The main goal of the project is to draw attention to the 300th anniversary of the execution of the legendary bandit Jánošík, who was executed in Liptovský Mikuláš in 1713. At the same time, it is an opportunity to bring a contemporary perspective on a historical figure and legend, as it is a common cultural heritage of the Slovak-Polish borderland, which manifested itself in the Jánošík tradition as a unique cultural phenomenon.

Jánošík was born on the slopes above Terchová. Because the village did not have a church at that time, he was baptized on January 25, 1688 in the Varín church. At the end of 1707, Jánošík was recruited into the rebel army of Francis II. Rákoczi. In August 1708, he fought in the battle near Trenčín, which Rákoczi’s troops lost and Jánošík was captured by the imperial army. Jánošík later joined the imperial army and served as a member of the guard crew at the Bytčian Castle. Here he met the imprisoned bandit captain Tomáš Uhorčík, whom he helped to escape from prison. After his release from military service, Jánošík met Uhorčík again and allowed himself to be lured into a fight.

In September 1711, Jánošík took the brigand’s oath in Uhorčík’s company and soon became a brigand captain. Jánošík’s banditry lasted one and a half years – from the fall of 1711 to the winter of 1713, and its largest part falls on the summer and autumn period of 1712. Before the winter, the bands of bandits split up and the bandits bargained for service as winter servants for the landlords, improving themselves by poaching. Jánošík went to spend the winter on Malohont (today’s Gemer), because Tomáš Uhorčík, who got married and changed his name, settled there. Martin Mravec lived in Klenovec as a local shepherd. The capture of Jánošík was preceded by a six-month intensive search by the Liptovská sedria (court), which was very interested in the capture of Jánošík, because he beat Countess von Schardon in Liptov, and the Liptovská stolica had to pay compensation for beating the countess. The activity of the Liptov sedria was intensified by the ambush of Jánošík’s group in Svätoanenská dolina, where they beat up the Orava zeeman Ladislav Zmeškal.

At the end of February or the beginning of March 1713, about thirty dragoons led by the Zeman Andreanský came to Klenovec, surrounded the Mravcov (Uhorčík) house and captured Jánošík. Together with him, they also caught Martin Mravec, although at the time they had no idea that it was Tomáš Uhorčík. Both were taken to Liptovský Mikuláš and imprisoned in the Vranovo mansion. Jánošík was interrogated on March 16 and 17, 1713, first subjected to lighter, then more severe torture, and in the early evening of March 17, 1713, he was hanged by his left rib at the Šibeničky gallows in Liptovský Mikuláš.

For a long time, there was a tradition that the area in front of the Jánošík **** hotel was the place of Jánošík’s execution. No written document was found in the archives that would confirm but not refute it either.