Prague, June 7 (CTK) – Czechoslovak legionaries or fighters against the Austro-Hungarian monarchy during World War One who participated in the battle of Zborov on the Russian front in 1917 benefited the state, the Chamber of Deputies said in its resolution passed today.
The battle of Zborov started in July 1917. It was part of an offensive against the Central Powers by the Russian Provisional Government, which eventually foundered.
The Czechoslovak legionaries fought the Austro-Hungarian military near the small town of Zborov, now Zboriv, situated in present-day Ukraine.
“Czechoslovak legionaries’ sacrifices near Zborov brought a great victory, significantly contributing to the recognition of the legitimacy of the foreign resistance and our right to self-determination,” the resolution said.
The legionaries’ acts should never be forgotten, it added.
“The heroes of Zborov have merits for the state,” the lower house said.
Chamber of Deputies chairman Jan Hamacek (Social Democrats, CSSD) said the battle of Zborov was a momentous event that helped establish independent Czechoslovakia [in October 28, 1918].
He said in the interwar period, this was the second most important national holiday after October 28.
The battle of Zborov was the first major combat action of Czechoslovak “legions” on the eastern front. It took place between July 1 and 2, 1917.
Its 100th anniversary will be evoked by a national pilgrimage to the battlefield. The programme will include the unveiling of a reconstructed memorial built in 1927.
Hamacek said the text of today’s resolution would be put in the memorial within the July national pilgrimage to Zborov.
Hamacek stressed that a similar resolution had been passed in the past.
“In 1927, when Czechoslovakia celebrated the tenth anniversary of the battle, the boards of both houses of the National Assembly also passed a resolution. It was put in the memorial at the Zborov battlefield,” Hamacek said.
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