László Hadrovics

László Hadrovics, linguist winner of the Hungarian State Prize, Slavist, university professor and full member of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, was born in June 1910 in Dolnja Lendava. His father, Elek Hadrovics, worked as a notary in Lendava. His mother had Croatian roots.

Hadrovics finished primary school in Lendava. After WWI, the family lived in Lenti for a while and afterwards in Keszthely. Young Hadrovics started his secondary school studies in Kőszeg, then attended grammar school in Keszthely. Subsequently, he studied in Budapest at the Faculty of Humanities at Pázmány Péter Catholic University, where he enrolled in Hungarian, Latin and German. During his university years, he switched from German to Slavic studies and Croatian literary history. Additionally, he also learned Russian privately. In 1934, he obtained a doctorate – devoting his dissertation to place names of the Međimurje region.

During his rich career, he worked at the University Library of Budapest, The Institute of History of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, and the Institute of Eastern European Studies, among others. He also worked as a lecturer, private and university professor, associate professor, and head of department. Hadrovics mainly researched the relations between South Slavic and Hungarian languages, as well as cultural history. From 1966 to 1985, he was editor of the periodical Studia Slavica. His scientific achievements were recognised abroad.

In the last year of his life, he lived with his wife in the nursing home in Solymár, where he passed away on 12th May, 1997.

The house he was born in (on Kranjec Street in Lendava), still stands. Due to this fact, a commemorative plaque was placed on its wall on 22nd September, 2001.

Bibliography, photograph source:

Lendvai Kepe Zoltán 2014. Lyndvamuseum 8. Znameniti Lendavčani – Nevezetes lendvaiak I. Lendva: Lendvai Galéria és Múzeum.

https://www.obrazislovenskihpokrajin.si/hu/oseba/hadrovics-laszlo/