Monument to heroes and fighters against fascism and Monument to the liberation of the city
In the center of Vranov nad Topľou, there are symbolically placed next to each other two monuments dedicated to the liberation of our city, which took place in different historical periods, but coincidentally on almost the same day. It is a Memorial to Heroes and Fighters against Fascism, which is an artistic representation of the liberation of Vranov nad Topľou on January 18, 1945 from fascist occupation. The second is a plaque commemorating an even older historical event, namely the liberation of the city on January 19, 1919 from Hungarian rule and the assignment of Vranov nad Topľou to the new Czechoslovak state. This monument was installed by Slovak Matica in 2019 and commemorates a landmark event that took place over five hundred years ago. The text on the memorial plaque is dedicated to the members of the 4th hund. of the 1st Battalion of the 1st Regiment of Slovak Freedom, who entered the town from Prešov on January 19, 1919 and thereby liberated Vranov nad Topľou and established the Czechoslovak state administration. This ended the thousand-year historical chapter associated with Hungary and we started a new path towards free Slovak and democratic statehood.
It must not be forgotten that several people from Vranov nad Topľou fought in the ranks of the Czech-Slovak legions on the fronts of the First World War for the revival of the Slovak nation after decades of harsh hungarization. The result of the disintegration of Austria-Hungary was the total liberation of the Slovak nation and the associated return of the Slovak language to schools, offices, and the general life of our ancestors. Thanks to this cultural and political revival, many Slovaks immigrated to Vranov nas Topľou from the surrounding villages and worked in the management of the public administration of the young Czechoslovak Republic. Before that, it was very difficult due to the semi-feudal Hungarian conditions.
The second liberation, better known to the public, took place in 1945. The troops of the Soviet Red Army – the 4th Ukrainian Front, under the leadership of Army General Ivan Yefimovich Petrov, which included the 1st Guards Army of Colonel General Greček and the 18th Army of Major General Gastilovič, brought peace to Vranov nad Topľou.
The first to enter Vranov nad Topľou in the morning at nine o’clock was Soviet tank no. 27 and soldiers of the tank company under the leadership of Lieutenant Colonel Ivan Nikolajevic Fedan, which was part of the 107th Rifle Corps of Lieutenant General Gordejev belonging to the mentioned 1st Guards Army. It happened in the area of the current part of the city Sídlisko 1. mája. During the next two days, January 18-19, the Soviet troops advanced without much resistance from the German troops towards Prešov and liberated one village after another.