Theresa of Brunswick

* Bratislava, July 27, 1775 – † Martonvásár, September 17, 1861 / pioneer of Hungarian kindergarten and women's education ; ; She spent her childhood alternately in Martonvásár and Buda. In 1788–1789, she studied at a Viennese educational institution. In 1793, after the death of her father, the family moved to Vienna. Here she met Beethoven. During her travels, in 1808, in Yverdon (Switzerland), she met Pestalozzi (1746–1827), who had a great influence on her later educational endeavors. She lived in Buda from 1817. The Pest and Buda Women's Association was founded on her initiative, and on June 1, 1828, she founded the first Hungarian kindergarten in Buda under the name Angyalkert. On October 15, 1828, he set up an experimental craft school (more precisely: the industrial school in Kristina Town) for girls over the age of seven who were leaving kindergarten, where the students acquired craft skills. As a result of his extensive activities, by 1836 there were already 14 kindergartens operating in the country. His pedagogical views were influenced by the views of Wilderspin (1791–1866), one of Pestalozzi and Owen's students, but he also took into account the less developed conditions of his country. In 1836, he founded the Association for the Promotion of Kindergartens in Hungary with the progressive leaders of the noble opposition (Lajos Kossuth, István Bezerédj, Móric Szentkirályi). The kindergartens that were established were secular in nature. In the 1840s, she also worked on the establishment of a national women's education institute through a social movement. She was one of the most consistent supporters of women's equal rights. The Brunszvik family was close friends with Beethoven, who also stayed at their castle in Martonvásár. For a long time, Theresa Brunszvik was considered the recipient of Beethoven's famous letters to his "immortal sweetheart". After 1849, the authorities searched her house several times, even put her on trial, but in the end she was not convicted due to her age. From 1856, she lived in Duka near Vához. ; ; Her main works: ; Appeal for the establishment of an educational institute, n. n., ; Drawing of the infinite benefits that schools for young children provide, n. n., ; Regulations of the national association for the early education of children by guardians and training institutions, 1830; Mein halbes Jahrhundert (Memoirs of B. T. – translated by Béla Petrich), 1926.