Places to visit

Andrej Hlinka Mausoleum

Andrej Hlinka Mausoleum has been situated in Ružomberok since 1939 and it still attracts many visitors today. It is considered a place of reverence, which means one should behave with respect to the memory of Andrej Hlinka.

It is situated in the centre of the town, directly below the Parish Church of Saint Andrew.

The mausoleum has two parts, a chapel with an entrance and a tomb on the left side of the chapel. It includes a bust of A. Hlinka along with a stainless-steel cross.

Construction of the mausoleum was initiated by Anton Mederly, the mayor of the town at the time. It was inaugurated on October 31, 1939, when the remains of Hlinka were transported from the municipal cemetery to the Mausoleum.

However, it is not where Hlinka’s body itself is located. His remains were at the mausoleum only from October 1939 until February 1945. In February 1945, before the arrival of the Red Army, they were transported to a different location, which stays unknown to this day. Their fate is still unknown, the body disappeared during chaotic times at the end of the war. There are legends about his grave, but location is unknown.

Andrej Hlinka was an important Slovak patriot, politician and priest, who belonged among the main fighters for the autonomy of Slovakia. He was born in Ružomberok’s town district Černová.

When you visit the mausoleum, you might notice that the glass section of the casket has a hole from a bullet. This event happened in 1968 in St. Martin’s Cathedral in Bratislava, where the casket was located for some time.

An interesting fact is that the Mausoleum used to be depicted on the one-thousand Slovak Crown bill. 

The Andrej Hlinka Mausoleum is open to general public during summer holidays.