Andrej Cházár

He was born in Jovice, 4 km from Rožňava. He studied in Brezno, Dobšiná, Kežmarok and completed his studies of a law in 1767 in Bratislava. Although he devoted his effort to his field of study, his interest was also focused on the education of persons with hearing impairment.

Grieving over the death of his wife he traveled to Vienna where his friends took him to visit the institute for deaf-mute children. The results achieved in their teaching left a strong impression on him and from that moment he worked with great enthusiasm on ensuring that Rožňava will have a similar institute. First he arranged a Royal Decree on the Vienna court which included all of his recommendations.

The regulation, however, said that the Institute will not be established in Rožňava, but in the Bishop’s Palace in Vacov. Therefore he asked for help Gemer County and, at its own expense, printed 7000 pleading letters. These were sent out across the country and even abroad. When he accumulated sufficient funds, he announced a competition for teachers and sent them for a training in Vienna which took one year.

Royal National Institute for deaf mutes in Vacov was inaugurated on 15th of March 1802. Cházár was not invited to the opening ceremony and he was not even mentioned in the first written records of the institute. Nevertheless, the institute now does bear his name. Viennese teaching method was used in the institute.

Antal Vangrochowský, deaf man from Bratislava, belonged among his first students.