PÉCH, Antal
(Anton)
* 14. 6. 1822, Oradea, Romania
† 28. 9. 1895, Banská Štiavnica, Slovak Republic
mining engineer, montanist
After high school, P. studied at the Faculty of Arts in his hometown Nagyvárad. He then attended the Mining Academy in Banská Štiavnica, where in 1842 he received a diploma in mining engineering. He was first employed at the Royal domination of the mountain in mines in Banská Štiavnica, after which he became the leader of the metallurgical works in Jáchymovu. In 1848 he returned to Hungary and was appointed to a position which has traditionally been responsible for mining by the Ministry of Finance of the first Hungarian government. During the Hungarian Liberation Fight he had successfully moved the mint money from Kremnica to Debreczi, which was threatened by the fighting. After 1848, P. worked as a mining engineer in Moravia, Czech Republic and then finally, after various private mines, in the Rhineland. In 1862 he returned to Hungary and worked in several coal mines.
After the Austro-Hungarian compromise he again entered the service in the Hungarian Ministry of Finance. In 1872 he was appointed head of the Banská Štiavnica mine. He retired in 1889. In the second half of the 19th century P. has largely contributed to the Hungarian mining and metallurgical results. He founded the newspaper called „Bányászati und Kohászati Lapokat“ (Journal of Mining and Metallurgy), which has been published since 1868 and still exists. Hungarian Academy of Sciences elected him a full member in 1878.
