Jan Amos Comenius
The nation is happy one that has good schools and good books in great numbers and good regulations or customs on youth education.
(Comenius is Schola Ludus)
The historical figuer of Jan Amos Comenius, the "teacher of nations", was choosen to be depicted on the CK 200 banknote as this banknote is to be issued shortly after world-wide celebration of the 400th anniversary of his birth.
Jan Amos Comenius was most likely born on March 28th, 1592 in the village of Komna near the town Nivnice in South Moravia. Consequently, he was originally called Jan Seges Nivnicky. He took the name Amos - loosely translated as "loving" - when he was ordained evangelic priest of the Czech Brethren Church. Only later, he began to use the surname Comenius after his father. He attended the secondary school of Unity Brethren in Prerov, where he later became a teacher and administrator. In Prerov he also acted as a priest. He continued his studies in Herborn and in Heidelberg in order to broaden his education. Later he was engaged as a teacher and a priest in Fulnek. After the Battle of White Hill (1618) he was persecuted for his Czech-Brehren beliefs and had to hide himself with friends in Moravia. In 1628 he was first forced to exile to Leszno in Poland. From this point on Comenius spent the rest of his life abroad. He lived in Poland, Sweeden, England and in other countries. All the time he dreamed of returning to his native country but his dream never came true. He died in 1670 in the Netherlands where he is buried. Eminent men of his time, many of whom were his closest friends, respected him greatly for his pedagogical and literary activities. His works were widely translated in his lifetime and appeared in many countries. Even today most of his work still speak to us and are generally applicable. His ideas for a future association of all nations into a United States of World and of the need of all countries and all people to work together to establish a better world without war and hostility are still very contemporary.
In conclusion, let us remeber a thought from his work Unum Necessarium (1668): All of us, the whole of mankind, are of the same progeny, the same blood, the same home. Therefore, for the same reason a part helps the whole, a body's limb helps other body limbs, we should help one another.
