Other famous personalities

 In chronological order

István Kuezmics (1723 - 1779) is the most important writer for the Evangelic Slovenes in Hungary. In Sopron, Györ and Bratislava he successfully graduated from university. In the two Slovene-speaking cities Nemescsó (1751 - 1755), in the northern part of Vas County and in Surd (1751 - 1755), in Zala County, István Küzmics was a pastor and a teacher.

Furthermore, he wrote both catechism and school books and translated the New Testament (Nauvi zakon ali testamentom, Halle 1771). In its preface, which is particularly important in cultural and ethnical respect, he writes among other things the following: "... You who reads the holy Slovene book of the New Testament in your mother tongue or will read it one day: express your gratitude to the goodness of your God … however, the book which is a more precious treasure than silver and gold, you should understand in your language and act according to the will of God."

Miklós Kuezmics (1737 - 1804) is the most important writer of the Catholic Slovenes in Hungary. What is more, he was a training supervisor of the schools belonging to the Slovene priory (Miklós Kuezmics is only a namesake of István Kuezmics and not a relative). Miklós Kuezmics had written the first bilingual school book for the Hungarian Slovenes: ABC knizsica well narodni soul haszek - The Alphabet Booklet in Favor of the Nationality Schools, which he translated from German into Hungarian and Slovenian. This booklet, which contained the first Slovene-Hungarian dictionary, appeared in Buda in 1790.

József Kossics (1788 - 1867) occupied the office of a priest in the first half of the 19th century in Alsószölnök (1816 - 1828) and later in Felsõszölnök (1828 - 1867). Furthermore, he was a poet, a linguist, a historian and an ethnologist. He was a subscriber of the magazine Scientific Collection - Tudományos gyüjtemény. In 1828, his scenery monograph on the Hungarian Slovenes appeared in this magazine, which was highly appreciated by ethnologists. Kossics also followed attentively Hungarian life in scientific and cultural terms. In his popular scientific writings he also adopted an excessive attitude. He supported a plea, which demanded a poem of every ethnic group living in the whole state in the respective mother tongue for the opening of the Hungarian Theatre in Pest (1837). Also József Kossics wrote a poem in his Slovene mother tongue and added a rough translation in Hungarian.

"Od Pesta példo vzemite

vsza Vogrska Goszpoda –

Da orszácsko gorznejtite

Gledáliscse bos znouva. –

Sztalnim mósztom prejk Dunája

Zvéste Büdimo k-Pesti,

Naj Prísavecz nazvejscsáva

Dela vass Zmosnoszti"

"Follow the example of the castle county of Pest

All Hungarian noblemen!

And let shine gloriously

Also the national theatre!

Connect Buda to Pest

With an eternal bridge,

So that the arrival should also promote

Your splendid work"

János Kardos (1801 - 1875) was an Evangelic priest, teacher and author. In Vienna, he finished his degrees in theology. He worked and lived in Hodos (Slovenia). He wrote and translated ecclesiastical books and school books. Kardos was the first to translate works by Hungarian writers and poets from Hungarian into Slovenian (works by Petõfi, Arany, Jókai, Kisfaludy, Vörösmarty etc.). Amongst others, he also translated Mihály Vörösmarty's plea:

"Domovini nevkleknyeno

Boj oh Vogrin, podan!

V nyej mas zibel i ednauk grob,

Gde bos varvan vuszpan.

Zvön nyé nega vecs za tébe

Meszta na tom szvejti;

V trdnom milom sorsi ti je

Tü zsiveti, mrejti"

"Oh Hungarian citizen, be an

Extraordinary supporter of your homeland,

Even in the grave your wisdom shall

Take care of you and cover you.

Apart from here, there is no other place for you in this

Big, wide world.

Fate shall save or punish you:

You shall live and die here. "

Imre Lenarsich (1882 - 1966) was a priest of Slovene origin. In 1882, he was born in Gornji Slaveci (Slovenia). In Szombathely, he passed his school leaving examination and was ordained as a priest. In Tisina (Mura region / Slovenia), he was a chaplain for five years. In 1909, he received the canon-juridical doctorate degree. As a priest Imre Lenarsich worked in Murska Sobota (Slovenia) for three years and in Alsószölnok (Slovene Raba Region) for 14 years. Imre Lenarsich later went from Alsószölnök to Nyögér, a small village close to Sárvárm where he died in 1966. In Nyögér, he was a provost and there he also celebrated his golden and his diamond mass.

In the small village of Nyögér, one still remembers Lenarsich affectionately. In 1997, the Lenarsich foundation was founded and documents and data about his work were zealously collected. In the parish of Nyögér, even today Lenarsich’s black-and-white photos and books, among them also Slovene books, are being kept. Dr. Imre Lenarsich never denied his Slovene descent. The believers of Nyögér and its surroundings called him "uncle Mirko" and also bishop János Mikes gave thanks for Lernarsich's photos with the words "dear Mirko", which he wrote on a postcard.

Károly Doncsecz (1918 - 2002) was a potter and in 1984 he received the award "Master of folk art" for his work. Doncsecz was born in Orfalu and he learnt the art of pottery making in Magyarszombatfa. He completed his apprenticeship in Zalaegerszeg, Sümeg and Szentgotthárd. From 1940 on Doncsecz lived and worked in Kétvölgy. Since the 1970s, he was the only Slovene potter in Hungary. His pieces of pottery were presented in numerous exhibitions all over Hungary and Slovenia. Still during his lifetime, travel groups from the motherland Slovenia often visited him in his kétvölgyian workshop, and Doncsecz did not only tell them about his craft, but also about biographies of many Slovenes from the Raba Region in his mother tongue.

Translated from German into English: Joël Gerber

The German text is based on: "A Magyarországi Szlovének"/The Hungarian Slovenes", Mária Mukics, Press Publica, (2003)