Village Bilky

Frankly speaking, the village Bilky was written down in our itinerary list in Irshava area as “the only point of interest” – well-known in certain circles of regional and historical studies – the Sobriety monument. Having arrived, we came into a small bar in the village outskirts, to ask where to look for this monument. It also fell out that we came across a daughter of the local teacher, who had worked in the local school for 40 years. So it started.

Is it the only sight in our village?!!! Do you know that 10,000 people live in Bilky? And there are 5 “neighbouring villages” (probably 9, can’t remember precisely), about 10 cemeteries: you can come across old enough. She was talking like that about 10 minutes. The Sobriety monument itself turned out to be not the main sight. The problem raised at once was that many sites can’t simply be found. To see the monument it is necessary to go to the “neighbourhood” Kolbasko (sometimes it is pronounced as “Kolbasovo”), which was named in honor of the community of Jewish-butchers producing long sausages for sale many years ago. You wander along small streets, then some small imperceptible turns, then the cemetery, and somewhere in its depth there is the monument. I would never find it myself. As a result, we spent 2-2.5 hours in the village. The excursion for us was done by the teacher, whose daughter we had met in the small bar. We visited many interesting places. Some of them will be spoken in this post.



Church in the village center. In the foreground – a bas-relief in honor of soldiers-liberators and the list of deceased fellows villagers.



Opposite the church – the community center



There are two memorial plates on it. The first one is to a well-known grain farmer Ivan Ignatko, who was a member of Sojma of Karpatsky Ukraine and the organizer of “Prosvita” society. The second one is to the world famous strong man Kroton (Ivan Firtsak-Kroton).

Historical note:

By efforts of fellow countrymen of the Transcarpathian village Bilky, the name and well-known athlete Ivan Firtsak life story are returned to people, who under a scenic pseudonym Kroton, took the audience by storm first in Europe, and then all over the world. In the Soviet Ukraine he, as many others, was under reprisals.

The owner of the shop selling “Ford” cars remembered the case, which happened in one of German cities in 1927. A well-dressed stout man entered the shop and in correct German asked about the price of one of the cars on sale. Having heard the answer, the stranger threw up eyebrows in astonishment: “Is it possible to ask such money for a toy, which can be taken out of this building on shoulders?!”

-It is possible, - hardly having come to senses from the statement, the salesman answered. - But if you carry this “toy” on shoulders at least tens meters, you’ll get it absolutely free of charge. And if not, you’ll pay 50 % on top.

He was incredibly amazed, when the customer, took off a fashionable jacket, got under “Ford”, and with several boards and chains lifted this car weighing almost the ton and carried it out of the shop. To honor of the salesman, he kept his promise: the buyer, a well-known fighter and circus athlete Kroton (Ivan Firtsak), got the car free of charge.

Then adventures of “Ford” and its owner kept on in Austria. Kroton, who broke the traffic regulations, was arrested, as he didn't have money to pay the penalty (the performance would be held only the next day). However, when Ivan easily moved thick steel bars of the ward apart and came in person to the office of the police station chief with the request to release him, struck officers immediately released him.

He amazed fellow countrymen with his huge strengths in his childhood. This Ukrainian guy with Czech citizenship from Transcarpathian outlandish village was born in the last year of the XIX century. No one knows, how his life would have gone, if he hadn’t been employed as an unskilled worker at one of Prague factories. Here Ivan showed that a strong person should be noble. When the owner offered him the salary to replace six workers, Firtsak refused to leave his companions without means of living. Upon declaring that, he was fired immediately.

The athlete who became unemployed decided to try himself in one of local circuses. His first competitor was carried away from arena on a stretcher, and in a week there was no one wishing to compete with Kroton (Prague inhabitants named Ivan in honor of one of mythical athletes). But this fact didn’t confuse the young fighter: he took up weightlifting and became a champion of the country in a year. He had excellent prospects in big sports; however, looking for stable earnings Kroton returned to the circus arena and from the middle of 20th together with “Herzfert circus” went on worldwide tours during 18 years. Performances of this powerful athlete (with height 190 sm he weighed 160 kg!) struck imagination: Kroton easily twirled the rope snapped in teeth with five persons, quite often went out to thearena with a pyramid made of nine persons standing on his shoulders, and, he brought the compère... on his palm. And once Ivan has subdued Madrid: acted in a bullfight, seized the bull, running directly at him, by horns, screwed its neck and brought the huge hulk straight into the restaurant kitchen, having caused indescribable delight of the audience. Soon without any preparation Kroton won the first place in the Parisian European championship on body building.

Kroton’s main victory was in London, where he was offered to box against John Jackson, the champion of England in super heavyweight. The expectation was very simple: “the Russian” never engaged in boxing would be beaten by the British celebrity, and his glory would fade away. To general surprise, Kroton agreed on a duel, and getting used to the ring, and angry from the received blows “shot” the competitor so that Jackson fell down on the floor with the broken breast. On behalf of the Queen the winner was prized with the helmet decorated with diamonds, cuffs and champion belt. But, the pleasure of this victory was saddened by Jackson's death: having realised that he wouldn’t be able to come out to the ring, in despair the crippled sportsman threw out from a window of the multi-storeyed building.

After triumphal tours around America New York newspapers named Kroton “the strongest person of the XXth century”. But in 1930 this Hercules hardly stayed alive. In Brazil, participating in fight without rules, Ivan had a duel with the local black giant, who had been unconquerable. The fight was held on a ring with the ropes stretched between peaked steel racks. After a long fight as equals Kroton threw his rival out of the ring. This fall ended tragically for the Brazilian fighter. Kroton himself paid for a victory as well – while falling on his back, he hit the head against the rack and damaged the skull. Long treatment in the USA saved him, where surgeons implanted a small safety golden plate into the athlete’s damaged bone.

After recovery Kroton was at stage for ten years. By the end of his career 64 countries admired his skills and strengths. When he came back to Transcarpathia in 40-ies, already attached to the USSR, the famous sportsman was appointed as the chief of militia in his native village. The senior child among his eight children, Ivan, also became the champion of the Ukraine in middleweight boxing, other children studied and worked. But in 1948 Ivan Firtsak Jr. was accused of nationalism because he sang Transcarpathian national songs and he was sentenced to death by firing squad. Later, this sentence was replaced by 25 years of imprisonment and sending to the GULag. Despite his return back home after Stalin’s death, Kroton and his family experienced hard times. In the late fifties the half-starved champion was allowed to act on improvised rural stages of Zakarpattia for a symbolical payment or food. If it wasn’t the case, Kroton yoked to a plough himself and helped to subdue his fellow villagers.

The champion didn’t stop trainings till his last days. His death in 1970 was caused by the inflammation under the American golden plate, which under the instruction of surgeons, should have been replaced long ago. However, to leave the USSR to get the treatment oversea was impossible even for the strongest person in the world…

Inhabitants of Zakarpattia village Bilky commemorate their well-known fellow countryman. Demonstration performances of weight-lifters, fighters and kickboxing sportsmen are regularly held. One of the village streets is named after Kroton, his bas-relief is mounted on the rural recreation center. The three-volume edition “Kroton” with materials about this outstanding athlete has been published. The name of this remarkable sportsman is returned again to people.

As for my opinion regarding how much fellow countrymen commemorate Kroton … The sad picture and idle words. In the whole village there is only one old bas-relief at school and a small “bronze like” plaque on the club. This is all. Even Kroton’s grave, which I could visit illicitly, is usual and nothing remarkable, hidden in the heart of the old cemetery. No more than couple pilgrimage traces to it in a year. It is sad.

By the way, in Bethlenyi palace, in the town of Beregovo, the keeper of a museum made a stand devoted to Kroton. He found his old helmet for performances and presented in a show-window.



This, actually, is the well-known monument of Sobriety. I wouldn’t have found it without the guide.



Inscriptions and symbolic on face sheet close up



Inscription behind



The cemetery, where the monument is in the middle, has a lot of old graves



There are unique ones …



This monument once stood in the middle of the village. When the Soviet councils came, it was decided to dismantle it and dump in the river. Nobody knew where exactly the monument had been thrown into the water. Only a few people knew: went secretly, looked. And then … the monument disappeared from the river. And when the Soviet councils weren’t any more, it appeared on a roadside of the old cemetery. They say, some enthusiasts took it out from the river, hid, and now have returned to people. This is the story.



In the village outskirts, in a small gorge, there is the memorial cross, erected at the place of execution of Ukrainian Sich Riflemengroup. The Hungarians brought them on March 16th, 1939, only in underwear, put them on a hillock, and told them: ”Run”. Some ran, some didn’t. Some were shot, some escaped. As a result, four persons were buried at the local cemetery, and the cross was put at the place of their execution. In 2007 the memorial marble pedestal was added. To the right, behind the pedestal, the path leads through the woods and in a few kilometers brings to the serf type ruins. It is an old outpost, supervising movement in a surrounding area of Borzhavsky valley.

Big and interesting village. Obviously, not so hearty as distant mountain small villages, but, nevertheless, it is worth visiting!

18.10.2010. 08:26

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