Valentin Vodnik

Place: Zgornja Šiška

Born: 1758

Death: 1819

Biography:

Valentin Vodnik (3 February 1758 – 8 January 1819) was a Carniolan priest, journalist and poet of Slovene descent. He was active in the late Enlightenment period. He is well known for his contributions in writing materials that lifted the prestige of the Slovene language creating a standard meant to unify the people of Slovene Lands in a single intelligible tongue. He was also active in geological sciences, where he collaborated with Sigmund Zois in the research of the origin of the Julian Alps. He spent significant time curating his mineral collection consisting of 338 specimens.