Matica hrvatska
Encyclopedia
Matica hrvatska is one of the oldest Croatia
n cultural institutions, dating back to 1842. The name is somewhat idiosyncratic, best translated as "The Croatian Centre" (while the term matica translates roughly as "matrix", "foundation", or "parent body", and the adjective hrvatska as referring to Croatia and/or Croats
). It is the largest publisher of Croatian language
books. The organization also organizes cultural events, symposia, round-table discussions and theatre.
Matica was founded as Matica ilirska, during the time of the Illyrian movement
, when Janko Drašković
proposed to found it as part of the new Illyrian reading room (Ilirska čitaonica) at February 10, 1842. Matica became independent in 1850. Between 1868 and 1873 it was under the wing of the Yugoslav Academy of Sciences and Arts. In Dalmatia, the Matica dalmatinska played the same role, from its founding in 1862 to its merger with Matica hrvatska in 1912.
Matica Hrvatska has had an important role in the standardization and promotion of the Croatian language. In 1971, during the Croatian Spring
it ended the Novi Sad agreement
and began to print Croatian works. Soon after December 20, 1971, its work was banned by the communist authorities.
It finally resumed work after Croatian independence, officially since December 8, 1990. With the Croatian language no longer subject to political maneuvering, the organization has since opened over 130 local branches in Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina
.
Croatia
Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
n cultural institutions, dating back to 1842. The name is somewhat idiosyncratic, best translated as "The Croatian Centre" (while the term matica translates roughly as "matrix", "foundation", or "parent body", and the adjective hrvatska as referring to Croatia and/or Croats
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...
). It is the largest publisher of Croatian language
Croatian language
Croatian is the collective name for the standard language and dialects spoken by Croats, principally in Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Serbian province of Vojvodina and other neighbouring countries...
books. The organization also organizes cultural events, symposia, round-table discussions and theatre.
Matica was founded as Matica ilirska, during the time of the Illyrian movement
Illyrian movement
The Illyrian movement , also Croatian national revival , was a cultural and political campaign with roots in the early modern period, and revived by a group of young Croatian intellectuals during the first half of 19th century, around the years of 1835–1849...
, when Janko Drašković
Janko Draškovic
Janko Drašković was a Croatian national reformer, politician and poet. He was a member of the Drašković family, one of the oldest Croatian noble families.-Biography:Janko Drašković was born in 1770 in Zagreb...
proposed to found it as part of the new Illyrian reading room (Ilirska čitaonica) at February 10, 1842. Matica became independent in 1850. Between 1868 and 1873 it was under the wing of the Yugoslav Academy of Sciences and Arts. In Dalmatia, the Matica dalmatinska played the same role, from its founding in 1862 to its merger with Matica hrvatska in 1912.
Matica Hrvatska has had an important role in the standardization and promotion of the Croatian language. In 1971, during the Croatian Spring
Croatian Spring
The Croatian Spring was a political movement from the early 1970s that called for greater rights for Croatia which was then part of Yugoslavia as well as democratic and economic reforms.-History:...
it ended the Novi Sad agreement
Novi Sad agreement
The Novi Sad Agreement was an attempt by twenty five Serbian, Croatian and Montenegrin writers, linguists and intellectuals to build unity across the ethnic and linguistic divisions within Yugoslavia, and created the Serbo-Croatian language....
and began to print Croatian works. Soon after December 20, 1971, its work was banned by the communist authorities.
It finally resumed work after Croatian independence, officially since December 8, 1990. With the Croatian language no longer subject to political maneuvering, the organization has since opened over 130 local branches in Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina , sometimes called Bosnia-Herzegovina or simply Bosnia, is a country in Southern Europe, on the Balkan Peninsula. Bordered by Croatia to the north, west and south, Serbia to the east, and Montenegro to the southeast, Bosnia and Herzegovina is almost landlocked, except for the...
.
Presidents
- Janko DraškovićJanko DraškovicJanko Drašković was a Croatian national reformer, politician and poet. He was a member of the Drašković family, one of the oldest Croatian noble families.-Biography:Janko Drašković was born in 1770 in Zagreb...
(1842–1850) - Ambroz Vranyczany (1851–1858)
- Ivan MažuranićIvan MažuranicIvan Mažuranić was a Croatian poet, linguist and politician—probably the most important figure in Croatia's cultural life in the mid-19th century...
(1858–1872) - Matija MesićMatija MesićMatija Mesić was a Croatian historian, university professor, the first rector of the University of Zagreb....
(1872–1874) - Ivan Kukuljević SakcinskiIvan Kukuljevic SakcinskiIvan Kukuljević Sakcinski was a Croatian historian, politician and writer. Most famous for the first speech delivered in Croatian before the Parliament, this patriot and cultural figure did some pioneering work in Croatian historiography and bibliography...
(1874–1889) - Tadija SmičiklasTadija SmiciklasTadija Smičiklas was a Croatian historian and politician.Smičiklas finished gymnasium in Zagreb at the Greek Catholic seminary, and went on to study history and geography in the then imperial capital Vienna...
(1889–1901) - Ivan TrnskiIvan TrnskiIvan Trnski was a Croatian writer, translator and puzzle designer. Glorified by his contemporaries as a great poet and patriot, he is now considered a skillful poet and a prolific author of occasional verse.-Life:...
(1901) - Đuro Arnold (1902–1908)
- Oton KučeraOton KuceraOton Kučera was a Croatian astronomer. He played a crucial role by popularizing science and technology in Croatia...
(1909–1916) - Krsto Pavletić (1917–1918)
- Fran Tućan (1918–1920)
- Dragutin DomjanićDragutin DomjanicDragutin Domjanić was a Croatian Kajkavian poet.Domjanić was born in Zelina. He became the first writer in Croatian literature to achieve complete and artistically mature melodiousness and rhythmicity of the Croatian Kajkavian expression. Having graduated law, he served as a judge in Zagreb and...
(1921–1926) - Albert Bazala (1927)
- Filip Lukas (1928–1945)
- Mihovil Nikolić (1945–1949)
- Gustav KrklecGustav KrklecGustav Krklec was a Croatian writer.Krklec was born in Udbinja near Karlovac. He studied in Vienna and Zagreb. Since 1922 he lived in Belgrade, working as a secretary at the stock exchange, and as an editor of Nolit...
(1950–1954) - Jakša Ravlić (1954–1968)
- Hrvoje Iveković (1968–1970)
- Ljudevit JonkeLjudevit JonkeLjudevit Jonke was a Croatian linguist.-Life and work:After finishing primary school and gymnasium in Karlovac, he graduated at the Faculty of Philosophy at the University of Zagreb the history of Yugoslav literatures, Croatian and Old Church Slavonic language and folk history with Russian and Latin...
(1970–1971) - Petar ŠegedinPetar Šegedin (writer)Petar Šegedin was a Croatian writer.Šegedin was born in Žrnovo, on the island of Korčula. He graduated from the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Zagreb...
(1990) - Vlado Gotovac (1990–1996)
- Josip Bratulić (1996–2002)
- Igor ZidićIgor ZidićIgor Zidić is a Croatian art historian, art critic, poet and essayist. He is considered one of the foremost authorities on visual arts in Croatia and a top expert on Croatian modern art....
(2002–present)
See also
- Matica srpskaMatica srpskaThe Matica srpska is the oldest cultural-scientific institution of Serbia. Matica srpska was founded in 1826 in Budapest and moved to Novi Sad in 1864....
- Matica crnogorskaMatica crnogorskaMatica crnogorska is a Montenegrin cultural institution. The name can be literally translated into English as the "Montenegrin queen bee," which is a metaphor meaning "the parent body of the Montenegrins."...
- Matica slovenskáMatica slovenskáThe Matica slovenská Mother) is Slovakia's public-law cultural and scientific institution focusing on topics around the Slovak nation. It is based in the city of Martin...
- Slovenska maticaSlovenska maticaSlovenska matica , also known as Matica slovenska, is the second-oldest publishing house in Slovenia, founded in the 19th century as an institution for the scholarly and cultural progress of Slovenes...