Exactly 103 years ago today legendary Slovak diplomat Milan Rastislav Štefánik was killed in a plane crash while landing near Bratislava. As well as a diplomat Štefánik was also a politician, statesman, soldier, scientist, astronomer and traveller, and one of the founders in 1918 of the common state of Czechs and Slovaks. Since 1993 Slovaks have officially commemorated the 4th of May as the anniversary of Štefánik’s death. A nationwide ceremony on the occasion of the 103rd anniversary of his tragic death will take place on Saturday (7 May) at General Štefánik's burial monument at Bradla, the final resting place of one of Slovakia's key figures.
Jonathan McCormick, Photo: TASR
