Samuel Jurkovič

(*9 February 1796 in Brezová pod Bradlom – †13 July 1873 in Brezová pod Bradlom)

During his teaching career in Sobotište, on the day of his birthday in 1845, he founded the first financial cooperative on the European continent, which was called Spolek gazdovskí (Farmers’ Association), in the town of Sobotište. The cooperative operated on the principle of self-help. The meaning of its existence was expressed in its statutes by the words ‘...to encourage in people good housekeeping so that those who are generous, peaceful and in need of help could receive it…’. The shares were registered and could not be sold. All members had to pay a basic deposit of 30 kreutzers upon entering the cooperative and deposit three kreutzers in silver each week. The collected money was lent to members at six percent interest. Similar cooperative associations were established in other Slovak communities on the same model to limit usury and help uplift people’s lives.

Samuel Jurkovič wrote textbooks, contributed to the magazine Obzor published by Daniel Gabriel Lichard, founded teaching and reading associations, school libraries, Sunday schools and in 1841 he participated in the founding of an amateur theatre association, Slovenské národné divadlo nitrianske (Slovak National Theatre in Nitra). His daughter Anna was one of the first Slovak amateur actresses.