Table of contents

1 Politicians and rulers 2 Saints 3 Writers 4 Historic scientists and inventors 5 Classic Music 6 Popular Music (in the 20th century) 7 Painters, sculptors, photographers 8 Architects 9 Theater 10 Filmmakers 11 Sportsmen (except hockey players) 12 Hockey players 13 Others

Politicians and rulers

• Alexander Dubček (1921-1992) – Prague spring leader
• Mikuláš Dzurinda – third prime minister of modern Slovakia
• Andrej Hlinka (1864-1938) – a national leader before World War II
• Gustáv Husák (1913-1991) – president of Czechoslovakia in the 1970s and 1980s
• Koceľ (Gozil, Chozilo, Chezilo) (9th century) – ruler of the Balaton Principality, son of Pribina
• Michal Kováč (1930) – the first president of modern Slovakia
• Vladimír Mečiar (1942) – first prime minister of modern Slovakia
• Mojmír I (Moimay, Moymar) (?-846) – first ruler (Prince) of Great Moravia. He probably lived in the Devín castle and initially ruled over present-day southern Moravia and a small part of western Slovakia. In 833, he crossed the White Carpathians, and attacked Pribina and his Nitrian Principality (see below). Prince Mojmir successfully defeated Pribina, who fled Nitra, and so Mojmir became the first ruler of what was to become known as the Great Moravian Empire.
• Pribina (Priwina, Priuuinna) (? – 861)- the first known ruler (Prince) of what is called the Slovak nation today. He lived in the town of Nitra at the beginning of the 9th century, and ruled over the territory of present-day Slovakia from the Nitra castle, called the Nitrian Principality (Principality of Nitra). Initially, Pribina probably was a pagan, but he probably later became a Christian. He is responsible for building the first known church of Western and Eastern Slavs on Slovak soil in 828. Later, in 839, he founded and became the ruler of the Balaton Principality.
• Rastislav (Rastic, Rasticlao, Rastislaus) (? - 870) – ruler of Great Moravia
• Samo (? – 658) – ruler of Samo’s Empire
• Rudolf Schuster (1934)– the second president of modern Slovakia
• Milan Rastislav Štefánik(1880-1919) - an astronomer, scientist, politician and a general in the French Army, one of the founders of Czechoslovakia, he tragically died in a plane crash near Bratislava (the plane was shot down).
• Svätopluk(?-894) – king of Great Moravia, responsible for the empire’s greatest expansion
• Svätopluk II (? - ?906) – ruler of the Nitrian principality
• Jozef Tiso(1887-1947) – president of the WWII Slovak Republic

• St. Zorard (Svorad, Svoradus) (around 1000) - hermit at Skalka near Trenčín, born in Lesser Poland or in northern Slovakia , adopted the name Andrew (Ondrej, Andrej)
• St. Benedict (original name Stojislav) (? – 1034) – hermit at Skalka near Trenčín, disciple of St. Zorard
• St. Gorazd (9th century) – a disciple of Cyril and Methodius, 881-884 probably bishop
• St. Štefan Pongrác - a Catholic priest tortured to death by Gabriel Bethlen’s men in 1619
• St. Melichar Grodecki - a Catholic tortured to death by Gabriel Bethlen’s men in 1619
• St. Marek Križin - a Catholic canon tortured to death by Gabriel Bethlen’s men in 1619

• see Slovak prose
• see Slovak poetry

• Vojtech Alexander (Adalbert Alexander) (1857-1916) – one of the greatest radiologists in the world, founder of radiology in historic Hungary, decribed the development of the tuberculosis, owner of the first X-ray apparatus in Slovakia, wrote poems in Slovak
• Ján Bahýľ (1865-1916) – military engineer, inventor of the motor-driven helicopter (four years before Bréguet and Cornu). Bahyl was granted 7 patents in all, including the invention of the tank pump, air balloons combined with an air turbine, the first petrol engine car in Slovakia (with Anton Marschall) and a lift up to Bratislava castle.
• Štefan Banič (1870-1941) - inventor of the modern parachute (in 1913)
• Johann Andreas Bäumler (1847-1926) – famous mycologist
• Matej Bel (Matthias Bél, Bél Mátyás) (1684-1749) – polyhistor, teacher, one of the greatest Slovak scholars of the eighteen century
• Anton Bernolák (1762-1813) – author of the first Slovak language standard (in the 1780s), which was based on western Slovak dialects
• Gregor Berzeviczy (Berzevici) (1763-1822) – economist
• Juraj Bohus (Georg Bohus) (1687-1722) – geographer, historian, teacher
• Vojtech Budinský-Krička (1903-1994) – archaeologist
• Cyprián z Červeného Kláštora (Frater Cyprianus, Jaisge) (1724-1775) – a (German born) monk and natural scientist living in Slovakia, set up the oldest herbarium of Slovakia
• Ján Dernschwam (Hans Dernschwam) (1494-1567) – a mining expert, chief manager of the Fugger-Thurzo Company in Banska Bystrica
• Dávid Frölich (Fröhlich) (1595-1648) – matematician, astronomer, teacher, a follower of Kopernikus
• Samuel Genersich (1768-1844) – botanist, physician
• Christian Genersich (1759-1825) – theologian, mineralogist, topographer
• Martin Hattala (1821-1903) - linguist
• Jozef Karol Hell (Joseph Karl Hell) (1713-1789) – mining engineer active in central Slovakia, has influenced the mining technology considerably, inventor of the water-pillar pump machine (his first machine could pump water up from the depth of 212 meters) , which is used till today for oil extraction
• Maximilián Hell (Maximilian Hell, Hell Miksa) (1720-1792) – one of the greatest astronomers of the 18th century, the first one to measure the (correct) distance between the Earth and the Sun (in 1769) and to calculate the Sun parallax , designed the observatory of the Trnava University, director of the Imperial Observatory in Vienna
• Ján Henkel (Johannes Henkel/Henckel) (1490-1535) - humanist
• Jozef Ľudovít Holuby (1836-1923) – botanist, gave their current names to many plants
• Ján Hunfalvy (Johann Hunsdorfer, Hunfalvy János) (1820-1888)- geographer
• Štefan Anián Jedlík (Anianus Jedlik, Jedlik Ányos István) (1800-1895) – constructed the electromagnetic rotor- a predecessor of the modern electro-motor – three years before Farraday and the unipolar dynamo six years before W. Siemens
• Zachariáš Teofil Husty (18th century) – one of the first pharmacologists, physician, set up the the medicare system in 1786
• Ján Jesenský (Johann Jessenius) (1566-1621) – physician, surgeon, anatomist, rector of the Charles University, conducted the first public dissection (in Prague in 1600), Protestant activist
• Ján Vlk Kempelen (Johann Wolfgang von Kempelen) (1734-1804) - poly-technician and inventor, built the first fountain and pressure water piping, designed a chess machine, a speaking machine and a special typewriter for the blind
• Andrej Kmeť (1841-1908) – botanist, archaeologist
• Adam František Kollár (Adam Franz Kollar) (1718-1783) – historian, royal councelor and librarian of the Imperial Library in Vienna
• Pavol Križko (1841-1902) - historian
• Albert Laski (Łaski) (1536-1605) – writer, alchemist, humanist, noble (his family stems originally from Poland)
• Filip Anton Eduard Lenard (Philipp Eduard Anton von Lenard) (1862-1947) – a German Nobel prize holder (1905) for physics born in Bratislava, founder of quantum physics
• Ján Lipský (Johann von Lipsky, Lipszky János) (1766-1826) – cartographer, author of the first lexicon of names of towns and villages in historic Hungary
• Samuel Mikovíni (1700-1750) – cartographer, author of a separate cartographic method, constructor of artificial water reservoirs near mines
• Jozef Mistrík (1921-2001) – linguist
• Jozef Murgaš (1864-1929) – inventor of the wireless telegraph (forerunner of the radio). Murgas' "Rotary-spark-system" allowed for much faster communication, through the use of musical tones. He patented his new invention, which is now listed as the "Wireless Telegraphy Apparatus", as well as more inventions in this field. These patents would go on to form the foundations for the invention of the radio. Also devised a system which greatly improved the Morse code. His other patents include the spinning reel (for fishing), the wave meter, the electric transformer, the magnetic detector, and a engine producing electromagnetic waves.
• Martin Palkovič (Martin Palkovich) (1606-1662) – philosopher, professor in Trnava, Košice and Vienna
• Jozef Maximilián Petzval (Joseph Maximilian Petzval, Petzval Józeph Miksa) (1807-1891) – mathematician, optician, constructor of camera zoom lens, he is considered by many to be the founder of modern photography, he is most renowned for his work on optical lenses in the 1840's (invention of the portrait objective), which was instrumental in the construction of modern cameras, he is also remembered for greatly improving the telescope, microscope and designing the opera glass.
• Karol Rayger (Rayger Károly) (1641 – 1707) – introduced the pulmonary test of new-born children used in forensic medicine till today
• Izák Potter (Issac Potter) (1690-1735) – born in England, living and working in Banska Stiavnica, engineer, constructor of the first athmospheric steam engine in Europe (in Nova Bana, in 1723)
• Ján Sambucus (Johann Sambucus) (1531-1584) – a famous humanist at the royal court in Vienna, a historian of the emperor Maximilian II, publisher of works of the Ancients, creator of the biggest private library in the world at that time
• Ján Andrej Segner (Johann Andrea von Segner, Segner János András) (1704-1777) - physician, physicist, mathematician, designed a reactive water engine - the so-called Segner wheel, inventor of the water turbine principle (which is the basis for the functioning of modern space rockets)
• Ján Selye (Hans Hugo Brugo Selye, Selye János) (1907-1982) – discovered the stress (reaction) and the adaptational syndrome; born in Komárno, working in Canada
• Ján Severíni (1716-1789) – historian, natural scientist, author of the first high school textbooks of biology in historic Hungary (together with Matej Piller)
• Tobias Gottfried Schröer (Christian Oeser) (1791-1850) – writer, teacher in Bratislava
• Karol Smith (?) – famous piano producer from Bratislava in the early 19th century
• Leonhard Stöckel (1510-1560) – a famous Protestant teacher, writer
• Aurel Stodola (1859-1942) – engineer and professor, enabled the construction of steam and gas turbines]] (around 1900), constructor of a movable artificial arm (the Stodola arm) in 1915
• Dionýz Štúr (1827-1893) – famous geologist, botanist, director of the Imperial Geological Institute
• Ľudovít Štúr (1815-1856) - best known for his development and establishment of the modern Slovak language (in 1844 it was declared that the central Slovak dialect would be used as the literary language of Slovakia and in 1846 the new language standard was codified for the first time by Štúr in his "Nauka reči slovenskej" [Theory of the Slovak language])
• Alexander Zahlbruckner (1860-1938)- Austrian lichenologist, born and studying in Slovakia

• Alexander Albrecht (1885 - 1958) – composer, conductor, teacher
• Ján Albrecht (1919-1996) – violist, musicologist, teacher
• Helena Bartošová (1905-1981) – soprano
• Ján Levoslav Bella (1843-1936) – composer, author of the first Slovak opera „Kováč Wieland“
• Janko Blaho (1901-1981) – tenor
• Ján Cikker (1911-1989) – composer, teacher
• Margita Česányiová (1911) – soprano
• Ernst von Dohnanyi (Dohnanyi Ernö) (1877-1960) – a Hungarian composer born and growing up in Bratislava
• Peter Dvorský (1951) – tenor (currently most famous one)
• Viliam Figuš-Bystrý (1875-1937) – composer, teacher
• Tibor Frešo (1918-1987) – composer, conductor
• Klára Havlíková (1931) – pianist
• Ján Nepomuk Hummel (Johann Nepomuk Hummel) (1778-1837) – composer, pianist; born in Bratislava
• Frico Kafenda (1883-1963) – composer, teacher, pianist, conductor
• Dezider Kardoš (1914-1991) – composer, teacher
• Dalibor Karvay (1985) – violist
• Adalbert Keler (1820-1882) – a German-Slovak composer, conductor
• Leo Kestenberg (1882-1962) – pianist, teacher
• Mária Kišoňová-Hubová (1915) – soprano
• Ferdinand Klinda (1929) – teacher, organist
• Sergej Kopčák (1948) – bass
• Jozef Kresánek (1913-1986) – musicologist, teacher, composer
• Johann Kusser (1626-1695) – composer, organist, born in Bratislava
• Johann Siegmund Kusser (Johann Sigismund Kusser/Cusser/Cousser) (1660-1727) – conductor, composer, born in Bratislava
• Marián Lapšanský (1947) – pianist
• Ondrej Lenárd (1942) – conductor
• Rudolf Macudzinski (1907-1986) – pianist, teacher, composer
• Jozef Malovec (1933) – composer
• Peter Michalica (1945) – violist
• Peter Mikuláš (1954) – bass
• Ján Móry (Johann Mory) (1892-1978) - composer
• Alexander Moyzes (1906-1984) – composer
• Mikuláš Moyzes (1872-1944) - composer
• Andrej Otčenáš (1911-1995) – composer, teacher
• Anton Paulik (1901-1975) – Austrian conductor born in Bratislava
• Lucia Poppová (1939-1993) – soprano
• Ľudovít Rajter (1906)- conductor, teacher, composer
• Franz Schmidt (1874-1939) – composer, born and studying in Bratislava
• Mikuláš Schneider-Trnavský (1881-1958) – composer
• Ladislav Slovák (1919) – conductor
• Ivan Sokol (1937) – organist, teacher
• Eugen Suchoň (1908-1993) – the most important Slovak composer, teacher
• Peter Toperczer (1944) – pianist, teacher
• Bohdan Warchal (1930) – violist; a Czech living in Slovakia
• Ilja Zeljenka (1932) – composer

• Alexander Miloš Bazovský (1899-1968) – painter, graphic artist
• Peter Michael Slavomil Bohúň (1822-1879) – painter, graphic artist
• Martin Benka (1888 - 1971) – painter, illustrator
• Andreas Boruth (1873-1955) – painter
• Ján Brokoff (Johann Brokoff) (1652-1718) - sculptor
• Albín Brunovský (1935 – 1997) – graphic artist, painter, illustrator
• Josef Czauczik (1781-1857) – painter
• Jozef Damko (1872-1955) – sculptor
• Ján Fadrusz (Johann Fadrusz, Fadrusz János) (1858-1903) – sculptor (Hungarian-Slovak)
• Ľudovít Fulla (1902-1980) – painter, graphic artist, illustrator
• Edmund Gwerk (1859-1956) - painter
• Mikuláš Galanda (1895-1938) – painter, graphic artist, illustrator
• Jozef Hanula (1863-1944) - painter
• Dežo Hoffmann (1912-1986) - photographer
• Mária Holoubková (1903) – photographer; born in Poland, living in Slovakia
• Ferdinand Katona (Kleinberger) (1864-1932) – painter; born in Slovakia
• Jozef Božetech Klemens (1817-1883) – painter, sculptor, polyhistor
• Ján Anton Kraus (Johann Anton Kraus) (1728-1795)- sculptor
• Robert Kühmayer (1833-1972) – sculptor; born in Bratislava
• Ján Kupecký (Johann Kupecky) (1667-1740) – painter
• Anton Lehmden (1929) – painter; born in Slovakia
• Karol Ľudovít Libay (Karl Ludwig Libay) (1816-1888) - painter
• Cyprián Majerník (1909-1945) – painter
• Ladislav Medňanský (Ladislav Mednyánszky) (1852-1919) – painter
• Ľudovít Mack (Ludwig Mack) (1876-1963) – sculptor
• Karol Marko (Karl Marko) (1791-1860) - painter
• Ján Mudroch (1909-1968) – painter, teacher
• Master John of Banska Bystrica (15th-16th century) – painter
• Master Martin (of Spis) (15th century) - painter
• Master MS (Majster MS) (15th-16th century) - sculptor
• Master Nicolaus of Levoca (Majster Mikuláš z Levoče) (15th century) – painter
• Master Paul of Levoča (Majster Pavol z Levoče) (1470-1535) – one of the most important European late Gothic carvers / sculptors, his most famous piece is the magnificent Gothic High Altar in the St. James Church in the town of Levoca, which is the highest wooden altar in the world (18.6 meters high).
• Master of the Figures of Banska Stiavnica (Majster banskoštiavnických figúr) (15th century) – Gothic carver
• Master of the Altar of Košice (Majster košického oltára) (15th century) – the most important Slovak painter of the 15th century
• Master of the Altar of Smrečany (Majster smrečianskeho hlavného oltára) (15th century) – painter
• Master of the Legend of St. Anthony (Hans Moler, St. Anthony-Master) (arround 1500) - painter
• Master of Lúčky (Master of Honneshau, Majster z Lúčok) (15th century) – painter
• Master of Okoličné (Majster okoličiansky) (15th-16th century) – painter
• Theodor Jozef Mousson (1887-1946) – painter, born in Hungary, working in Slovakia
• Adam Friedrich Oeser (1717-1799) – painter, sculptor, born and working in Bratislava
• Zolo Palugay (1898-1935) - painter
• Alojz Rigele (1879-1940) – sculptor
• Ján Rombauer (Johann Rombauer) (1782-1849) - painter
• Koloman Sokol (1902) – painter
• Karl Sovanka (1883-1961) – painter, sculptor
• Alojz Stróbl (1856-1926) - sculptor
• Fraňo Štefunko (1903-1974) – sculptor
• Viktor Tilgner (1844-1896) – sculptor, born in Bratislava
• Imrich Weiner-Kral (1901-1978) - painter
• Viera Žilinčanová (1932) – painter
• Andy Warhol (1928-1987) – one of the most famous artists of the 20th century. He introduced Pop-Art to the world, and was the first artist to use a photographic silk-screen technique in his work. He was born in the USA as the son of emmigrants from eastern Slovakia (members of the Ruthenian nationality from the village Mikova), his first language was Slovak (Ruthene), he took over the religious views of his parents (and of eastern Europe) and he always wanted to return to the country of his parents, which obviously was not possible because of the communist regime in eastern Europe. There is a Warhol museum with some of his works in eastern Slovakia.

• Peter Bondra –current
• Zdeno Chara - current
• Zdeno Cíger – current
• Marián Cisar –current
• Jozef Čapla - 1960s,
• Július Černický - 1960s
• Pavol Demitra -current
• Jaromír Dragan -current
• Vladimír Dzurilla - 1960s,
• Marián Gáborík - current
• Jozef Golonka - 1960s-1970s,
• František Gregor - 1960s,
• Michal Handzuš - current
• Oto Haščák – current
• Marián Hossa - current
• Jan LasakJán Lašák -current
• Igor Liba - 1980s
• Vincent Lukáč - 1980s
• Stan Mikita - 1960s
• Roland Petrovický - current
• Žigmund Pálffy (Ziggy Pálffy) –current
• Dušan Pašek - 1980s
• Dárius Rusnák - 1980s
• Ján Starší - 1960s-1970s,
• Miroslav Šatan –current
• Anton Šťastný - 1970s
• Marián Šťastný - 1970s
• Peter Šťastný (1956) - 1970s
• Jozef Štumpel - current
• Róbert Švehla – current
• Ladislav Troják - before WWII