 1999 to mark the 777th anniversary of the first written mention of the village. In 2018 the grand 20th edition was held, and to mark the occasion the village council presented the “Ždaňa Award”. The fair featured: – performances by trad folk ensembles from Abov, and guests from other regions; – animal show (local breeders and others from the region); – gardeners‘ show; – handicrafts (basket-weavers, potters, lace-makers, weavers); – children‘s games; – goulash cooking. For more information → www.zdana.sk Five Ždaňa residents perform in trad folk ensembles in this area (Abovčan, Kadlubek).
Village football team in the 1960s
The graves contained weapons, ornaments and pottery (spears, axes, iron bracelets and needles). Bronze ornaments were also found: bangles, needles and pendants. Precious metals also featured in the form of silver ear-rings and studs. Cremation (urn-type) graves make up only a part of the original burial-site. Such a group of stone-built graves is unknown so far elsewhere in Eastern Slovakia. Criteria: – stone-built form of grave, – position relative to other graves,
With G-d’s Help Memorial to the Holy Martyrs The graves and tombstones in the cemetery And foremost the chief rabbi, the righteous scholar, Rabbi YITZCHAK AYZIK KAHANA, of blessed and saintly memory *Refurbished in 5776 (2016)* For the elevation of the souls of the holy martyrs, THE PEOPLE OF THE HOLY COMMUNITY OF ZDANA Who were killed and martyred in the year 5704 (1944) And foremost, the chief rabbi and the righteous scholar, MOSHE NATAN NETE HA‘LEVI JUNGREIS, of blessed and saintly memory, And [his wife] the Rabbanit FREIZA, daughter of the righteous scholar, our teacher and rabbi, RABBI YOSEF ELIMELECH KAHANA from Ungvar, may G-d avenge him (or them), Who went to their fiery ends on 4 Sivan 5704 (26.5.1944) And their young son, Asher Anshil. may G-d avenge him. Undertaken by the efforts of their grandson, Rabbi MOSHE NATAN NETE HA‘LEVI JUNGREIS, may he live long and well, Amen. From the holy city of Jerusalem, may it be rebuilt and re-established speedily in our days, Amen.
– method of interment of cremated body, – character of sacrificial gifts. Source: Elena Miroššayová
Legend: 1 – Ždaňa – burial-site; 2 – Trstené pri Hornáde – settlement; 3 – Nižná Myšľa – deposit of iron artefacts; 4 – Blažice - Bohdanovce – settlement; 5 – Košice-Krásna – settlement; 6 – Vyšná Myšľa – settlement (p. 17).
Ždaňa Burial-site in the Context of Development of the Northern Tisa Region during the Hallstatt Period, Archeology Institute, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Nitra 2015
Zicharon L’kdushim Hakvarim v’hamatzevote B’bayt HaKhaim V’brosham shel Haabad Hagahatz reb Yitzchak Aizik Kahana zatzkal Shuptzu bshnat 5776 Kan hakdushim v’hathorim anshe kehila kedusha Zshadani Shenehergu al kedush hashem b’shnat 5704 V’brosham Haabad Hagahatz reb Moishe Natan Neta Ha’Levi Yungreis zatzkal V’harabbanit Freizeh bat Hagahatz Hameharia Kahana Meungvar hayad She’alu ahl hamoked b’yom 4 b’Sivan 5704 V’bnam Asher Anshel hayad Ne’esah be’histadlut nechdam HaRav Moishe Natan Neta Halevy Yungreis Shalita May Ir Hakodesh Yerushalaim Tub-ba
pp. 143
With deep gratitude to Peter Absolon, who provided the phonetic transcription and arranged the translation.
The local Roman Catholic choir Gaudium
Back row, L to R: Roland Demko, Matúš Kažimír, Lukáš Vaľa, Miroslav Miščík, Ľubomír Zlacký, Lukáš Grega, Patrik Fogaraš Middle row, L to R: Peter Vereš, Tomáš Kováč, Michal Fonferko, Jakub Krompaský, Matúš Zupko, Ján Lučkai, Pavol Steininger, Pavol Hricišin, Ján Zámbory (Football Club Chairman) Front row, L to R: Andrej Oros, Marek Čigáš, Jakub Leško, Daniel Meco, Peter Juhás (trainer), Slavomír Pusztai, Ondrej Čigáš, Róbert Pastor
Part of the elementary school complex International sports day 2017 – class relay: Ján Albrecht, Regina Zupková, Kristína Zupková, Darina Ďurašková, Damián Guľa, Filip Deák, Dominik Pástor
Back row, L to R: Vladimír Bálint, Sebastián Grác, Nicolas Krajňák, Tomáš Pribula, Patrik Vilk, Tomáš Marcin, Ján Zámbory (trainer) Front row, L to R: Richard Marcin, Rafael Zámbory, Eduard Deák, Nikola Balogová, Filip Kračún; In front: Filip Deák Other clubs associated in the Hornád Ždaňa Sports Association: Football-tennis Club; Volleyball Club; Ice-hockey Club; Ždaňa Boxing Club.
ŽDAŇA
(pp. 38, 39)
Back row, L to R: Ján Juhás, Ľudovít Fialek, Bartolomej Gönci, Imrich Zlacký (d.), Bartolomej Bakši (d.), František Jambor (d.), Ladislav Béreš (d.), Ľudovít Zlacký (d.), Jozef Kardoš (d.) Front row, L to R: Bartolomej Begáni, Ján Kokarda, Juraj Vašš, Jozef Zlacký (d.), Bartolomej Žuk, František Zlacký (d.)