Silvia Gašparovičová ''née Beníková'' (born 13 January 1941) was the First Lady of Slovakia from 2004 to 2014 as wife of former President

Ivan Gašparovič Ivan Gašparovič (; born 27 March 1941) is a Slovak politician and lawyer who was third president of Slovakia from 2004 to 2014. He was also the first and currently the only Slovak president to be re-elected. Biography Ivan Gašparovič was ...

Early life

Gašparovičová attended the Slovak Technical University from 1960 until 1965 where she studied

civil engineering Civil engineering is a professional engineering discipline that deals with the design, construction, and maintenance of the physical and naturally built environment, including public works such as roads, bridges, canals, dams, airports, sewa ...

and also from 1971 to 1973 she studied economical law at

Comenius University Comenius University in Bratislava ( sk, Univerzita Komenského v Bratislave) is the largest university in Slovakia, with most of its faculties located in Bratislava. It was founded in 1919, shortly after the creation of Czechoslovakia. It is name ...

. She worked at the Ministry of Construction from 1971 until 1991. In 1992 she was appointed to a position of expert real estate appraiser at the Bratislava Municipal Court, which she did not hold for long. She was a private construction company's executive before her husband was elected national president.

First Lady of Slovakia

As first lady, Mrs Gašparovičová has a role representing her country at official events at home and abroad. In October 2010, she received a state visit from King Harald and

Queen Sonja Sonja (born Sonja Haraldsen on 4 July 1937) is Queen of Norway since 17 January 1991 as the wife of King Harald V. Sonja and the then Crown Prince Harald had dated for nine years prior to their marriage in 1968. They had kept their relation ...

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the ...

. She accompanied the Queen on visits to the art center Danubiana Meulensteen; the Gaudeamus Centre for disabled children; and the ÚĽUV arts center for the preservation of Slovak crafts. After she became first lady, she founded the ''Silvia Gašparovičová Foundation'' which focuses on education and health. She also supports projects supporting women entrepreneurs, and parents.

Honours

Foreign honours

* : Dame Grand Cross of the Order of the Dannebrog (October 2012). * : Dame Grand Cross of the

Order of Isabella the Catholic The Order of Isabella the Catholic ( es, Orden de Isabel la Católica) is a Spanish civil order and honor granted to persons and institutions in recognition of extraordinary services to the homeland or the promotion of international relations a ...

(22 October 2007).Boletín Oficial de Estado
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References

1941 births Living people First ladies of Slovakia Grand Crosses of the Order of the Dannebrog Recipients of the Order of Isabella the Catholic Dames Grand Cross of the Order of Isabella the Catholic Slovak University of Technology in Bratislava alumni Comenius University alumni {{Slovakia-bio-stub