Samuel Mikovíni, a prominent polymath of Slovak descent, worked across several fields of science, technology, and art. He was renowned as an outstanding geographer, cartographer, engraver, illustrator, mathematician, astronomer, and hydrologist, and as a versatile engineer who founded the mining school in Banská Štiavnica.  

Mikovíni is believed to have been born in the village of Ábelová. Several sources cite his year of birth as 1698, 1700, or, more rarely, 1686, and some give his birthplace as Cinobaňa-Turíčky. He died in 1750 at an unknown location while traveling between Banská Štiavnica and Trenčín. These ambiguities result in differences in inscriptions on the numerous memorial plaques and monuments to Mikovíni found in Slovakia and Hungary. 

The Samuel Mikovíni Monument on the Danube embankment comprises a conical granite pillar with a three-quarter-length figure on its upper third. The sculptor chose Mikovíni's cartographic work as the monument’s motif. The depiction is loosely based on a contemporary engraving by Sebastian Zeller published in 1753 in Matej Bel's work Compendium Hungariae Geographicum (see webumenia.sk). 

Mikovíni is depicted wearing a period coat with high collar. He stands inclined slightly forward, his gaze fixed on the scrolled map that he is holding. In Zeller's engraving, Mikovíni points with his right hand towards Bratislava Castle and Castle Hill. When the monument was erected on the embankment, the Castle was visible in the background to the right. Zeller's work may have inspired the choice of location. The view of the Castle is now obstructed by dense development. 

The granite pillar is slightly rounded at the front. The sides bear distinct horizontal indentations created by chiselling of the stone. Its dark grey colour serves to highlight the white marble figure. Beneath the sculpture, the following text is engraved into the pillar: SAMUEL MIKOVÍNI / FIRST SLOVAK CARTOGRAPHER / 1700–1750. 

The Samuel Mikovíni Monument harmonises both thematically and compositionally among the pantheon of Slovak personalities from the fields of science, technology, and art on the banks of the Danube. The artists designed the monuments to face the promenade and river, composing them to be viewed from both front and side. Their backdrop was formed by a strip of mature greenery that separated the promenade from the busy road, an element intended to provide an audio and visual barrier. The greenery behind the Mikovíni monument is now sparse, and the backdrop is instead formed by a noisy traffic artery and the façade of the Zuckermandel development complex.  

The Mikovíni monument corresponds thematically to the more recent Bratislava Meridian landmark, which is also located on the promenade.

ZD

Research status as of 30. 07. 2023.