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Already in the Middle Ages, there were several libraries in Croatia. The oldest one was the library of the Cathedral of Saint Domnius in Split; the preserved manuscript of the Greek-Latin Evangelist of Split testifies to the existence of it (7th century). [1] During the Renaissance and Baroque, some private libraries were established, for instance the library of Marko Marulić, a Renaissance humanist, or Bibliotheca Zriniana , the prominent book collection of Nikola VII Zrinski, Ban (Viceroy) of Croatia (1662).
The evolution of Croatian libraries later occurred in three distinct phases:
Reading rooms, the precursor to public libraries, first appeared in Croatia in the late 1830s. Similar to other Western countries, reading rooms were places where men with common views could meet and discuss issues in solidarity. Driven by their opposition to Austro-Hungarian rule, libraries in Croatia were created with the intention of nurturing the "Croatian language and culture, as well as national awakening and identity." [2] The founders stipulated that reading material must be written in Croatian. [2] These rooms were often referred to as Illyrian reading rooms, named after the political and cultural Illyrian movement. The first Illyrian reading room opened in Varaždin in January 1838. Others soon opened, and by the end of the nineteenth century, more than 180 reading rooms were operating in Croatia. [2]
Reading rooms started functioning as libraries rather than just a place to discuss political activities. [2] [3] –
Libraries that are publicly funded began to appear in Croatia during the 20th century. However, World War I slowed down the progress of libraries. The lack of progress can be attributed to Croatia joining the Kingdom of Yugoslavia, where individual and national rights were restricted. [3]
After WWII, Croatia became one of the six republics of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. Citing post war enthusiasm, author Dijana Sabolović-Krajina writes that libraries open in great numbers. [3]
The Librarianship Act of 1960 is passed. Librarianship and libraries in Croatia strengthen thanks to a "set legal and professional framework for all types of libraries." [3]
During the Croatian War of Independence, libraries, many libraries experienced disruption to patron services due to the conflict. More than 200 libraries, as well as museums and archives sustained some sort of damage or were destroyed, including valuable and irreplaceable historical collections. Rebuilding libraries postwar became a “top priority at the close of the twentieth century.” [4] Unlike other Eastern Bloc countries, Croatians were free to travel to the West. As a result of this contact, Western libraries "influenced the character and progress of Croatian libraries and librarianship before and after the 1990s." [4]
After the war ended and the country gained independence, Croatia transformed from a socialist republic to a political and economic democracy. In 1997, the government passed the Library Act, a law decrees that a public library should be established in communities with more than 5000 residents. However, not all communities are able to comply with this law due to limited finances or resources. [3]
According to statistics, it is estimated that there were a total of 1,731 as of 2010. This includes libraries that fall into public, national, university or higher education, church, general education, and special library categories. [4] Academic, special, and research libraries are governed by the Ministry of Science, Education, and Sports, while the Ministry of Culture is responsible for public libraries. Both are governed by the Croatian Library Council. [4]
In 2016, Croatian public librarians collaborated with EIFL to help develop a vision on what libraries could do to improve the country. They arrived at four goals: provide advanced digital skills that help young people become employable in technical fields, help foster interest in creative industries, improve access to those living in rural areas, and promote social inclusion. [5]
As with other libraries world-wide, the country's libraries closed or scaled back services during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Croatian Library Council urged libraries to work and, as far as possible, remain "accessible to users as important support to the community" [6]
At the time of the Roman Empire, the area of modern Croatia comprised two Roman provinces, Pannonia and Dalmatia. After the collapse of the Western Roman Empire in the 5th century, the area was subjugated by the Ostrogoths for 50 years, before being incorporated into the Byzantine Empire.
The culture of Croatia has historically been influenced by Central European, Mediterranean, and Balkan cultures. Croatia's unique culture and identity can be traced back to the historical llyricum. The Croatian language is believed to have been formed in the 6th or 7th century, with the written language present in Glagolitic texts from the 11th century.
Biograd na Moru, shortened to simply Biograd is a town in northern Dalmatia, Croatia and is significant for being another capital of the medieval Kingdom of Croatia. Biograd is administratively part of the Zadar County. It is located on the Adriatic Sea coast, overlooking the island of Pašman, on the road from Zadar and Sukošan towards Vodice and Šibenik.
The History of Dalmatia concerns the history of the area that covers eastern coast of the Adriatic Sea and its inland regions, from the 2nd century BC up to the present day. The region was populated by Illyrian tribes around 1,000 B.C, including the Delmatae, who formed a kingdom and for whom the province is named. Later it was conquered by Rome, thus becoming the province of Dalmatia, part of the Roman Empire. Dalmatia was ravaged by barbaric tribes in the beginning of the 4th century.
Mile Krajina was a noted gusle player from Croatia, who sang traditional folk songs.
Operation Maslenica was a Croatian Army offensive launched in January 1993 to retake territory in northern Dalmatia and Lika from Krajina Serb forces, with the stated military objective of pushing the Serbs back from approaches to Zadar, Maslenica and Karlobag, allowing a secure land route between Dalmatia and northern Croatia to be opened. While an undoubted net Croatian tactical success, the operation was only a moderate strategic success, and was condemned by the UN Security Council.
Ivan Karlović, also known as by his Latin name Johannes Torquatus, was the Count of Krbava. His life during critical periods of Hundred Years' Croatian–Ottoman War was marked by constant efforts to stop Ottoman conquests of Croatia, during which he held position of Ban of Croatia twice: from 1521 to 1524 and again from 1527 to 1531. He was also one of the Croatian magnates who participated in 1527 Election in Cetin.
The Croats are an ethnic group in Slovenia. In the 2002 census 35,642 citizens of Slovenia identified themselves as Croats, making them second most-populous non-Slovene ethnic group in Slovenia. Despite their centuries-old presence, Croats do not have the status of a national minority.
Matica hrvatska is the oldest independent, non-profit and non-governmental Croatian national institution. It was founded on February 2, 1842 by the Croatian Count Janko Drašković and other prominent members of the Illyrian movement during the Croatian National Revival (1835–1874). Its main goals are to promote Croatian national and cultural identity in the fields of art, science, spiritual creativity, economy and public life as well as to care for social development of Croatia.
The Battle of Zadar was a military engagement between the Yugoslav People's Army, supported by the Croatian Serb Serbian Autonomous Oblast of Krajina, and the Croatian National Guard, supported by the Croatian Police. The battle was fought north and east of the city of Zadar, Croatia, in the second half of September and early October 1991 during the Croatian War of Independence. Although the JNA's initial orders were to lift the Croatian siege of the JNA's barracks in the city and isolate the region of Dalmatia from the rest of Croatia, the orders were amended during the battle to include capturing the Port of Zadar in the city centre. The JNA's advance was supported by the Yugoslav Air Force and Navy.
The Kingdom of Croatia was part of the Lands of the Hungarian Crown, but was subject to direct Imperial Austrian rule for significant periods of time, including its final years. Its capital was Zagreb. It was also a part of the lands of the Habsburg monarchy from 1527, following the Election in Cetin, and the Austrian Empire from 1804 to 1867.
The architecture of Croatia has roots in a long history: the Croats have inhabited the area for fourteen centuries, but there are important remnants of earlier periods still preserved in the country. The historic architecture of most old towns on the coast is Venetian, a legacy of the Venetian empire. The Habsburg and Ottoman empires also influenced the architecture of the region.
Croatian art describes the visual arts in Croatia, and art by Croatian artists from prehistoric times to the present. In Early Middle Ages, Croatia was an important centre for art and architecture in south eastern Europe. There were many Croatian artists during the Medieval period, and the arts flourished during the Renaissance. Later styles in Croatia included Baroque and Rococo.
Croatian National Theatre is the official name of several state-funded theatre houses in Croatia. Each one is commonly referred to by the Croatian-language initialism HNK. The four theatre houses in biggest cities are considered premier theatre and opera houses in the country. In addition, there are three other smaller theatres carrying that name in Croatia and one in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The National Library of Albania is Albania's national library headquartered in the country's capital, Tirana. It was founded in 1920 and inaugurated on December 10, 1922.
Croatian Writers' Association is the official association of Croatian writers. It was founded in 1900 in Zagreb with the goal "to unite writers and help them support one another, and promote Croatian literature regardless of political objectives", "to protect the interests and increase the reputation of writers" and "supports its members and their orphans." The DHK's president is Hrvojka Mihanović Salopek, while Željka Lovrenčić and Mirko Ćurić are vice-presidents.
Theatre in Croatia refers to the history of the performing arts in Croatia, or theatrical performances written, acted and produced by Croatians. Croatian theatre generally falls into the Western theatre tradition, with influences especially from Italy, Germany, Austria and other European nations.
Ivan Derkos was a Croatian politician associated with the beginning of the Illyrian movement, the 19th-century Croatian national revival movement. He gained prominence by reading a series of notes written by Fran Kurelac in defence of lectures on the Croatian language held at the University of Zagreb by Matija Smodek in 1832.