Bojnice Castle also extinguished political prisoners, since the tragic event in Upper Nitra has passed – SME
One of the versions was sabotage.
Bojnice. The Bojnice Castle Fire of 1950 is one of the most tragic events in the history of this iconic place.
On Friday, May 9, 75 years have passed since this cultural disaster, which almost destroyed the entire monument.
On this occasion, the museum published the original situational sketch from a police investigation, which captures the sequence of expanding fire from the chimney under the thorns crown on the roof of the citadel to other roof objects.
During the period of political processes, there were also signs that directed to the suspicion of the assemblies of the then regime. Finally, the investigators found that the fire was the result of unprofessional handling of the chimney.
Fire was enough for four hours
« Stavoprojekt, a former Baťa design department, which was supposed to temporarily resided in the chateau spaces, decided to operate a tile furnace that has not been used for decades. Workers first tried to clean the chimneys mechanically. Kližan.
The fire of the Bojnice Castle was an unprecedented tragedy. Crying the whole city (photo+video) Read
The fire spread very quickly and began to deviate not only the roof of the citadel, which was covered with a wooden shingle, but also all three chateau towers, which were also wooden.
The fire gradually destroyed the roof and all the top of the castle, while the lock found itself in flames.
The fire originated shortly after nine o’clock in the morning and lasted until the afternoon, when it was located. However, rescue work continued for several days.
“As the documents follow, 21 fire brigades were involved not only from Bojnice, but also from the surrounding villages, Prievidza, Partizánske and even from Nitra. The curiosity was the intervention of volunteer firefighters composed of secured political prisoners from a new camp, ”added Kližan.
The fire claimed two serious and several minor injuries. The total damage climbed to approximately twelve million crowns.
Thanks to the insurance of the insurance And financial assistance from various sources, including the personal initiative of the then Interior Commissioner and the President of the Nitra Regional National Committee of Jozef Lietavc, could be started quickly.
A lock like the heart of the region
« The inhabitants of Bojnice got dead. The next day after the fire they wrote a memorandum they sent Presidentthe government and parliament. They asked the castle to be used exclusively for cultural purposes, such as a museum. This fulfilled the original intention of Count Pálfi, who wanted to make the castle available to the public, ”he added.
The Bojnice Castle, which was perceived as the heart of the city and the whole region, sowed mourning among the inhabitants of Bojnice and an unimaginable loss, but at the same time triggered a wave of initiatives to save and restore, which culminated the following year. It was opened again on September 2, 1951.
The fire was investigated and two employees of Stavoprojekt, architect František Fakenberg and his colleague František Nagel were originally accused. In the politically tense atmosphere of the 1950s, they were unjustly prosecuted.
Later, however, the investigation showed that it was an accident caused by a careless and unprofessional overflowing of the chimney.
