The Slovak Cultural Garden was dedicated in 1935 and was the 5th Cultural Garden in the group.
George Terbrak is one of the chairs of the Slovak Cultural Garden and he led a tour of the Slovak Garden in August 2009. The videos below are from that tour. George does not just describe the Garden but also includes interesting information and stories about the Slovak people, Slovakia, Czechoslovakia and the two honorees of the monuments, Stefan Furdek and Ján Kollár.
A quick look at the sign on the upper level of the Slovak Garden
In the video below, George Terbrak begins the tour of the Slovak Cultural Garden.
George explains that the word "Slova" means "Word" so a "Slovak" is a man of the word.
There are 2 main monuments in the Slovak Cultural Garden. One is to Stefan Furdek, a priest who worked with Czech and Slovak immigrants in Cleveland. Furdek was born in Trstena, Slovakia. Furdek worked in many Cleveland churches and communities including St Wenceslas, Our Lady of Lourdes and St. Ladislas.
Furdek founded the national fraternal insurance organization, the First Catholic Slovak Union and was the founder and publisher of Jednota, its journal. Furdek wrote numerous books and pamphlets on religious and educational themes in Slovak and Bohemian and published a reader for Slovak students.
The other monument is to Slovak poet Ján Kollár.
Unfortunately, these 2 busts were stolen a few years ago. Fortunately they were recovered and will be restored in the near future. The video below includes an explanation of the theft of the Kollár and Furdek busts.
Did you know that the first One World Day was held in the Slovak Garden back in 1946? The Slovak Garden has been host to the annual One World Day many times.
In this final video, George Terbrak tells about the interesting trees and shrubs in the Slovak Garden, such as the Linden tree. He continues with information about the history of Slovaks and Slovakia including the role that Cleveland's Gray's Armory played in the formation of Czechoslovakia.
The Cultural Gardens of Cleveland are a treasure. If possible you should plan on visiting them.
