Ivan Gašparovič was born on March 27, 1941 in Poltár, Slovakia.

After studying law in Bratislava, he taught at the Comenius University there from 1968 to 1990. After two years as Czechoslovakian Attorney General, he entered parliament in 1992 as a member for the party of the first freely elected President Vladimír Mečiar.

He was elected Speaker of Parliament in the very first legislative period. He held this office until 1998 and his seat in parliament until 2002.

During the political instability at the turn of the millennium, he left Mečiar's organization and founded his own democratic party. In 2004, he won the battle for the office of President of Slovakia against his political foster father. Following his re-election in 2009, he still holds the highest Slovakian office.

During a visit to the Hessian state capital, he was received by Lord Mayor Diehl in the town hall. He praised Gašparovič's commitment to consolidating democracy in Slovakia. His guest thanked him for the warm welcome and then signed the city's Golden Book.