Karol Kuzmány ( hu, Kuzmány Károly; 16 November 1806 in

Brezno Brezno (; 1927–1948 ''Brezno nad Hronom'', german: Bries or ''Briesen'', hu, Breznóbánya) is a town in central Slovakia with a population of around 21,000. Geography Brezno is located within the Horehronské podolie basin. Brezno lies betw ...

– 14 August 1866 in Štubnianske Teplice) was a prominent Slovak

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

pastor, writer, and theologian in the

Kingdom of Hungary The Kingdom of Hungary was a monarchy in Central Europe that existed for nearly a millennium, from the Middle Ages into the 20th century. The Principality of Hungary emerged as a Christian kingdom upon the coronation of the first king Stephen ...

, with a focus on philosophy and

aesthetics Aesthetics, or esthetics, is a branch of philosophy that deals with the nature of beauty and taste, as well as the philosophy of art (its own area of philosophy that comes out of aesthetics). It examines aesthetic values, often expressed t ...

. He studied at the

University of Jena The University of Jena, officially the Friedrich Schiller University Jena (german: Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena, abbreviated FSU, shortened form ''Uni Jena''), is a public research university located in Jena, Thuringia, Germany. The un ...

in Germany between 1928 and 1929. He returned to Slovakia after his education and became a chaplain in Banská Bystrica in 1830, later serving as a pastor there and in

Zvolen Zvolen (; hu, Zólyom; german: Altsohl) is a town in central Slovakia, situated on the confluence of Hron and Slatina rivers, close to Banská Bystrica. It is surrounded by Poľana mountain from the East, by Kremnické vrchy from the West ...

. In 1849 he became professor of practical theology at the

University of Vienna The University of Vienna (german: Universität Wien) is a public research university located in Vienna, Austria. It was founded by Duke Rudolph IV in 1365 and is the oldest university in the German-speaking world. With its long and rich hist ...

and began to publish works on theology. In 1860 he was elected

superintendent Superintendent may refer to: *Superintendent (police), Superintendent of Police (SP), or Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), a police rank *Prison warden or Superintendent, a prison administrator *Superintendent (ecclesiastical), a church exec ...

(an ecclesiastical position equivalent in the Lutheran church to that of

bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is c ...

), serving the Bratislava superintendency. Kuzmány was a co-founder and vice-president of the Slovak League (). The group, which promoted Slovak culture and learning during the time of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, first met in 1863. As vice-president, Kuzmány was responsible for directing the group's activities, a responsibility he maintained through 1870. He worked to improve the legal status of both Lutherans and Slovaks in the Empire. Kuzmány is buried at the National Cemetery in Martin.Press release for release of commemorative 2006 coin

National Bank of Slovakia National Bank of Slovakia ( sk, Národná banka Slovenska, NBS), is the central bank of Slovakia, a member state of the European Union since 2004 and of the euro area since 2009. It was formed on from the division of the State Bank of Czechos ...

main site
/ref> His likeness appears on a Slovakian postage stamp and a Europa Coin from 2006.

References

Bibliography

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Kuzmany, Karol 1806 births 1866 deaths People from Brezno Slovak religious leaders 19th-century Slovak writers Slovak Lutherans Lutheran bishops in Europe Burials at National Cemetery in Martin