SNP 82 National Event salutes the courage of the wartime generation of heroes who stood up for the values of freedom and democracy

Thousands of people turned out for Slovakia’s national commemorative event celebrating the 82nd anniversary of one of the most significant milestones in our modern history – the 1944 Slovak National Uprising (SNP) – at the SNP Memorial in Banská Bystrica on 29 August 2026. They paused in solemn reflection to pay tribute to our heroes who made the ultimate sacrifice fighting for Slovakia’s liberation in WWII.

The Official Wreath Laying Ceremony at the SNP Memorial took centre stage of the SNP 82 celebrations, followed by speeches from keynote speakers as well as a number of musical and cultural performances on the main stage – all broadcast live across the nation on national television.

Addressing the audience and the nation, Slovak President and Commander-in-Chief Peter Pellegrini, Prime Minister Robert Fico, and Parliamentary Chair Richard Raši committed to keeping the SNP’s resounding message of courage and resilience in the pursuit of freedom alive to reach the generations of today and tomorrow.

The anniversary celebrations offered a static display illustrating the tracked and wheeled armoured platforms in service with the Slovak Army and those of our NATO Alliance partners operating with the NATO Multinational Brigade Task Force Slovakia, as well as flypasts over the SNP Memorial from the Slovak Air Force’s multi-role rotorcraft and combat aircraft.

A key highlight of the day was the Oath of Allegiance Ceremony in Banská Bystrica’s Park below the SNP Memorial, which saw some 500 trainee soldiers swearing the Oath of Allegiance as a mark of the individuals’ loyalty to the country.

Of course not to be missed were demonstrations of hand-to-hand combat, dog handling techniques in use by Military Police Military Working Dog (MWD) handlers, and examples of missions conducted by Army engineers and medics. Also involved in the programme of side events were other government departments and ministries.

With the Slovak Defence Ministry and Armed Forces at the heart of the SNP 82 celebrations, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence Robert Kaliňák said: “I think we put on a sufficiently attractive programme for people, including a display of our military assets and other accompanying activities, which ran throughout the whole day. This is the best way to bring the SNP message closer to young people. I am very pleased that the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence of the Czech Republic, Jaromír Zůna, joined in with the celebrations in Banská Bystrica.”