My name Mari Lenaršič. I am the sister of Jelena Breznik, Tone Kucler’s daughter. She has asked me to say a few words on behalf of her, her husband Fredi Breznik, her sons Mark & Alfred and her extended family in Australia.
Dear dignitaries, special guests and the dedicated organisers of this commemoration of the Kucler accordions from Drenov Gric.
First of all, I would like to thank all the partners for the effort and work you have put into this project—a project that has evolved into something far greater than originally envisioned, at least in our view. The fact that the Vrhnika Library, along with various institutions and individuals became involved shows their pride in the fact that the manufacturing of Slovenia’s most popular musical instrument—the diatonic accordion — originated right here in the municipality of Vrhnika.
Others have already written about the history of Kucler accordion manufacturing by my father, my grandfather and of the Kuclers going back to the 1860’s. However, I wish to briefly acknowledge more personal events of the Kucler family that are still quite raw in my memory.
I wish to remember my grandfather Franc Kucler, and my grand mother, Antonia – a national hero – and her five sons, Anton – my father and my uncles, Polde, Franc, stanko and Sandi who all fell during the war.
And I wish to remember my mother, Mici Kucler, Anton’s wife, also a hero. I also wish to acknowledge our Kucler neighbours pri Johan, France Leskovec, who protected and defended my mother and me from the occupying forces. As a 3 year old child, he would not allow the occupiers to abduct me and he facilitated my mother’s escape from capture. With my mother’s escape into the forest to fight, France took me in as one of his own for 3 years of the War – I was the 13th child in his house. If it was not for France Leskovec, my mother would not have survived the war and I would not be here.
I would like to also share some fond but also painful memories of those times. I cherish the memory as a 3 year old precariously riding on the handlebars of my father’s bicycle as we headed to Vrhnika for his performance at a “veselica”. Much to my mother’s concern for his bicycle riding antics, he laughed these off, as he was well known for his cheeky sense of humour.
Of the painful memories during the war, the Kuclers were warned that they were on a list to be annihilated, because of their support for the resistance. So they secretly buried some accordions, their manufacturing tools and personal affects. Occupying forces arrived, burned down our house and factory, shot my grandfather Franc on the spot and then proceeded to poke the ground with sticks, looking for the Kucler family’s last remaining possessions, particularly family photos. It was thanks to these efforts to conceal the family’s possessions that some buried accordions also survived, and are today being so thoughtfully
remembered and celebrated.
I would also like to recognise how the celebration of Kucler accordions has brought together the Kucler family, the Breznik family in Australia, the Cankar Library Vrhnika, Vrhnika Museum Society, Ivan Cankar Institute Vrhnika, the Research Centre of the Slovenian Academy, and most importantly, the lovely people of the Vrhnika community. This is a such a unique event and celebration, and I am so proud that this important part of Slovenian history is finally being recognised.
Thank you everyone,
Jelena.