List of Famous people born in Slovakia
Peter Velits
Peter Velits is a Slovakian former professional road racing cyclist. His career highlights included third place overall and a stage win at the 2010 Vuelta a España, the 2007 World Under-23 Road Race Championships gold and the 2012 Tour of Oman overall victory. Velits was also known as strong time-trialist, winning three consecutive team time trials as a part of Omega Pharma–Quick-Step in 2012 and 2013 and riding on the BMC Racing Team in 2014 UCI Road World Championships. His twin brother, Martin Velits also competed professionally, having raced on the same teams every year until the end of the 2013 season.
Adolf Burger
Adolf Burger was a Jewish Slovak typographer, memoir writer, and Holocaust survivor involved in Operation Bernhard. The film The Counterfeiters, based largely on his memoirs, won the 2007 Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.
István Thomán
István Thomán was a Hungarian piano virtuoso and music educator. He was a notable piano teacher, with students including Béla Bartók, Ernő Dohnányi and Georges Cziffra. His six-volume Technique of Piano Playing is still in use today.
Adrián Guľa
Adrián Guľa is a former football player from Slovakia and currently manager of FC Viktoria Plzeň. His former team was Trenčín.
John D. Hertz
John Daniel Hertz, Sr. was an American businessman, thoroughbred racehorse owner and breeder, and philanthropist.
Imre Thököly
Emeric Thököly de Késmárk was a Hungarian nobleman, leader of anti-Habsburg uprisings like his father, Count István Thököly, before him. Emeric was prince of Upper Hungary, an Ottoman vassal state, from 1682 to 1685, and briefly Prince of Transylvania during the year 1690. Having formed an alliance with the Turks, Thököly assisted the Ottoman Empire at the Battle of Vienna in 1683 and led the Turkish cavalry at the battle of Zenta. Refusing to surrender to Habsburg Emperor Leopold I, Thököly lost his principality of Upper Hungary and finally retired to Galata, near Istanbul, with large estates granted him by Sultan Mustafa II.
János Orosch
Ján Orosch is a Roman Catholic prelate currently serving as the Archbishop of Trnava.
Michal Kováč
Michal Kováč was the first President of Slovakia, having served from 1993 through 1998.
Ján Figeľ
Ján Figeľ is a Slovak politician. Figeľ served as European Commissioner from 2004 to 2009, then as Slovak minister of Transports from 2010 to 2012. From 2016 to 2019 he was European Commission special envoy for the promotion of freedom of religion outside the EU.
Marek Mintál
Marek Mintál is a Slovak retired footballer. He is the current manager of 1. FC Nürnberg II and assistant coach of the Slovakia national football team.