Linden has been chosen to memorialise Covid victims in Slovakia. (source: TASR)
Eighteen months into the pandemic, by planting linden trees Slovakia has started commemorating the thousands of people who fell victim to the disease.
The first linden, a tree seen as the symbol of Slavs, has been planted outside a medical university in the town of Banská Bystrica.
“We must never forget how vulnerable, fragile and weak we often are,” said Lenka Straková from the Real Victims civic association, who lost her mother to the coronavirus, pointing to the tragic consequences of the pandemic seen across society.
First linden planted to honour Covid victims in Slovakia stands next to a medical university in the city of Banská Bystrica. (source: Marek Mačica/Banská Bystrica Region)
The association came up with the Living Memorials project in late June, when they began to address municipalities and other bodies for cooperation.
Medical students are Slovakia’s hope
The Banská Bystrica Region is the first to support the initiative, and it is not a coincidence that a linden has been planted next to the medical school.
“Students are our hope that in the future, we will be able to handle crisis situations more easily, more professionally and most importantly, with the smallest number of victims,” said Ondrej Lunter, deputy governor of the region.
The tree should remind medical students how important their role is, not just during difficult times, added regional councillor Martin Turčan, who initiated the project in the region.
“At the same time, the tree will stand here as a symbol of respect for all the victims of the pandemic,” Turčan noted.
More linden trees to be planted
Several linden trees will be planted in the Banská Bystrica Region, but municipalities in other parts of Slovakia will plant the trees as well, including Žilina, Čadca, Košice, Senec, Púchov, Prešov, Zlaté Moravce, Nové Zámky, Michalovce, Trenčín and Hrušov.
The linden is one of the most beautiful trees in central Europe, growing to a height of 30 metres. It can live up to several hundreds of years. In addition, the linden is used to treat respiratory diseases.
People used to build columns in squares to memorialise the various plagues hitting nations around the world, including Slovaks.
Students, Banská Bystrica Region officials and Real Victims members plant a linden tree in Banská Bystrica. (source: TASR)
In Straková’s words, the aim of the project is for residents in as many towns and villages as possible to have a dignified symbolic place of reverence where they can stop and pay homage to the victims or organise a memorial service.
Raising money for the monument
More than 12,500 people in Slovakia are confirmed to have died of Covid to date.
The association is also raising money for a central Covid monument, which is supposed to stand in Bratislava. The visualisation of the memorial is said to be unveiled next year.
