Bjornson's memorial plaque unveiled in Low Tatras

Norwegian writer and Nobel Prize laureate for literature Bjornstjerne Bjornson (1832-1910) now has a memorial plaque at the Jasná ski resort in the Low Tatras. Norwegian Ambassador to Slovakia Inge Magistad unveiled it on the iconic mountain chalet Bjornson in Demänovská Dolina last week. The idea to construct a monument for one of the most important figures in world literature was introduced as early as in 1930 by Slovak architect and ethnographer Dušan Samuel Jurkovič, however, it was later abandoned. The monument expresses gratitude of the Slovak nation to this writer, who publicly and openly defended the rights of a small unknown nation in the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Bjornson was interested in the fate of Slovaks and fought for their rights for their own language, national identity and culture. His stories concerning the oppressed condition of Slovaks in the Hungarian Empire were published in German, Austrian and French newspapers.