Katarína Barkóciová
Katarína Barkóciová (born 1929, Brodské, Skalica district)
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Katarína Barkóciová described the restrictions to which the Roma were subjected in Slovakia during the war. For example, they were not allowed to travel by train, go to the cinema, or visit entertainments. The Roma therefore entertained themselves at home, but even that was complicated because they were not allowed to visit each other. Everyone had to carry an identity card, and if they did not have it on them, or if it turned out during a check that they were somewhere other than where they lived, the Hlinka Guards or other gendarmes beat them. The checks were usually made at night. Barkóciová described that her female cousin was beaten once when she was staying with them, and her father’s brother was beaten several times.
Like the gendarmes, the Hlinka Guards wore uniform, but a different one, and they were also armed. They came round to check on the Roma, usually coming straight from the pub when they were drunk and felt like beating someone. They were local men from the village; Barkóciová said she knew them.
How to cite abstract
Abstract of testimony from: VAGAČOVÁ Ingrid, FOTTA Martin eds. Rómovia a druhá svetová vojna, Čítanka. Bratislava: Nadácia Milana Šimečku, 2006. ISBN 80−89008−20−8, 126 (slk), 135 (rom). Testimonies of the Roma and Sinti. Project of the Prague Center for Romani Histories, https://romatestimonies.org/en/testimony/katarina-barkociova (accessed 1/27/2026)
Testimony origin
The interview with Katarína Barkóciová was recorded in the late 1990s as part of the Milan Šimečka Foundation’s project entitled “The Fates of Holocaust Survivors”. It was conducted in Slovak and recorded on camera. The transcript has been shortened, slightly edited, and a translation into Romani is printed alongside the Slovak original.
