They Had Beautiful Boots and Bananas There. (In)visible Presence of Soviet Soldiers in a Small Town

Abstract

The Warsaw Pact armies invaded the state territory of the former Czechoslovakia in August 1968 in order to suppress liberalisation reforms. The event fundamentally transformed further political, democratising, economic, cultural and social processes in Czechoslovakia. The military presence of Soviet intervention troops resulted in the establishment of special garrisons that became de facto foreign and 'invisible' zones. Zvolen became one of such places where Soviet soldiers operated, worked and lived. The garrison as well as a purpose built residential district for the members of the Soviet army and their families were situated in Zvolen. The objective of this study is to explain in detail whereabouts in the town their presence was (in)visible and to demonstrate examples of situations in which the soldiers, their families and local citizens came into official and unofficial contact. The study is based on archival materials, contemporary regional print and field research.