Ignacij Holzapfel, parish priest and dean of Ribnica, benefactor of deaf and mute youth

Founding of Ljubljana’s deaf-mute institute and preserving the memory of Ignacij Holz­apfel

Abstract

In the first part, the article describes the life and work of the dean of Ribnica, Ignacij Holzapfel. Given the absence of detailed sources on the benefactor of deaf and mute youth that was revealed during research, the article limits itself to drawing a basic outline of his life. The second part focuses on the deaf-mute institute in Ljubljana, the founding of which was closely linked to Holzapfel. In other words, he contributed the biggest amount of funds towards the construction of the above-mentioned educational institution, which provided Slovenian deaf and mute youth with the possibility to learn in the Slovenian language. Prior to its establishment, deaf and mute youth received education in German institutions far away from home.