Like so many Slovak-American families, Dan’s family had lost contact with their relatives in Hanušovce Nad Topľou (near Presov) after his mother died in 1972. From Wilkes Barre, PA, Dan remained close to his Slovak-American culture, but, over the years, he continued to wonder about his Mom’s Pivovarnik family, and his Dad’s Handzo family in Eastern Slovakia.
When he reconnected with his mother’s family on this September’s Slovakia Heritage Tour, he was pleased to find that the family in Hanušovce had not forgotten the sister and aunt who left for America so long ago. Dan, with his friend Deb Nagle, was warmly welcomed back to the family. A young cousin had prepared a power point presentation detailing the family tree with pictures of their ancestors as well as branches of younger family members. Dan was surprised to see himself as a teenager with his mother and other photos of himself as a young man. The Slovak family had treasured these photos sent by his mother many years ago.
"It was an opportunity of a lifetime,” Dan said upon his return. “My mother would be pleased that I was able to meet her extended family, visit with them in the same house and see the church that my mother grew up in. We exchanged email addresses, and, since the younger generation speaks English, we can correspond as often as we want."
“Our Slovakia Heritage Tour aims to bring people together with their families or family villages, if possible,” said tour organizer, Judith Northup-Bennett. “People don’t realize until they connect with their families, how much it means to the Slovak family left behind...the family who’s told stories and handed down photos through generations about the brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles and cousins who left for America so long ago.”
The 10-day 2013 small group tour was blessed with fantastic weather to explore the beautiful Slovak landscape. “We had an adventuresome, active group so we included walks in the Span- ia Dolina mining area, the Tatry Mountains and the Liptovsky Lake region, “Northup-Bennett said. The group also enjoyed a wonderful 2 1⁄2 hour rafting excursion along the Polish/Slovak border in the dramatic Pieniny region.
The tour continues to attract non-Slovaks who see it as a way to explore a small Slavic coun- try that doesn’t make it on to the larger tour group itineraries of Central Europe. It’s a chance to learn about the history of Europe from a different perspective and experience Slovak life today as well as in the past.
“This year we had two women with fam- ily roots in Southern Poland just north of the Tatry and Carpathian mountain range, “Northup-Bennett explained. “The folk traditions and 19th century village life that they saw in Slovakia in the outdoor village museums and the other cultural sites, were basically the same throughout the Austro-Hungarian Empire at the time most of our grandparents left, whether it was from Slovakia, Poland or the Ukraine. The national borders were always chang- ing, but the life in the towns and villages remained the same.”
Tour participants will be able to fly directly home from Krakow which has excellent air service or continue on with an extension tours either to Prague and the Czech Republic, or to Bratislava and Vienna. Polish-Americans will also be able to extend their visit to family villages and other sites in Poland.
Organizer of Slovakia Heritage Tour: Judith Northup-Bennett
Visit www.slovakiaheritage.com or call directly at 978-544-5144
