Ivan Banjavčić was a Croatian

Croats

Croats are a South Slavic ethnic group mostly living in Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and nearby countries. There are around 4 million Croats living inside Croatia and up to 4.5 million throughout the rest of the world. Responding to political, social and economic pressure, many Croats have...

 politician and philanthropist.

He was a fervent follower of Ante Starčević

Ante Starcevic

Ante Starčević , was a Croatian politician and writer whose activities and works laid the foundations for the modern Croatian state.His works are base for Croatian nationalism, he is often referred to as Father of the Fatherland by Croats.-Life:...

 of the Croatian Party of Rights and acted as the leader of the party in Karlovac

Karlovac

Karlovac is a city and municipality in central Croatia. The city proper has a population of 49,082, while the municipality has a population of 59,395 inhabitants .Karlovac is the administrative centre of Karlovac County...

. His law firm, at which the writer Ante Kovačić

Ante Kovacic

Ante Kovačić was a Croatian writer.Born to a family of Croatian peasants, Kovačić made his way through law school to become an attorney....

 also worked for a period, contributed to the party's work for over three decade.

From 1877 to 1906 he was Karlovac's representative in the Croatian Parliament (Sabor) as a member of the Party of Rights. Banjavčić was also the first mayor of the enlarged city of Karlovac after municipalities of Banija and Švarča were unified to it. During his time as mayor the city received an electric power plant on the Kupa river

Kupa

Kupa may refer to:*Kupa River, a river in Croatia and Slovenia*Kupa River , a river in Lithuania*Kupa River in Siberia, see Kuta River*Kupa Synagogue, a synagogue in Krakow*Kupa, Hungary, a village in Northern Hungary...

 near Ozalj

Ozalj

Ozalj is a town in central Croatia, located north of Karlovac and southwest of Jastrebarsko, on the Kupa river. It is close to Žumberak in the north and the border with Slovenia in the northwest, with Metlika being the closest Slovenian town.-Population:...

. A modern waterworks were created, as well as a sewer system. Banjavčić died in Heidelberg, Germany

Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

in 1913, leaving his estate to various Croatian societies, students, peasants, and craftsmen.