To the memory of The King of Dolls
Ljeposlav Perinic (1922, Split - 2005, Buenos Aires)

Filip Vezdin or Wesdin (1748-1806), pioneer of European indology
author of the first Sanskrt grammar in Europe

CRAVATE AROUND ARENA IN PULA, 2003
the largest cravate in the world, weighing 450 kg, 808 m long, maximal width 25 m.
The knot itself was tied at the height of 21 meters, and was 15 meters wide!

Plitvice lakes
the most beautiful National park in Europe
(included in UNESCO's World Heritage)

George Mikan (1924-2005), American Croat,
the greatest NBA player of the first half of the 20th century
and one of the greatest in the history of NBA

Paula von Preradovic
author of verses of the Austrian national anthem
Land der Berge, Land der Storme

John Malkovich reciting verses of Lijepa nasa (Our Beautiful)
Croatian national anthem, in Croatian,
in Los Angeles studio Village Recorder, November 1990
(information by Nenad Bach, New York, July 2005)

Storm Operation, 4-8 August 1995

1995 - 2005

10 years from the liberation of parts of Croatia,
in particular of Lika and Knin, from Greater-Serbian occupation

10 years of safe connection between Zagreb, Zadar, Sibenik, Split, Dubrovnik,...

10 years from the libeartion of Knin,
Croatian town which never in history was a part of the so called Krajina

10 years from the deblocade of the town of Bihac in BiH,
preventing the tragedy greater than that of Srebrenica in 1995

Ivan Duknovic from Trogir, 15/16th centuries
Croatian Renaissance sculptor; some of his works of art are kept in
Musée du Louvre in Paris (l'aile Déon)

Ivan Rabuzin (1919)
designed a curtain decorating the stage of one of the best Kyoto theaters (Japan),
as well as the Takarazuka theatre in Tokyo (10.5 x 24 m, 1980),
and several other museums in Japan: Sategaya Art Museum in Tokyo,
Saitama Museum of Modern Art in Urawa, Isetan.
Since 1976 his designs are used by "Rosenthal",
renowned producer of procelain ware.

In 1928 Ivan Mestrovic sent four recommendation letters to his influential friends in Croatia in which he asked to help the Croatian Youth Society BUNJEVAC from the city of Subotica to visit the land of their grandparents - Dalmatia and Herzegovina. As he stated, Bunjevci Croats in Backa have preserved the character of their grandparents in their ikavian speech and customs.

Ana Vidovic (1980), brilliant Croatian guitarist,
has won the 1998 International Guitarist Competition "Francisco Tarrega" in Benicasim, Spain,
then at the age of 18, among forty competitors up to the age 32.
She also won first prizes at "Albert Augustinum International Competition" in Bath, England,
at the "Ferdinando Sor Competition" in Rome.
She had concerts in London, Paris, Vienna, Salzburg, Rome,
Budapest, Warszaw, Tel Aviv, Copenhagen,
Tronto, San Francisco, Houston,
Austin, Dallas, St Luis, etc.

The Baska tablet is probably the most famous monument of early Croatian literacy, dating from about 1100.
Its size and weight are impressive: 2x1 m, 800 kg. According to Branko Fucic and Eduard Hercigonja,
the language of inscription is Croatian - Chakavian with elements of liturgical Church Slavonic,
and the script is Croatian Glagolitic.

It was found in the church of St. Lucy (Sv. Lucija) in Jurandvor near Baska on Krk,
the largest Croatian island.

Theatrical Company of the Blind
and Visually Impaired
NEW LIFE (NOVI ZIVOT)

Hrvatska - Zagreb - Croatia

The SUVAG center for voice transmission for reeducation of speach disorders and deafness
has been founded in Zagreb in 1961 by Academician Petar Guberina (1913-2005).
The name of SUVAG is coined from
Systeme Universel Verbotonal d'Audition Guberina.

His verbo-tonal system is in use throughout the world, on all five continents.
His books were translated into many languages, including Arabic and Japanese.
In France, he was awarded the Legion of Honour.

Among scientists studying seismology the famous Moho-layer (or Moho-discontinuity)
of the Earth is well known. It was named after the great Croatian geophysicist
Andrija Mohorovicic (1857-1936).
His discovery was essential for understanding the inner structure
of the Earth and the behavior of seismic waves.
Together with the theory of forces due to Rudjer Boskovic,
this is probably the greatest achievement in the
history of Croatian science.

As a boy of 15 he spoke Italian, French, and English as well as his native Croatian,
later added German, Czech, Latin, and old Greek.

Two Croatian names appear on the map of the Moon.
The name of Rudjer Boskovic was given to a mountain on the visible side,
and the name of Aandrija Mohorovicic to a mountain
on the dark side of the Moon.

MARKO MARULIC (1450-1524)

Marko Marulic, the "father of Croatian literature" (born in Split, 1450-1524),
was the most famous spiritual writer of his time in Europe,
and also the first who defined and used the notion of psychology.

His book De institutione bene vivendi (six volumes, 64 chapters), published in Venice in 1506,
was translated from Latin into

Italian,
German (five editions between 1583 and 1614, all in Köln, in parts already in 1568),
French (7 editions, the first in 1585),
Japanese (in parts, 1585)
Portuguese and
Czech,

St. Francis Xaver had taken only two books
on his long pilgrimage to the East (India, Japan and China):
the Bible and De institutione.
In his testament St. Francis Xaver asked that Marulic's book be burried with him.

Marulic left us many beautiful verses and the epic poem Judita written in the Croatian language,
for which he sais expressly to be written in the Croatian verses (versi harvatski).

Marulic's texts have been used extensively by Thomas More and Henry VIII.

Croatian Tamburitza in the USA

Tamburitza orchestra "Zivila Hrvatska" (Long Live Croatia), USA,
performed in the White House for president F. Rooswelt in 1900.

Croatian Tamburitzans performed specially for General Pershing in1919

Antun Lucic (Anthony F. Lucas)

(Split 1855, Washington 1925)

discovered the first major gusher in Texas, The Lucas gusher,
flowing at the rate of 80,000 to 100,000 barrels per day. It blew in January 1901.
About 50,000 people came to see it.
This meant the first massive exploitation of oil and petroleum in history.

A museum with 18 m high granite obelisk was built in honour to the Lucas gusher in Spindletop.
There is also 1,5 m granite monument of Lucic with inscription saying that
his discovery revolutionarized industry and transport,...
and changed lives of people in the whole world.

The American Institute for Geological and Metalurgical Investigations founded a prize
Anthony F. Lucas Gold Medal.

We commemorate hundred and fifty years from his birth, and eighty years from his death.

Kristian Krekovic (1901-1985)

20 years since the death of one of the greatest portraitists of the 20th century,
known also as "pintor croata-peruano"

Mallorca, Menorca, and Eivissa, in national costumes of Balearic islands

Mallorca, Menorca, and Eivissa, in national costumes of Balearic islands
kept in Museu Krekovic, Palma de Mallorca

Kristian Krekovic portrayed Mahatma Gandhi (1931), The English Queen Elisabeth (1938),
the Swedish King Gustav V (1948), Royal family of Spain, etc.

An attempt to answer an insinuation of the BBC about
the alleged Nazi origin of the Croatian coat of arms:

Croatian coat of arms, not later than 1494,
and probably much older (a remain of unknown church),
Church of St. Lucija, Jurandvor near Baska, island of Krk

Cathedral of St Vitus, Hradcani, Prague (photo by dr. Kresimir Malaric)