Three Slovak Greats from Gemer

JUR HRONEC

PAV O L J O Z E F Š A FÁ R I K PAV O L D O B Š I N S K Ý

THREE SLOVAK GREATS FROM GEMER

JUR HRONEC (*1881 – †1959) Nestor* of Slovakian mathematics, teacher, public figure 1881, 17th May Born in Gočovo, now in Rožňava district, as one of five siblings. Two brother survived, another brother and sister died in childhood.

1887 – 1893 Local school in Gočovo.

1894 – 1902 Lutheran grammar school in Rožňava.

1902 – 1906 Studied mathematics and physics at university in Cluj, Transylvania, now in Romania.

1906 – 1921 Teaching at the famous Lutheran lyceum in Kežmarok. Gained his first PhD in 1907 at his alma mater in Cluj. Principal of the lyceum 1919 – 1921.

1908 Sabbatical year at the University of Göttingen, then the centre of world mathematics.

1910 Six weeks at Humboldt University in Berlin, preparing his next thesis.

1912 Second PhD, based on his thesis examining Fuchs’ theory of linear differential equations at the University of Giessen.

1914 Short stay at the Sorbonne in Paris, curtailed by outbreak of the First World War. Enforced rapid return to Kežmarok, completed in eight days.

1917 Marriage to Ema Schusterová (*1899 – †1935), daughter of his former teacher of German at the Lutheran grammar school in Rožňava. Only daughter Zuzana born in 1924.

1923 Assoc. Professor at Charles University in Prague.

1924 – 1937 Prof. at the Czech Technical College in Brno.

1928 Member of the Šafárik Learned Society in Bratislava.

1931 Manuscript of the work Algebraic equations and their use in analytical geometry.

1936 Initiator of the “Movement for Establishment of Universities in Slovakia”.

1938, 4th Aug First Rector of the M. R. Štefánik State Technical College in Košice. After the first Vienna Arbitration (2nd Nov.), Košice is assigned to Hungary. The College moves first to Prešov, then to Martin and finally to Bratislava.

1938 –1940 and 1945 – 1946 Rector of the College.

1939 Matica slovenská publishes his first book entitled Differential and integral calculus (2nd edition in 1949, when his work Algebraic equations and their use in analytical geometry was also published).

1940 – 1942 Dean at the College of Commerce in Bratislava.

1940 – 1941 Active role in founding the Faculty of Natural Sciences at the Slovak University. Jur Hronec worked here from 1st Oct. 1940 initially pro bono and from 1st Dec. 1950 until his death as full professor.

1945 Elected chairman of the Arts and Sciences Board and chairman of the Slovak National Museum.

1945 – 1954 Chairman of Matica slovenská (until 1950 together with Ladislav Novomeský).

1946 Chairman of the Commission for Establishment of the College of Agriculture and Forestry Management in Košice. This college later divided to form the Slovak University of Agriculture in Nitra, the Technical University in Zvolen and the University of Veterinary Medicine in Košice.

1946 – 1947 First Dean of the newly-founded Faculty of Pedagogy at the Slovak University in Bratislava. Later chairman of the Union of Czechoslovak Mathematicians and Physicists in Slovakia.

1951 – 1952 Founder of the Mathematics Olympiad school competitions – breeding mathematical talents to this day.

1953 Member of the Slovak Academy of Sciences.

1956 Doctor of Mathematical and Physical Sciences (DrSc.).

1959, 1st Dec. Dies after brief illness in Bratislava. Buried in his native village at his own request. *Nestor (Greek: Νέστωρ) is one of the heroes in Greek mythology. He appears in Homer’s Iliad as an old, very wise man with a guiding role in the Trojan War. Today this term is used to indicate the founder or most significant representative of a branch of science.

JUR HRONEC

First teaching staff at the M. R. Štefánik State Technical College in Košice (1938)

HISTORIA ZAMKU PAVOL JOZEF ŠAFÁRIK (*1795 – †1861) Co-founder of Slavic studies, historian and poet XIII-XIV w. budowa zamku obronnego na szlaku handlowym prowadzącym do Polski.

1795, 13th May Born as one of five children in the Luth. parish 1325 r. kasztelanem (łac. castelanus, synonim: palatinus, czyli house in Kobeliarovo, now in Rožňava district. His mother came zarządca zamku) zostaje Filip Drugeth. Ciekawostka: Drughet from Hanková. He was given his basic education by his father. to francusko-włoski ród pochodzący z Salerno pod Neapolem.

1805 – 1808 Study in Rožňava, where he learned Hungarian.

W bitwie pod Rozhanovcami w dniu 15 czerwca 1312 r. Dru1808 – 1810 Study in Dobšiná, becoming proficient in German. ghetowie walczyli po stronie króla węgierskiego Karola I Ro1810 – 1814 Study at the famous Lutheran lyceum in Kežmaberta. Za tę zasługę otrzymali rozległe majątki we wschodniej rok, where all his results were „eminens“ (Lat. outstanding), Słowacji. W późniejszym okresie zbudowali pałac w Humenn incl. the three Classical languages: Greek, Latin and Hebrew. em, będący symbolem miasta. Ród wymarł po mieczu w 1684 r.

His interest in researching into Slavic history and languages was born here.

1815–1817 Studies in theology, philosophy, history and mathematics at the Univ. of Jena.

Here he met Ján Kollár (*1793 – †1852).

1817 – 1819 Tutor in Pressburg (Bratislava) to the influential Kubínyi family. Here he got to know the Zdjęcia: Vladimír Kaminský Czech nat. campaigner František 1347 r. akt króla Ludwika Węgierskiego – pierwsza pisemna Palacký (*1798 – †1876), three yrs. wzmianka o zamku Makovica, którego nazwa pochodzi od łańhis junior, founder of Czech historicucha górskiego. Inne nazwy historyczne: 1347 Makuicha, 1355 cal studies and a key personality in naMakavicha, 1364 castrum Macauycha, 1367 castrum de Makotional awakening. Palacký was also a provicza, 1415, 1416, 1470 Makauicha; (łac. castrum to zamek). ponent of Austroslavism (unification of Slavs Król zakazuje kasztelanom Stefanowi i Jerzemu Bebekom in the Austrian empire on a federative basis). The Austro-Hung. (szlachecki ród, do którego należał zamek Krásna Hôrka wymarły Settlement of 1867 brought these ideas and efforts to an end. po mieczu w 1567 r.) zagrażać majątkowi Smilno (oddalonemu 1819 Several weeks’ stay in Gemer, his final visit to his native o 4 km) i przyciągać poddanych do posiadłości makovickiej. country.

1355 r. kasztelan Mikuláš Forgáč kieruje dalszym zasiedlaniem 1819 – 1833 Teaching at the Orthodox church’s new grammar posiadłości Makovica – Zborov. school in Novi Sad, Serbia, until 1824 as its first principal.

1364 r. posiadłość zamkowa Makovica wraz z posiadłością 1822 Marriage to Júlia Ambrózy (*1803 – †1876), who came Smilno otrzymuje na własność dziedziczną szlachcic Peter Cufrom the lower gentry with Slovak background. She spoke four dar z Onódu. W ciągu 100 lat ród ten przyczynił się do uświetlanguages, and she greatly assisted her husband in his research nienia zamku i posiadłości. work. They had 11 children together, but only four survived 1470 r. ród Cudarów wymiera. Owiany legendami i cieszący into adulthood. się dobrą sławą król Maciej Korwin (1443–1490) przekazuje po1826 In Budapest he publishes his breakthrough work written siadłość rodzinie Rozgonyi. W herbie rodziny królewskiej znajin German: Geschichte der slawischen Sprache und Literatur dował się kruk (łac. corvus), stąd przydomek króla. Maciej Korwin nach allen Mundarten (History of the Slav language and litewspierał budowę bardejowskiego kościoła i koszyckiej katedrature in all vernaculars). Here he presents the Slavs as one ry, która była była wznoszona przez 128 lat (ok. 1380–1508). nation, and considers their languages as a set of dialects.

Zmarł przedwcześnie, w związku z czym południowa wieża za1833, 4th May Arrival in Prague, after a month-long journey mku zwana Wieżą Macieja nie została dokończona. via Vienna and Bratislava. Led by František Palacký the Czech 1471 r. wyprawa wojenna Jagiellonów i spory o tron węgierski campaigners arrange an annual salary for him of 380 guilders, po śmierci Macieja Korwina w latach 1490–92 przyczyniły się allegedly on condition that “Henceforth whatever you wrido upadku świetności posiadłości makovickiej. te must be written in Czech language.” Subsequent editorial 1493 r. Zborov staje się własnością śląskiego szlachcica Schelwork for the Journal of the Czech Museum. lemberga.

1834 – 1835 Editor of the journal Světozor (World View).

1522 r. zamek przechodzi w ręce szaryskiej rodziny z Torysy 1836 – 1847 Works as book censor.

After his death his family had a catalogue of his library compiled, published under the Latin name: „Catalogus librorum, incunabulorum, codicum manuscriptorum, chartarum geographicarum, quae olim ad bibliothecam P. J. Ĺ afařík pertinebant“ (Vindobonae 1862, 8°., 116 S.) Translation: Catalogue of books, incunabula, manuscript codices and geographical charts which once belonged in the library of P. J. Ĺ afĂĄrik (Vienna 1862, 8°.,116 pp). This catalogue was organized into 32 thematic parts.

In 1959 the newly-founded University of Pavol Jozef Šafårik (UPJŠ) in Koťice was named after him→ upjs.sk Vestibule of UPJŠRectorate building, Šrobårova Street 2 photo: Milan Bobula

Since 1971 the Grammar School in RoĹžĹˆava on Akademika Hronca Street has also been named after him → gymrv.edupage.org There are 4 Latin phrases on the ceiling of the school vestibule: ".03 1"3&/56. t ".03 1"53*"& ".03 %&* t (3"564 "/*.64 Translation -PWF ZPVS QBSFOUT t -PWF ZPVS IPNFMBOE -PWF (PE t (SBUFGVM ZPVS TPVM

PAV O L J O Z E F Ĺ A FĂ R I K

1841 At the same time he holds the post of custodian (Lat. custos = administrator) of the University Library in Prague.

1842 Three editions of his fundamental works on Slavic philology: SlovanskĂŠ staroĹžitnosti (Slavic Antiquities - 1x), first edition 1837, and SlovanskĂ˝ nĂĄrodopis (Slavic Ethnology - 2x), third edition in 1849.

1846 Cautious criticism of Štúr’s standard Slovak language.

1848 Director of the University Library and extraordinary professor of Slavic philology at the university in Prague.

1848 – 1849 He spends the revolutionary years immersed in his research work. Lifelong nervous stress due to his work and to police snooping later caused him to suffer from severe depresions.

1861, 26th July Pavol Jozef Šafårik dies. Demonstratively, but also with great piety, he was buried at the Lutheran cemetery in the Karlín quarter of Prague. When this was cleared, Šafårik’s remains were transferred in 1900 to the famous Olťany Cemetery, also in Prague.

PAVOL DOBŠINSKÝ (*1828 – †1885) Luth. minister, Štúr supporter, collector and publisher of Slovak folk tales 1828, 16th March Born into the family of the Lutheran minister in Slavošovce, now in Rožňava district, as one of nine siblings. His godparents were paperworks owners Karol and Johanna Gyurky.

1837 – 1838 District grammar school in Rožňava.

1838 – 1839 Grammar school in Miškolc, Hungary.

1840 – 1850 Studies at the Lutheran lyceum in Levoča. (The original Catholic school was re-established in 1544 as a Lutheran grammar school. In 1696 this was renamed as the Lutheran lyceum. In spring 1844 Ľudovít Štúr (*1815 – †1856), the leading personality of the Slovak national awakening, was forced to come here with his students from the Bratislava lyceum. In 1843 Štúr together with Jozef M. Hurban and Michal M. Hodža produced a codification of standard Slovak language.)

A larger than life-sized statue of Dobšinský stands in the park outside the Municipal Offices.

1848 – 1849 First conscripted into the Hungarian honvéd land forces, he later joined the Slovak volunteers, but ended up in the Austrian Imperial Army.

1850 Novice minister’s exam.

1850 – 1852 Assistant to Lutheran minister Samuel Reuss in Revúca.

Here his interest in Sloval folk culture, language and collecting traditional folk songs fully develops.

1858 – 1861 Teacher of Slovak language and literature at the Lutheran lyceum in B. Bystrica.

1861 – 1885 Lutheran minister in Drienčany, now in Rimavská Sobota district. Here he announces: “Fighting for freedom, fighting against the evil in ourselves and everywhere where the devil corrupts us, fighting for humanity, let this be our alpha and omega.”

1885, 22nd Oct. Pavol Dobšinský dies. He is buried in Drienčany.

His Works 1858 – 1861 Slovak Tales (64 folk tales in six volumes, together with A. H. Škultéty.)

1872 Reflections on Slovak tales.

1874 Collection of Slovak folk songs, tales, proverbs, sayings, riddles, games, customs and superstitions.

1880 Slovak common people’s customs, superstitions and games.

1880 – 1883 Slovak common people’s tales – 90 folk tales in 8 volumes; published at his own expense.

Later editions were illustrated by the best Slovak artists, such as Martin Benka and Ľudovít Fulla. Pavol Dobšinský also translated Shakespeare, Byron and Mickiewicz into Slovak. His folk tales have been published in at least 21 countries. The classic tale Soľ nad zlato (German Der Salzprinz, English Salt More Than Gold) was filmed in a 1982 Czechoslovak-German coproduction made partly on location in Rožňava and in Domica Cave and Dobšinská Ice Cave. The main character is Maruška, the youngest of the king’s three daughters.

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In 2008 a memorial relief was unveiled outside the Council Offices and the Forestry Association. C om

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In his native village of Slavošovce, on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of his birth and the 10th anniversary of the founding of the first Czechoslovak Republic (1928), a commemorative plaque to Dobšinský was unveiled on the front of his birth house. Since 1970 a memorial room (mini-museum) has been set up here. In the same year the local school was renamed as the Pavol Dobšinský Elementary School, and a memorial to him was erected within the school grounds.

m e m o rat iv e

The writer, journalist and editor Prof. Ján Čajak Jr. ( *1897– †1982), the last indirect descendent of Pavol Dobšinský is an honorary citizen of Slavošovce.

In the village of Drienčany, where he worked as Lutheran minister and created the majority of his undying work, a Museum of Slovak Folk Tales was set up in the old parish house on 11th September 2015.

Dobšinský’s folk-tale world in Slavošovce

In 2016 the DAJAMA Publishers issued the book Pavol Dobšinský – život a dielo (life and work) written by Ondrej Sliacky. www.pantarhei.sk/autori/dobsinsky-pavol.html At Donovaly, a favourite tourist centre near Banská Bystrica, there is the folk-tale village of HABAKUKY. Here you can meet many of Dobšinský’s heroes, including Laktibrada, Popolvár and Zlatá Priadka. www.habakuky.eu The Panta Rhei bookshop sells Dobšinský’s folk tales at: www.pantarhei.sk/autori/dobsinsky-pavol.html

PAV O L D O B Š I N S K Ý

The Danes have Hans Christian Andersen, the Germans the Brothers Grimm, the Slovaks have Pavol Dobšinský...

GOฤ OVO Interior of the Lutheran church

The Lutheran church dates from 1790, the tower from the early 19th century. The Baroque altar is from 1761, the Baroque pulpit and the late-Baroque gallery round three sides of the church date from the late 18th century, The Gothic chalice is from the 16th century, the font in the sacristy is from the late 18th century, and the bell dates from 1789.

The birth house of Jur Hronec acquired this appearance in 2008.

Memorial room

Mรกria Sklenรกrovรก, tourist guide +421 904-231-864 | +421 58/788-32-80 (Council Offices)

KOBELIAROVO Interior of the Lutheran church

The early-Gothic Lutheran church dates from the late 13th century; in 1664 it was rebuilt in Renaissance-Baroque style. The silver chalice is from 1771.

In Šafárik’s birthplace his memorial house was opened to the public in 1978.

+421 58/795-12-43 (Village Office)

P. J. Šafárik and other Slovak and Czech greats

SLAVOŠOVCE

Interior of the Lutheran church The Gothic Lutheran church is from the 14th century, modified in the 16th century and extended in 1712. The Rococo altar from the mid-18th century is made from polychrome woodcarving.

The valuable Rococo pulpit from the late 18th century has figures of the four Evangelists, the Salvator Mundi (Lat. Saviour of the world) in the middle, and St. Michael the Archangel at the peak of the baldachin. The Renaissance stone font dates from 1639, and the bell was made in Banská Bystrica in 1639 by bellcaster Samuel Preiss.

View of the church and the birth house of Pavol Dobšinský The birth-house

Interior of the museum in the birth house

Milan Sajenko, exhibition curator, chronicler +421 907-367-938 | +421 58/788 26-00 (Obecný úrad)

ÆR NATALIS, MEDICINA UNIVERSALIS —The air of (your) birthplace is a universal cure— Medieval saying Brdårka

GoÄ?ovo

Kobeliarovo SlavoĹĄka

GemerskĂĄ Poloma

SlavoĹĄovce Rochovce

OchtinĂĄ

RoĹĄtĂĄr

OchtinskĂĄ Aragonite Cave

RoĹžĹˆava

HIKING TRAILS Newly-marked trail AUGUST 2016 (Creator: Ivan FrĂĄk | ivanfrak@atlas.sk) The start and end of the trail is outside the birth houses GoÄ?ovo – Kobeliarovo – BrdĂĄrka – SlavoĹĄovce Length: 25 km | time: 7 hrs. | difficulty: medium SlavoĹĄovce – Rochovce – OchtinĂĄ – OchtinskĂĄ Aragonite Cave – Ĺ tĂ­tnik Length: 20 km | time: 5,5 hrs. | difficulty: medium CYCLE TRAILS RoĹžĹˆava – Betliar – NiĹžnĂĄ SlanĂĄ – Kobeliarovo – back – NiĹžnĂĄ SlanĂĄ – GoÄ?ovo – späż – Henckovce (junction) – RoĹĄtĂĄr – OchtinĂĄ – Rochovce – SlavoĹĄovce (30 km in total) – Ĺ tĂ­tnik – RoĹžĹˆava altogether: 70 km | difficulty: hard RoĹžĹˆava – Ĺ tĂ­tnik – OchtinĂĄ – Rochovce – SlavoĹĄovce – (back) – RoĹĄtĂĄr – Henckovce (junction) – NiĹžnĂĄ SlanĂĄ) – Kobeliarovo – back – NiĹžnĂĄ SlanĂĄ – GoÄ?ovo – DobĹĄinskĂĄ Ice Cave – RoĹžĹˆava (43 km) altogether: 121 km | difficulty: hard NB: We recommend these maps: KoĹĄickĂ˝ kraj, 1:200 000, 2014, www.kosiceregion.com t 4-07&/4,Ă… ,3"4 5BUSBQMBO t 4MPWFOTLâ LSBT 4)0$BSU BOE the tourist guidebook to SlovenskĂ˝ kras, HornĂ˝ Gemer (Slovakian Karst, Upper Gemer), 2004.

Rejdová – a distinctive village, the venue for traditional folk music and dance festivals.

Brdárka – Dobšiná probably the largest is a gateway to the cherry orchard in open Slovak Paradise countryside in Slovakia.

National Park.

Favourite place for photographers in spring, when the trees are all in blossom. The village of Brdárka is Poprad well-known, similar to Kobeliarovo, for its making of high quality Dobšinská sheep cheese and curds and Ice Cave whey. The pens lie on the tourist trail.

Slavošovský Tunnel (below Homôlka Hill) was built between 1941 and 1944. It was meant to link Slavošovce with Revúca and Tisovec. It was never completed, and there are no tracks through it. It is about 20 minutes’ walk away from the village. Its length is 2 400 metres. At the entrance the Slavošovce Forest Association has put up several attractions on the theme of Dobšinský’s folk tales.

The local paperworks was founded in 1817.

Rochovce, Ochtiná, Roštár, Re vú ca Koceľovce a Štítnik – extraordinarily valuable Gothic interior of the Lutheran churches with frescoes from the 13th/14th century, especially in Štítnik.

Slavošovce church contains stillcovered reliefs created by the original Ruthenian inhabitants.

Ochtinská Aragonite Cave – one of only three caves of this type in the world. www.ssj.sk

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Krásnohorské Podhradie

Krásnohorská Dlhá Lúka Krásnohorská Cave Košice Gombasecká Cave

1995 the caves of the Slovakian Karst and the adjacent Aggtelek Karst in Hungary were inscribed in UNESCO’s World Natural Heritage List.

Dobšinská Ice Cave was added to the List in 2000.

Domica Cave

Road distances in km: ROŽŇAVA (district town) t (PĘŠPWP t ,PCFMJBSPWP t 4MBWPĂ?PWDF t Ă€UĂ“UOJL t #FUMJBS t ,SĂˆTOB )Ă™SLB $BTUMF t .BVTPMFVN PG %JPOâ[ BOE FrantiĹĄka AndrĂĄssy in KrĂĄsnohorskĂŠ PodhradĂ­e: 7 t ;ĂˆEJFM t ,PĂ?JDF GOÄŒOVO

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SLAVOĹ OVCE

Numbers of inhabitants as at 1. 5. 2016: GoÄ?ovo: 342 | Kobeliarovo: 466 | SlavoĹĄovce: 1865 The straight-line distance between them is about 12 km.

“I have had it confirmed many

times that only solid work and acquired knowledge, which cannot be taken away, can sustain a person till their death. Only honesty, diligence, solidity and knowledge can make a person blessed and happy. —Message of Academy Member Jur Hronec

“We’re all born curious. Let’s keep this natural human feature alive in ourselves, let’s try to satiate our souls every day. Let’s read, travel, discover, create and dream great dreams.

Let’s focus on what makes us happy and what fulfills us, and it’ll be worth it. —Norbert Werner (1981), astrophysicist, graduate of UPJĹ , originally from RoĹžĹˆava, now at Stanford University, USA

To mark the occasion of the publishing of this brochure, the author has created this Latin chronogram. The arithmetical total of the enlarged letters as Roman numbers gives the date of publication.

TRES VIRI ILLVSTRES SLOVACI EX GĂ–MERO SVNT. IDEO VIATOR NOSCE NVNC EOS. I! ATQVE IBI PAX TIBI!

Three famous Slovak men are from Gemer.

So, tourist, now get to know them.

Go there! And peace be with you!

∑ = 11xI+ 7xV+ 2xX+ 3xL+ 3xC+ 1xD+ 1xM = 2016 Main Sources of Information:

This project has been co-financed by the

1. GOÄŒOVO, birthplace of Jur Hronec KoĹĄice Self-governing Region through Ondrej Hronec, Daniela E. HroncovĂĄ-FaklovĂĄ, 2014 the Terra Incognita programme.

2. Constantin von Wurzbach: Šafařík, Paul Joseph.

In: Biographisches Lexikon des Kaiserthums Oesterreich.

28. Theil. Kaiserlich-kÜnigliche Hof- und Staatsdruckerei, Wien 1874, S. 53–65 (Digitalisat).

3. SLAVOĹ OVCE NAĹ E JUBILUJĂšCE, Milan Sajenko, 2008

Š Jozef SoroÄ?in | XXX JTTVV DPN 7ZE4PSPDJO+ t 2016 Š Photographs: Peter OlekĹĄĂĄk | peter.oleksak@centrum.sk Š Translation: Andrew Billingham Š Published for the villages of GoÄ?ovo, gocovo.sk, Kobeliarovo, kobeliarovo.sk and SlavoĹĄovce, obecslavosovce.sk, by: Jozef SoroÄ?in, JSL, M. RĂĄzusa 6, SK-071 01 Michalovce Š Printed by: Rotaprint, s. r. o., BarÄ?ianska 68, 04017 KoĹĄice

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