Milan Karvaš
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Milan Karvaš (5 June 1932 – 2 August 2024) was a Slovak chemist.


Biography

Milan Karvaš was born on 5 June 1932 in
Bratislava Bratislava (German: ''Pressburg'', Hungarian: ''Pozsony'') is the Capital city, capital and largest city of the Slovakia, Slovak Republic and the fourth largest of all List of cities and towns on the river Danube, cities on the river Danube. ...
. His father was the economist
Imrich Karvaš Imrich Karvaš (25 February 1903 – 22 February 1981) was a Slovak economist. Life Imrich Karvaš was born in Varšany, on 25 February 1903. He entered the Law Faculty of Comenius University in Bratislava in 1921, graduating in 1925. After grad ...
. During the
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, his father served as the governor of the
National Bank of Slovakia National Bank of Slovakia (, NBS) is the national central bank for Slovakia within the Eurosystem. It was the Slovak central bank from 1993 to 2008, issuing the koruna. Since 2014, it has been Slovakia's national competent authority within Eur ...
and used his position to fund the
Slovak National Uprising Slovak National Uprising ( Slovak: ''Slovenské národné povstanie'', abbreviated SNP; alternatively also ''Povstanie roku 1944'', English: ''The Uprising of 1944'') was organised by the Slovak resistance during the Second World War, directed ag ...
. Knowing that the regime will punish him for this, Imrich Karvaš moved his family, including young Milan, to
Bojnice Bojnice (; ) is a historical town in east Slovakia located on the Nitra (river), Nitra river, near the city of Prievidza. The town is situated just below the Bojnice Castle. It has a population of around 5,000. Bojnice is best known for its popul ...
, although he was not able to escape in time to avoid his own arrest by the gestapo. Due to the political background of his father, Karvaš was unable to pursue university studies and had to support himself with manual labor while repeatedly applying to various programs. In 1957 he was able to graduate from the
Slovak University of Technology in Bratislava Slovak University of Technology in Bratislava (STU) () is the biggest and oldest university of technology in Slovakia. In the 2012 Academic Ranking of World Universities it was ranked in the first 150 in Computer Science, the only university in ...
with an engineer degree in chemistry. After graduation he worked at the
Slovak Academy of Sciences The Slovak Academy of Sciences (, or SAV) is the main scientific and research institution in Slovakia fostering basic and strategic basic research. It was founded in 1942, closed after World War II, and then reestablished in 1953. Its primary ...
until 1960, when he was again dismissed due to his family background and had to support his family through once again working as a laborer at a chemical plant in Bratislava. Karvaš benefited from the political liberalization during the
Prague Spring The Prague Spring (; ) was a period of liberalization, political liberalization and mass protest in the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic. It began on 5 January 1968, when reformist Alexander Dubček was elected Secretary (title), First Secre ...
and was able to move from laborer to engineer position at the plant, defend his candidature at the
Slovak Academy of Sciences The Slovak Academy of Sciences (, or SAV) is the main scientific and research institution in Slovakia fostering basic and strategic basic research. It was founded in 1942, closed after World War II, and then reestablished in 1953. Its primary ...
and travel abroad for a research stay at
ETH Zurich ETH Zurich (; ) is a public university in Zurich, Switzerland. Founded in 1854 with the stated mission to educate engineers and scientists, the university focuses primarily on science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. ETH Zurich ran ...
. After his return, he worked as a lead scientist in a chemical technology research institute in Bratislava. Following the
Velvet Revolution The Velvet Revolution () or Gentle Revolution () was a non-violent transition of power in what was then Czechoslovakia, occurring from 17 November to 28 November 1989. Popular demonstrations against the one-party government of the Communist Pa ...
, he was appointed a lecturer of industrial chemistry at the
Comenius University Comenius University Bratislava () 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 named after Jan Amos Comenius, a 17th-century ...
, where he taught until retirement in 2000. In 1991, he co-founded first private chemical laboratory in Slovakia. Karvaš was a lifelong member of
Rotary club Rotary International is one of the largest Service club, service organizations in the world. The self-declared mission of Rotary, as stated on its website, is to "provide service to others, promote integrity, and advance world understanding, go ...
in Czechoslovakia. In 2001, he published a biography of his father called ''Môj otec Imrich Karvaš'' (My father Imrich Karvaš).


Death

Milan Karvaš died on 2 August 2024 at the age of 92.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Karvas, Milan 1932 births 2024 deaths Slovak chemists Scientists from Bratislava People from Bratislava Academic staff of Comenius University Slovak University of Technology in Bratislava alumni