On Saturday, May 17, 2025, alongside Matica Slovenská and the village of Kobeliarovo, we commemorated the 230th anniversary of the birth of Pavol Jozef Šafárik, an important figure in Slavic studies and culture. The event began with a church service at the Evangelical Church in Kobeliarovo, continued with a solemn ceremony at Šafárik’s birthplace, and concluded with a cultural program.
PROGRAMME
Chorus Universitatis Šafarikianae
Aká si mi krásna – Eugen Suchoň
Čie sa to ovečky – folk song edited by Mikuláš Schneider Trnavský,
Cez zelené žitečko – folk song arranged by Bohumil Čeněk
Drama Eagles of the Slavic Sky by Peter Vrlík
Peter Schvantner as Šafárik,
Peter Vrlík as Ján Kollár.
Tichý génius Documentary
screenplay: Ján Gbúr,
director by: Marko Gajdoš, Marián Gešper, Ján Seman,
camera and editing: Marko Gajdoš.
Pastrnoci folk music group from Nová Ľubovňa
Goral, Rusyn and Slovak songs from various regions of Slovakia.
The guests were addressed by PaedDr. Janka Regrutová, the mayor of Kobeliarovo, Prof. PhDr. Ján Gbúr, CSc., literary scholar and advisor to the rector of UPJŠ, JUDr. Marián Gešper, PhD., the chairman of Matica Slovenská, and Dr. h. c. prof. Mgr. Slávka Tomaščíková, PhD., the vice-rector for international relations at UPJŠ.
Doc. PaedDr. Pavol Parenička, CSc. from the Slovak Literary Institute of Matica Slovenská is the author of encyclopedias, scientific monographs, and studies. He is an expert on Štúr-related issues and a familiar face from Matica Slovenská’s documentary films. On the 230th anniversary of Šafárik’s birth, he published Pavol Jozef Šafárik: Doba, život, dielo, pamiatky, literatúra (Pavol Jozef Šafárik: Time, Life, Work, Memories, Literature), which is available ONLINE.
The atmosphere of the celebration was captured in Regina – a magazine about life in the regions
Pavol Jozef Šafárik (May 13, 1795, Kobeliarovo – June 26, 1861, Prague)
Was born to a Protestant teacher’s family. He received good education at the lyceum in Kežmarok and later at the University of Jena. For several years, he served as the director of the Serbian Orthodox Gymnasium in Novi Sad, but years spent in Prague, where he became a respected scientist in 1833, one of the founders of Slavic studies, and an important figure in the Czech and Slovak national revival were crucial. In his scientific research, Šafárik focused primarily on the oldest history of the Slavic nations. Among his most important works are Slovanské starožitnosti (Slavic Antiquities, 1837) and Slovanský národopis (Slavic Ethnography, 1842), which fundamentally expanded knowledge about the origins and history of the Slavs. Šafárik also devoted himself to literary creation.
The works of P. J. Šafárik contributed significantly to the formation of Slavic consciousness and cultural identity. To this day, he remains one of the greatest thinkers in Slavic and Slovak history.
May he rest in peace!
