Andrej Halaša

Grave at the National Cemetery in Martin

Andrej Halaša (1852–1913) was a melodramatic promoter, translator, editor, and ethnographer born in Austria-Hungary.

Biography

Andrej Halaša (1852-1913) was born in Dolný Kubín and died in Martin (today's Slovakia).

Halaša worked as a clerk lawyer in his home town Dolný Kubín. Later, in 1874, he became an independent lawyer in Martin.

Acts of Andrej Halaša

Halaša organized cultural endeavors. He helped in the creation and development of the status of the National House in Martin, the first museum building. He organized cultural festivals such as the "August festival”.

He was treasurer of the Slovak National Party and MS and was an active member of the Bohemian choir. He translated plays from various languages and edited two theatrical editions. He published two magazines and collected over ten thousand texts of Slovak folk songs. From his early youth, he was involved in the Slovak National group and was a leading character in the cultural areas of theatre, publicity, literature and research.

Halaša also was an ideologist and publicist of the Slovak National Party, a co-operator of Živena and a book printing society editor and publisher in the Slovak press. In the year 1888, he helped create the National House. Five years later, he created the Theatre Society and the well known theatre in Martin.

External links

• Personalities of Martin (in Slovak)
• Personalities at orava.sk (in Slovak)