Croatian Greats

Marin Držić, a Croatian comedy writer, was a painter and interpreter of Dubrovnik Renaissance society, yet so brilliant that his works also depict our contemporary society. He wrote and staged comedies, dramas, and tragedies, and some of his most famous works are *Dundo Maroje*, *Skup*, *Novela od Stanca*, and the tragedy *Hecuba*. We will find out why he was beaten, where the nickname Vidra comes from, and what connection he has with football and Shakespeare.

On 16 December 1914, Ivan pl. Zajc, composer and conductor, the founder of Croatian opera, a favorite of both fortune and the audience, left us. Lisinski, on the other hand, was born for great things, but fate took his health, then his work, love, fame... Which of them is the son of a butcher, who delights in the scent of roses and snuffing tobacco, who changed his name, and who changed musical history?

A polymath, linguist, inventor, diplomat, engineer, bishop. The “father” of *homo volans*, the blueprint according to which the bridges in San Francisco and Dubrovnik were built, and a series of things that surround us. Find out how that genius lived and why he was the second man of Europe!

Few spoke of the homeland with such passion, few were imprisoned already in their youth like him. Discover his incredible life story, of shortsightedness, poverty, geese in the fog, of the life and work of the man who mobilized millions of Croatian peasants... From his native Desno Trebarjevo to the assassination in Belgrade!

He is one of the greatest minds of humankind, and his genius was accompanied by an intriguing character. By following his life, the team behind the series managed to uncover a secret you may not have known, Tesla’s final invention. Do you think it has something to do with energy transmission, magnetic induction, and alternating current, or perhaps with something that will completely change the human race? There is only one way to find out….

Ivan Mažuranić is part of the school curriculum because of the work *“The Death of Smail-aga Čengić”*, but also in your wallet on the 100 kuna banknote. But did you know that this literary classic is present in our everyday life through the words he coined (ice cream, rhinoceros...) as well as through the reforms he introduced into our schools. Precisely because of his influence, Joana Kornelija Emilija Henrijeta, that is, Ivana Brlić Mažuranić, also began her literary career...

In the turbulent 16th century, when the Ottomans were attempting to conquer Europe, there lived probably the most celebrated Croatian great figure – Nikola Šubić Zrinski. But did you know that young Nikola, due to his family status, in today’s terms was part of the “golden youth”? But instead of wrecking cars, Nikola from an early age was smashing the Ottomans, and already as a young man he took part in numerous other battles before the famous Siege of Szigetvár...

Delve into all the layers of the rich life of Josip Jelačić! Celebrated in Croatia, labeled in Hungary, in addition to being a brilliant military commander, he also wrote poems, was well-liked in society, nor was he a stranger to wearing wigs. We also visited numerous locations where Jelačić stayed in order to find out why his life was tragic and what earned him a monument on the main square of our capital city!

Two of the total three Nobel laureates of Croatian descent were chemists. Lavoslav Ružička supplied the American military with artificially produced testosterone, and by discovering synthetic musk, he saved thousands of musk deer. Vladimir Prelog’s contribution was the discovery of the CIP rule, which opened a new field of research in chemistry. This episode will prove to you that chemistry doesn’t have to be boring. On the contrary.

There is one Croatian politician whom both left- and right-wing voters equally admire. We are, of course, talking about Ante Starčević, who graces the 1,000 kuna banknote. But what exactly earned him a place at the top of our distinguished society of monetary greats? What earned him the title “Father of the Homeland”? Is there a Mother of the Homeland? Find the answers in the new episode of Croatian Greats. You will also learn some lesser-known details from the life of this politician, philosopher, and writer. Is it true that he lived an almost ascetic life and went gray overnight? We visited his native Žitnik in Lika, spoke with a young and lively Ante Starčević, and prepared a show as hearty as a Lika potato. Enjoy!

She wrote an entire mountain of books, 87 in total and did so on trams, in bed, and standing up, because she didn’t have a desk. But did you know about her love of football and sports predictions? And that the poem *“Ti koja imaš nevinije ruke”* was translated into 22 languages?!

The Jesuit Ruđer Bošković was a mathematician, astronomer, geodesist, physicist, philosopher, diplomat, and writer. He worked in statics, and thanks to him alone, the domes of St. Peter’s in the Vatican and the Imperial Library in Vienna never collapsed on popes and emperors. In his free time, he wrote poetry, criticized Newton, and explored Troy. But did you know that he laid the foundations of subatomic particle physics? Did you know that he embraced the principle of relativity long before Einstein, who, according to legend, kept his portrait above his desk? Discover what we owe to this versatile genius and whether he really looked like Mozart in the new episode of Croatian Greats.

In Croatia, streets and squares bear the name of Matija Gubec, a total of 362, and both the Ustaše, the Partisans, and the HSS have at various times invoked his legacy. Yet even today, we still do not know whether his name was truly ‘Matija,’ whether he was the leader of the rebellion, or whether he was even executed. In this episode, various experts, as well as local guardians of memory from Stubica, help us get as close as possible to Gubec’s historical figure. We will also uncover some unknown details about Franjo Tahy. Was he a hero or a villain? Why did infertile women visit his tomb for years, and why was he expelled from the church in Stubica? Find out in the new episode of Croatian Greats. The show was filmed in Zagorje, ensuring a touch of spontaneity and fun. Cheers!

Her male colleagues belittled her, Bishop Strossmayer supported her, and women followed. Her life was even more interesting and tragic than her novels. Learn all about her real name, talent, perseverance, and about justice that is slow, but attainable…

Can someone 135 cm tall, with a speech impediment and an awkward gait, become a world-class great? The example of St. Leopold Bogdan Mandić shows us that it is possible. He is not credited with an important invention like alternating current, but by hearing confessions for up to 12 hours a day, he transformed countless lives. We reveal why the entire Catholic Church venerates him as a saint and what it truly means to be holy…

The most esteemed Croatian great of the 20th century is undoubtedly the sculptural genius and architect Ivan Meštrović. *Gregory of Nin* in Split and the *Fountain of Life* in Zagreb are just a fraction of nearly 3,000 sculptures he created in his lifetime and scattered across the world. We followed the itinerary of this “wonder from Vlaj”: from his native Otavice, where he hung out with sheep, to worldwide fame and coffee with King Alexander, Eisenhower, Rodin, and Stepinac. Why can we call him Croatia’s greatest donor? Why did he end up in a Ustaše prison, and who saved him from execution at the last moment? Why was he called the Michelangelo of his time? Find out in the new episode of Croatian Greats.