JUDr. Ing. Juraj Králik, CSc. (26 July 1926 – 24 September 2012) was a Slovak

diplomat A diplomat (from grc, δίπλωμα; romanized ''diploma'') is a person appointed by a state or an intergovernmental institution such as the United Nations or the European Union to conduct diplomacy with one or more other states or internati ...

and

writer A writer is a person who uses written words in different writing styles and techniques to communicate ideas. Writers produce different forms of literary art and creative writing such as novels, short stories, books, poetry, travelogues, p ...

, who held the function of an advisor to the UN

secretary general Secretary is a title often used in organizations to indicate a person having a certain amount of authority, power, or importance in the organization. Secretaries announce important events and communicate to the organization. The term is derived ...

and contributed significantly to the development of Slovak folk dance.

Life

Juraj Králik was born in 1926 in

Košice Košice ( , ; german: Kaschau ; hu, Kassa ; pl, Коszyce) is the largest city in eastern Slovakia. It is situated on the river Hornád at the eastern reaches of the Slovak Ore Mountains, near the border with Hungary. With a population of app ...

. 10 years later, after the First Vienna Award, his family moved to Michalovce. The family was relatively well connected socially. Králik's early upbringing was influenced by frequent visits by important personalities from among the

Lutheran Lutheranism is one of the largest branches of Protestantism, identifying primarily with the theology of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German monk and reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Catholic Church launched th ...

intelligentsia ( Milan Hodža,

Martin Rázus Martin Rázus (pseudonym A pseudonym (; ) or alias () is a fictitious name that a person or group assumes for a particular purpose, which differs from their original or true name (orthonym). This also differs from a new name that entirely or ...

general A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of highest military ranks, high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers t ...

Ferdinand Čatloš, Elo Šándor) and various

minister Minister may refer to: * Minister (Christianity), a Christian cleric ** Minister (Catholic Church) * Minister (government), a member of government who heads a ministry (government department) ** Minister without portfolio, a member of government w ...

s. During his studies in Michalovce Juraj Králik became a member of the Zemplín folk group. He was later conscripted for the

1st Czechoslovak Army Corps in the USSR The 1st Czechoslovak Army Corps ( cs, První československý armádní sbor, sk, Prvý československý armádny zbor), also known as Svoboda's Army ( cs, Svobodova armáda, after its commander Ludvík Svoboda), was a military formation of the C ...

and accepted into a reserve officer school. Later he continued his studies in

Bratislava Bratislava (, also ; ; german: Preßburg/Pressburg ; hu, Pozsony) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Slovakia. Officially, the population of the city is about 475,000; however, it is estimated to be more than 660,000 — approxim ...

at the University of Economics and the Comenius University Law School (he graduated with honors in 1949). He also studied

opera Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a librett ...

singing. Juraj Králik spoke several foreign languages, and passed state-level exams for 6 of them. On 1 September 2006

president President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...

Ivan Gašparovič awarded Juraj Králik with the

Order of Ľudovít Štúr The Order of Ľudovít Štúr ( sk, Rad Ľudovíta Štúra) is the third highest Slovak state decoration (after the Order of the White Double Cross and the Orders, decorations, and medals of Slovakia#Andrej Hlinka Order, Order of Andrej Hlinka) ...

1st class for exceptional contributions in the area of foreign policy.

Diplomatic career

After finishing his studies, Juraj Králik began working at the Legal Philosophy Institute as an assistant. He later became the acting head of the Legal Theory Institute. In 1953 he started working full-time in the area of diplomacy and was sent on his first foreign mission. From 1953 until 1960 he worked at the

Czechoslovak Czechoslovak may refer to: *A demonym or adjective pertaining to Czechoslovakia (1918–93) **First Czechoslovak Republic (1918–38) **Second Czechoslovak Republic (1938–39) **Third Czechoslovak Republic (1948–60) **Fourth Czechoslovak Repub ...

embassy A diplomatic mission or foreign mission is a group of people from a state or organization present in another state to represent the sending state or organization officially in the receiving or host state. In practice, the phrase usually deno ...

Budapest Budapest (, ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Hungary. It is the ninth-largest city in the European Union by population within city limits and the second-largest city on the Danube river; the city has an estimated population ...

, responsible for political intelligence. The prognoses based on his reports were shown to be very accurate. At the age of 30 and having the rank of the 1st Secretary, Juraj Králik received a state award for work excellence. From 1963 until 1971 he held the post of ambassador to the UN, where he worked as the chairman of one of the committees of the Conference on Disarmament in

Geneva Geneva ( ; french: Genève ) frp, Genèva ; german: link=no, Genf ; it, Ginevra ; rm, Genevra is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland (after Zürich) and the most populous city of Romandy, the French-speaki ...

. In 1968 Králik's career was interrupted for 20 years, and he left to work out of the spotlight in the UN's Center for Environmental Protection, the Radio ecology and Nuclear Technology Usage Institute in

, and the Hydro meteorological Institute of Milan Rastislav Štefánik in

. After the change of the regime, Juraj Králik returned to active

diplomacy Diplomacy comprises spoken or written communication by representatives of states (such as leaders and diplomats) intended to influence events in the international system.Ronald Peter Barston, ''Modern diplomacy'', Pearson Education, 2006, p. 1 ...

and between 1990 - 1993 returned to his former function of an

ambassador An ambassador is an official envoy, especially a high-ranking diplomat who represents a state and is usually accredited to another sovereign state or to an international organization as the resident representative of their own government or sov ...

to the UN. At the same time, until 1994 he worked at the post of a special adviser for disarmament under two UN secretaries general (

Javier Pérez de Cuéllar Javier Felipe Ricardo Pérez de Cuéllar de la Guerra (; ; 19 January 1920 – 4 March 2020) was a Peruvian diplomat and politician who served as the fifth Secretary-General of the United Nations from 1982 to 1991. He later served as Prime Mini ...

and Boutros Boutros-Ghali). Králik also held the post of the Chairman of the Board of the Slovak National Center for Human Rights, the President of the International UN Society in

Slovakia Slovakia (; sk, Slovensko ), officially the Slovak Republic ( sk, Slovenská republika, links=no ), is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the s ...

, an advisor to

Eduard Kukan Eduard Kukan (26 December 1939 – 10 February 2022) was a Slovakian politician who served as Minister of Foreign Affairs from 1998 to 2006. He was a candidate in the presidential election held on 3 April 2004, and although pre-election polls ha ...

, and created a proposal for the creation of a

Štefan Osuský Štefan Osuský (31 March 1889 – 27 September 1973) was an Austro-Hungarian born Slovak lawyer, diplomat, politician and university professor. Biography Osuský was born in March 1889 in Brezová pod Bradlom, in the Nitra County of the A ...

Diplomat A diplomat (from grc, δίπλωμα; romanized ''diploma'') is a person appointed by a state or an intergovernmental institution such as the United Nations or the European Union to conduct diplomacy with one or more other states or internati ...

ic Academy in

. He taught at the School of International Relations of the University of Economics in

and the Comenius University Law School.

Contribution to the artistic life in Slovakia

In 1948 Juraj Králik contributed to the creation of the folk dance group Lúčnica and is considered to be one of its founders. He also contributed to the creation of the SĽUK. He painted

aquarel Watercolor (American English) or watercolour (British English; see spelling differences), also ''aquarelle'' (; from Italian diminutive of Latin ''aqua'' "water"), is a painting method”Watercolor may be as old as art itself, going back to t ...

s depicting the life of people in the Zemplín region and dedicated his time to

singing Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or without ...

sport Sport pertains to any form of Competition, competitive physical activity or game that aims to use, maintain, or improve physical ability and Skill, skills while providing enjoyment to participants and, in some cases, entertainment to specta ...

, and playing

piano The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a keyboa ...

Works

Juraj Králik wrote thirteen books, including the following: * Karierny diplomat (A Professional Diplomat) - 2006 * Letokruhy diplomacie (Diplomacy Chronicles) - 2003 * Medovňik - ľubovňik abo Každy to kvitočok svuj makortet najdze - Zemlínska rapsódia * Trójsky kôň civilizácie (The Troyan Horse of Civilization) * Lúčnica-moja láska (Lúčnica - My Love) * Na Zemplíne ibreto k opere(In Zemplín pera libretto

References

Sources

* http://www.sme.sk/c/2874980/zivotopisy-vyznamenanych-pri-prilezitosti-dna-ustavy-sr.html * https://web.archive.org/web/20071030103528/http://www.slovak.cz/Default.aspx?show=Korene&type=2&clanek=1393 * https://web.archive.org/web/20110719022233/http://www.hc.sk/src/hudobny_zivot_clanok.php?hz_clid=99&hzid=106&menutyp=archiv {{DEFAULTSORT:Kralik, Juraj 1926 births Slovak writers Slovak diplomats 2012 deaths Permanent Representatives of Czechoslovakia to the United Nations University of Economics in Bratislava alumni Czechoslovak expatriates in Hungary