The War Cemetery Svidník II ranks among the large cemeteries in the Svidník district. It is located only a few score metres from the grandiose Soviet monument. It is a part of the civil cemetery. Unfortunately, we don’t have much information about this war cemetery.

There are 67 graves in the cemetery, 13 of which are mass graves. These are graves no. 23-33, 62, 65 and 67. How many bodies are buried in these mass graves is unknown. Graves no. 63, 64 and 67 are common graves. The archives contain no information on how many soldiers are buried in these common graves. The overall number of graves is rounded out by 51 individual graves. According to archival documents, there are 360 ​​soldiers buried in the cemetery, but we don’t know the source of this number, and we cannot verify it without further information on common and mass graves.

Additional data on the fallen in the cemetery is basically unknown. Registration records do not list the names, nationalities or units for the soldiers buried in this cemetery. All of them died in the period of 1914 – 1915. The cemetery probably contains soldiers killed in combat, but also those who died due to injuries or illness behind the lines. One rarity is the grave of Czechoslovak soldier Ján Hlaváč. This soldier died under unknown circumstances in July 1921 and was buried at this war cemetery.

The cemetery was established at the time of the First World War. No documents have been preserved which would confirm any burials in this cemetery during the inter-war period.

The war cemetery is today a dignified war memorial site. The grave are aligned and grassed-covered. A tetrad and three stone crosses are symbolically placed around the cemetery. In the middle of the cemetery is a path leading to the central monument, which is a metal cross. At the cemetery entrance is a stone monument with a stone tabula. The text on the board reads “Here lies 360 unknown soldiers killed in the First World War”.

This cemetery, however, is not just a place of reverence. It also has great cultural-historical value. It’s a pity that there is no appropriate information board on this site to inform visitors about the history of the cemetery’s founding.

 

Source of text and photo www.kvhbeskydy.sk