The grave of academic teacher Lajos Cseh

In one of the cemeteries in Bány Selmec, in plot number 463 of the Frauenberi cemetery opposite Piarikapu, lies Lajos Cseh, a mining advisor, academic teacher, and head of the geology department of the Selmec mining administration. His tomb is located near the cemetery chapel dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary of the Snows. ; Lajos Cseh of Szentkatolna was born in Battina (according to other sources in Kiskőszeg), Baranya County, on September 29, 1840. He graduated from the secondary school in Bratislava, and then studied mining and metallurgy at the Selmec Academy in 1860–63. In 1864, he entered the state service at the Royal Mining Office in Sélakna. Until 1878, he worked at the treasury mining plants in the Selmec area. In 1878 he became a geologist in the newly established mining geology department of the Selmecbánya Mining Directorate. (Zsámboki L. ed., 1983. p. 130) A “mineral collection” was also organized within the framework of the geology department, the leadership of which was also entrusted to Lajos Cseh, and he performed it with great expertise. He participated in the international exhibitions in Vienna and Paris, among others, and he organized and led the mining presentation at the Millennium Exhibition in Budapest. In recognition of his merits in organizing the exhibition, he was awarded the title of mining councilor. (Jószencét. 1908. p. 45-47) As a geologist, Lajos Cseh compiled a huge collection of minerals and rocks from the mines and deposits around Selmec between 1898 and 1904. This later formed the basis of the mineral collection of the Dionýz Štúr Mining Museum in Selmec. (Herèko, I., 1995. p. 38) In 1878, the mining directorate commissioned Lajos Cseh to prepare the geological documentation of the mines around the city and to continue professional geological mapping. Lajos Cseh made drawings of about 150 kilometers of mine shafts. He collaborated with Sándor Gesell in the recordings of the geological maps prepared for the book by József Szabó. (Geological map of Selmec and geological cross-section on the II. József Altar line. Budapest, 1882–1884, Ore lines of the Selmec mining region. Budapest, 1883) (SBS. I. 1972. p. 334, edited by L. Zsámboki, 1983. p. 130) Lajos Cseh also put his rich knowledge and talent to good use at the academy. In 1866/67 and 1867/68, he replaced Professor Ede Pöschl at the Department of Mining Engineering, Metallurgy Engineering and Architecture. From 1897, as a lecturer at the Department of Mineralogy, Geology and Paleontology, he led the students' geological exercises. Between 1898 and 1904, he worked as an assistant teacher at the Department of Mineralogy and Geology. Many of his studies were published in the Geographical Bulletins. For example, he wrote about the geological conditions of the Vihnye mine, the minerals occurring on Végleskálnok, and their place of production. As we read in the Selmec teacher's encyclopedia: "His new method of mining geological survey system was recognized both at home and abroad." (L. Zsámboki ed., 1983. p. 130) ; Our distinguished teacher died in Selmecbánya on April 10, 1908. The 19th April 1908 issue of the weekly social, technical, mining and metallurgical magazine Jó szczęściet commemorates him as follows: "On Monday, the 13th of this month, we accompanied to eternal rest the mining advisor of His Majesty Lajos Cseh, the head of the geological department of the Selmeczbánya mining administration. His death was preceded by a long illness; he had been seriously ill at the end of last year, but then he came to his senses and after a short period of service he retired from his duties on 1st February of this year. He could not enjoy his peace for long; he was put to bed again and after a long illness, death relieved him of his sufferings at 2 o'clock in the morning on the 11th of the current month. ; His death is a sensitive loss not only to mining, but also to society, in which he always took a lively and active part. He had been the mine treasury manager of the local "Kolos" institute for a long time and in his younger years he had been a member of the mining council for many years. He was the deputy commander of the volunteer firefighting association. His philanthropic, humane thinking, and straightforward character earned him respect and esteem not only among his fellow officers, but also in society. "We will preserve his memory for a long time!"