Tuesday, the 29th of October, marks the 209th anniversary of the birth of Ľudovít Štúr, an important figure in Slovak history and the codifier of the Slovak literary language. This date has been celebrated as Ľudovít Štúr Day since 1993. Although there are two birth dates recorded—October 28 and 29—the latter is from official church records, influenced by writer Jozef Miloslav Hurban.
Coming from a family of teachers, Štúr went on to study in Györ, Bratislava, and Halle. In 1836, he led a historic gathering at Devín Castle, where his Lutheran student followers, known as Štúrovci, vowed to serve their nation, and Štúr took the Slavic name Velislav. He championed Slovak linguistic independence in 1843 and, with Hurban and Hodža, established the standardized Slovak dialect. Since 1994, the President of the Slovak Republic has been awarding important personalities the Order of Ľudovít Štúr state award.
Source: TASR
