- Jozef Jakál, a prominent geographer of the Slovak Republic, died at the age of 88.
- He headed the Administration of Slovak Caves from 1970 to 1973.
- He coordinated the creation of the national Atlas of the SSR published in 1980.
Jozef Jakál, one of the most prominent personalities of the Geographical Institute of the Slovak Academy of Sciences (SAV), died on Monday (November 17) at the age of 88. He also led the Administration of Slovak Caves. SAS informed about it on its website.
“His long-term and rich scientific journey was inextricably linked with the karst landscape, from geomorphology, through speleology to the application of a complex geographical approach in solving its environmental problems.” brought closer by SAS.
Jakál, as director of the Administration of Slovak Caves between 1970 and 1973, laid the foundations for modern comprehensive research of Slovak cave spaces, highlighted the SAV. As the secretary of the editorial and executive board, he also coordinated the compilation of the most complex work of Slovak geography – the National Atlas of the SSR, published in 1980.
“The monument to his long-term work in the field of research and protection of Slovak karst territories was undoubtedly the inclusion of the caves of the Slovak Karst and the Aggtelecký Karst in the UNESCO World Natural Heritage List in 1995,” the academy added. The last farewell took place on Friday in Bystričany.
