President awards state honours to 18 figures

President Peter Pellegrini honored 18 individuals, including nine posthumously, at a ceremony in Bratislava’s Slovak Philharmonic. The awards recognized contributions to democracy, science, culture, and sports. 

Key recipients: 
- Order of Ľudovít Štúr, First Class (in memoriam): Anti-fascist fighter Margita Kocková and Slovak National Uprising (SNP) participant Karol Pekník. 
- Order of Ľudovít Štúr, First Class: Ophthalmologist Zoltán Oláh for contributions to science and Slovakia’s global reputation. 
- Order of Ľudovít Štúr, Second Class (in memoriam): SNP participants Anna Bergerová and Karol Kuna, anti-fascist Zivodar Tvarožek, and resistance fighter Peter Murdza. 
- Order of Ľudovít Štúr, Second Class: Physicist Livia Ludhova, mathematician Anatolij Dvurečenskij, and economist Juraj Šipko. 
- Order of Ľudovít Štúr, Third Class: Educators Vlasta Hudecová, Miroslav Kozák, and Jana Pekarovičová; mountaineer Jozef Psotka (in memoriam). 

Additional awards: 
- Pribina Cross, First Class: Actor Juraj Kukura and architect Alfred Piffl (posthumously). 
- Pribina Cross, Second Class: Historian Eva Kowalská and ethnologist Ján Michálek (In memoriam). 

The awards highlighted the recipients’ exceptional contributions to Slovakia’s development and heritage.

Meanwhile, actress Zdena Studenková, who was also slated to receive an award, declined the honor, stating that she would have accepted it under different circumstances. "They approached me, I politely thanked them and declined," Studenková told the Denník N daily. "I see no reason to accept this award given the current state of culture in Slovakia," she said.

Source: TASR, Denník N