The best known meals from here are the cabbage soup („kapustnica“) and sausages („klobása“). The traditional alcoholic beverage is the plum brandy („slivovica“), which usually contains between 52 and 60% of alcohol.

Here, the prevailing religion is the Lutheran. During the 1840s, the town became one from among several centers of Slovak cultural life and in 1848, it became one of the most important Slovak centers of anti-Habsburg resistance. The area of the town and the surroundings is a homeland for several important Slovak old Lutheran families, with much important sons and daughters who became well known personalities in the area of politics, diplomacy, trade, culture, architecture and engineering throughout 19th and 20th centuries.

Štefániks are perhaps the best known from them, since Milan Rastislav Štefánik (1880-1919) was an astronomer, French-army World-war-I general and Czechoslovak diplomat, who contributed in an essential way to the foundation of Czechoslovakia in 1918 while opening the contacts in American and European „reception salons“ to Tomáš Garrique Masaryk, who became the first Czechoslovak president. They advocated for the independence of Czechs and Slovaks and organized the well know troops called „legions“ in France, Italy and Russia, who were fighting against the Central Powers in WW I and later on, against the bolshevik Russia. I hope to be able to make another article dedicated to places related with Štefánik.

Brezová’s Lutherans played a significant role also in the anti-nazi and anti-communist resistance. Štefan Osuský (1889 – 1973) and Ján Papánek (1896 – 1991) are the best known representatives of these periods – they are well known not only in Slovakia, but also abroad, mainly in the U.S.

I think that more than 90% of the old settlers in Brezová have their relatives in the U.S., due to several waves of political and economical emigration from this area which started after 1848, continued during WW I, WW II and communism. Hence the local ties with the U.S. are pretty strong and you can find much people here who will tell you they find America as their second homeland, much of them even without never being there! They just realize that the U.S. provided a freedom, shelter and safety for their families during the worst times in our history. I agree with them – we should never forget it.

Today, the town is very quiet, and unless you read the unusual number of commemorative tablets on its houses, you hardly realize you are in a place which is well saturated with Slovak history – mainly with that one related to 19th and 20th centuries. The town has nice routes for hiking around. In the summer, you can enjoy its swimming pool. Activities like horse riding and cross-country skiing are also feasible.

I dedicate this article to all Brezovans and their offspring living overseas – I know there are many of them there. I made my pictures during various days of August 2004. Enjoy them!