Famous Croatian Intellectuals & Academics

Italian astronomer and mathematician Roger Joseph Boscovich was one of the first European scientists to accept Newton’s gravitational theory. His contributions to astronomy include the application of geometry to compute the orbit of a planet and the equator of a rotating planet. He also laid the foundation of the atomic theory.

Born in the small Croatian town of Krapina, Ljudevit Gaj grew up to be a leading linguist and one of the pillars of the Illyrian movement. He launched the first Croatian newspaper, The Croatian, Slavonian, and Dalmatian Daystar, and also developed Gaj's Latin alphabet. He was also a National Assembly leader.

Lutheran reformer Matthias Flacius from Istria was the most learned Lutheran theologian of his time. He was originator of the idea of devising the vast historical work called Magdeburg Centuries, an ecclesiastical history that was compiled in Magdeburg by several Lutheran scholars called Centuriators of Magdeburg with Flacius as their chief. The work was first published from 1559 to 1574.

Leading Croatian historian Milan Šufflay is remembered as the founder of the interdisciplinary branch known as Albanology. He also penned On the Pacific, which is regarded as Croatia’s first science-fiction novel. A nationalist politician, too, he was assassinated by members of Young Yugoslavia in Zagreb, causing massive protests.

Croatian linguist Snježana Kordić is best-known for her works like Relativna rečenica (1995), Riječi na granici punoznačnosti (2002) and Jezik i nacionalizam (2010). Over the years, she has taught and conducted research at several Croatian and German universities including Osijek University, Zagreb University, and Frankfurt University, mainly on subjects like grammar, language policy, syntax, corpus linguistics and sociolinguistics among others.  

Nobel Prize-nominated Croatian economist Branko Horvat had a long career at the Institute of Economic Sciences and also penned The Political Economy of Socialism. He advocated a socialist system, now known as market socialism, or the Illyrian model, in which firms were owned by their workers and compete in a free market.

Croatian polymath Pavao Ritter Vitezović donned many hats and was, at the same time, a linguist, poet, historian, author, painter, cartographer, and printer. Remembered for his notable works such as Odiljenje sigetsko and Croatia Rediviva, he is said to have supported expansion of the Habsburg Empire.

Croatian historian, politician, and author Franjo Rački started his career as a teacher in Senj. He launched many magazines, including Književnik and also co-established the Yugoslavian Academy of Sciences and Arts. Most of his writings were on topical issues in Croatia. He also served as the president of Matica hrvatska.

Herzegovinian Croat historian Leo Petrović had been a priest who scripted history as the first Catholic monk with a PhD from his country. He held various positions, such as those of an abbot, a vicar, and a seminary professor. He was eventually assassinated by communist Yugoslav partisans.

Croatian scholar Vatroslav Jagić is remembered for his research on Slavic studies, an academic field he pioneered. Starting his career as a high-school teacher, he later taught as a professor at Odesa University. Apart from working extensively on paleography, folk poetry, and linguistics, he also launched the iconic journal Archive for Slavic Philology.

Linguist and academician Milan Moguš served as Chairman of the Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts. In his expansive career, Moguš held several other academic positions which included at the University of Warsaw, the University in Zagreb and the Institute for Linguistics of Faculty of Philosophy. He also remained associated with several magazines and editions as an editor-in-chief or co-author.

Prominent Croatian sports writer and popularizer Franjo Bučar, who wrote manuals for different types of sports and emerged as a popularizer and initiator of introduction of several sports in his country, is regarded as father of Croatian sport and olympism. He was founder and president of Croatian Sports Federation and Yugoslav Olympic Committee; and a member of International Olympic Committee.