The State Archives in Gospić, Croatia/ University of Zadar, Croatia
Milan Japunčić. Intelektualac i Veliki rat: dnevnički zapisi iz ruskog zarobljeništva gimnazijskog profesora Milana Japunčića (1916. – 1918.).
Copyright (c) 2025 Marko Kolić https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Copyright (c) 2025 Ivica Mataija https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Conversion of Historical objects from The Aspect of Project Management using the Example of the Murković Mill in Gospić
Within the framework of the profession of project management, this paper points to the existing potential for the conversion of an individual historical object among the many that the republic of Croatia possesses. The research conducted, based on methods and tools applicable in project management, has proven that the revitalization of objects is possible, primarily due to resolved ownership relations. Many architectural objects that once had great significance in the past are today mostly not recognized by the general public because they do not belong to the tourist and culturally exploited heritage. The research focuses on the Murković Mill in the city of Gospić, whose conversion would create a new socially and culturally recognized space with a museum-gallery function. The paper attempts to touch on the first phase, namely the definition of the project and its goals, through a conceptual design solution. The potentials that could result in success in the Lika region itself and the city of Gospić are emphasized. From a project management perspective, this project would be recognizable as a tourism phenomenon in the republic of Croatia, through which younger generations would be introduced and tourism workers would be educated.
Gospić, Murković Mill, conversion, revitalisation, ownership
Copyright (c) 2025 Marin Vlahov https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Sources for the Study of Relations between Lika and Northern Dalmatia in the Period from the Middle Ages to the Beginning of The 20th Century in The State Archives in Zadar
Based on research conducted on the archival materials of the State Archives in Zadar, the paper presents an overview of some of the written sources whose content covers historical events in the Lika region, which were created in the time span from the Middle Ages to the beginning of the 20th century. Given the wide time span it covers, the presented overview is compiled on the basis of a general overview of the archival materials, whereby through the presentation of selected examples of documents, official letters and other records, it attempts to point out to researchers the relevant archival funds and collections as sources for studying the relationship between Lika and the northern Dalmatian region, and to present several guidelines for their search. Among the researched materials, they singled out thematic units relating to is sues of church jurisdiction over the area of medieval Lika, as well as those that testify to the presence of residents of the Lika-Krbava region in the area of the Zadar municipality in the Middle Ages. Furthermore, a large part of the researched materials covers the issue of determining the line of demarcation between two neighboring areas – Lika and Dalmatia, which extends through different time periods, or administrative periods of Dalmatian history. The regulation of mutual grazing rights, forest use, and the general coexistence of border populations is directly related to the aforementioned topics. research into archival funds and collections has also identified materials related to the course of economic events and the formation of the transport system, i.e. to issues of trade, road construction or, for example, the development of postal traffic.Further access to archival material, as well as the method of its future study, of course, depends on the issues that are at the center of the researcher’s interests. Since various thematic data are very often intertwined and complemented by mul tiple archival units, or funds, as well as periods of different administrations, it is of great importance to gain a basic understanding of the functioning and docu mentation organization system of the individual institutions through whose work the material was created, which, together with the studied literature and previous knowledge on the topic, will direct the research more precisely.
Lika, Krbava, Dalmatia, archival materials, State Archives in Zadar
Copyright (c) 2025 Anamaria Perović https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Verson Family Photography Activity in Gospić
This paper examines the development of photography activity in Gospić starting from the 1870s onward, focusing on the work of numerous photographers, from amateur and travelling photographers to those documenting everyday life and those for whom photography was a professional occupation. In a series of strong photographic names, which among first appeared in Lika, such as Ivan Standl and rudolf Mosinger, the surname Verson is particularly noted, mostly for their long-term and continuous work. Originally from Italy, trained as a watchmaker in Senj, Francesco Verson set out into the world where he met with all the charms of a photographic camera. After a short stay on the island of Hvar where he started his independent photography business, about 1893 he moved and settled permanently in Gospić and „from watchmaker Francesco he became photographer Franjo“. After thirty years of active work, Francesco’s sons, juraj and Anton, con tinued their father’s photography business and social engagement, expanding their operations beyond Gospić and Lika by opening branches in Korenica and Senj. Over the course of two generations, the Versons have been active in Gospić for over half a century, and during that time they have created thousands of images where they have objectively captured the most significant events and famous persons who visited Gospić, as well as countless private moments and portraits of their fellow citizens.
photo, Verson, photographer, Gospić, studio
Copyright (c) 2025 Vladimir Šulentić https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
The Lika General Martin Vrkljan von Pilar (1860 – 1937)
Croats have a rich and distinguished military history and tradition, yet many aspects of it remain insufficiently explored. One of the best examples of this legacy is the group of Croatian generals and admirals who brought fame to Croatian soldiers on battlefields across Europe. Among them was Martin Vrkljan von Pilar, an Austro-Hungarian Army lieutenant field marshal, originally from Pilar near St. roch (Sv. rok). Like other generals from the Lika region, he earned his ranks on the battlefield, particularly during World War I, for which he was awarded two high decorations for bravery and leadership in combat. These honors also secured him a noble title. He demonstrated his loyalty to his birthplace by choosing the noble predicate „von Pilar“, derived from his native village. His Croatian patriotism was further expressed through his active membership in the society „Brethren of the Croatian Dragon“, for which he received a dragon emblem and the honorary name „Dragon of Pilar.“
Lika, Martin Vrkljan von Pilar, Croatian general, Austro-Hungarian Army
Copyright (c) 2025 Boris Trnski https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Bells: „Folk Music Connecting the Past, Present, and Future“
At the beginning of the Homeland War, the parish church of St. Michael in Lovinac was destroyed by shelling, during which its bells were also damaged. Although impaired, the bells—through their inscriptions—reveal the period in which they were made and represent significant movable cultural assets. They should be properly protected and presented, not only due to their importance for the community in the context of cultural memory, but also for their cultural and historical value. This prompted an expansion of the research deeper into the past— to the bells that preceded them and were destroyed during the Great War (World War I), and further to other church bells in the Lovinac area.
Lovinac, St. roch, ričice, church bells, requisition, World War I, in terwar period, Homeland War
Copyright (c) 2025 Tihana Petrović Leš https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Kazivač: Ante Pavelić, (1909. – 1995.). U ranoj je mladosti postao sljedbenik Radićeva političkog nauka, 1935. god. postao je trnovački seoski starješina, a 1937. god. predsjednik Hrvatske gospodarske seljačke zadruge u Trnovcu. Govorni zapis, kazetofonska vrpca, 1987., snimila Maja Pavelić Runje (sinovka) koja je govor i transkribirala.
Copyright (c) 2024 Maja Pavelić Runje https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Neukrotivi zelenoplavi neuki letači Milana Bošnjaka ili uriječivanje neuriječenog
Bošnjak, Milan: Neuki letači, Gospić, Matica hrvatska, 2013. i Bošnjak, Milan: Zelenoplavo, Gospić, Matica hrvatska, 2013.
Copyright (c) 2024 Vanda Babić Galić https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Promišljanja o globalnim promjenama u odgoju i obrazovanju i očuvanju baštine
Zbornik radova Globalne promjene u obrazovanju i očuvanje baštine Uredništvo: Anela Nikčević-Milković, Jasminka Brala-Mudrovčić, Denis Jurković Sveučilište u Zadru Zadar, 2023., 306 str.
Copyright (c) 2024 Marina Franić Šimunić https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Copyright (c) 2024 Sanja Vrcić-Mataija https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Jedinstvena kronika 1990-ih iz ondašnje i današnje perspektive jednoga od najznačajnijih ličkih intelektualaca
Bežen, Ante: Zov ranjenog zavičaja: o vremenu Domovinskog rata i poraća iz ličke perspektive, Državni arhiv u Gospiću – Veleučilište Nikola Tesla u Gospiću, 2023.
Copyright (c) 2024 Milan Bošnjak https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Political Propaganda of the 20th CenturyDisplayed Through Posters (Examples of Archival Materials)
This paper explains political propaganda through the Collections of Posters of the State Archives in Slavonski Brod and State Archives in Gospic with the review of other archives and Memorial Documentation Centre of the Homeland War (HMDCDR). It includes the period from the First World War when the war propaganda began to the Second World War until the propaganda reached its peak. The paper also includes the period of forming Yugoslavia and the Republic of Croatia. It is interesting to see how political propaganda benefited different government systems and how it impacted the people’s lives. During the Second World War the poster became the most powerful way of visual communication through which today it is possible to form an idea of the political and social situation of that period. The posters that are kept in the National Archives could be a significant secondary source of historical data.
Copyright (c) 2024 Katarina Aladrović-Mehandžija, Gordana Slanček, Lara Prpić https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
With the ambition of strengthening the autarkic economy of the Military Frontier subordinated to military needs, reforms began in the middle of the 18th century, during which Maria Theresa, on September 21, 1767, established a new order for artisans in Karlovac Generalate, which also referred to craftsmen from the area of the Lika regiment. In the Military Frontier headquarters, the Krajina administration inhabited foreign craftsmen who were organized into guilds, and on May 1, 1773, in Karlovac Generalate, all of them were associated with the main Karlovac guild. Foreign craftsmen contributed to the expansion of the towns they inhabited by settling and performing their trades, so in the 60s of the 18th century, farming settlements began to develop in the wider Gospic area, and trade and craft shops began to open in the central part of the town. The influx of craftsmen and merchants led to a denser population in Gospic, the headquarters of the Lika regiment.
Copyright (c) 2024 Joso Vrkljan, Ivan Barić https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Graphemic-Phonemic Relations in the Text of the FojnicaChronicle (XVII Century)
This paper analyzes the graphemic-phonemic relationships in the Fojnica Chronicle, focusing on the differences and similarities in comparison to the texts of the Franciscan writing activity of the 17th and 18th centuries. First, graphemes that consistently denote the same phoneme in the Fojnica Chronicle are listed. Special emphasis is placed on the representation of certain phonemes marked with two graphemes, or, in some cases, the use of the same grapheme for several different phonemes. For example, the phonemes /ć/ and /đ/ are indicated by the jerv, and the jerv, in combination with the letters l and n, indicates the palatal phonemes /ļ/ and /ń/. The phonemes /č/ and /ǯ/ are marked with the same grapheme. Two graphemes are used to mark the phonemes /k/ and /o/, each with specific distributional rules for their use. The consonant cluster /št/ is denoted by a single letter. The accompanying letter a regularly appears with the vocal ŗ/, and the phoneme /j/ is denoted by the grapheme for jat. All the mentioned peculiarities are compared with the practices of some Franciscan writers from the 17th and 18th centuries. The study examines not only writers who published in Croatian Cyrillic but also those whose works were published in Latin, as the influence of Latin graphic rules on marking some phonemes in Croatian Cyrillic is evident.
Copyright (c) 2024 Šimun Novaković https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Coats of Arms of the Counts of Veglia and Kurjakovićs of Corbavia in the Castle of Grobnik
The paper analyzes the heraldic representations on the cistern crown in the Grobnik castle. The cistern crown itself has long been known to the scientific public, but its heraldry, as a primary source, has not been researched until now. After detecting the owner of Counts of Veglia coat of arms, the development of heraldry and partial use was given. In the case of the coat of arms of the Kurjaković's of Corbavia the research was focused on bisciones (dragons). The possible influences and reasons for the adoption of bisciones (dragons) in the heraldry of the family were analyzed, and it was concluded that they do not represent the Order of the Dragon of King Sigismund. The man-eating biscione clearly points to the influence of Milan and the connection with the ruler from the Sforza house, so it was concluded that it is the coat of arms of Princess Dorothea of Corbavia, and possible owner of other coat of arms is her brother Bernardin Frankapan.
Copyright (c) 2024 Amer Sulejmanagić https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Lovinac on postcards between 1900. and 1940.
In the second half of the 19th century, the postcard, as a pictorial object in postal traffic, brought a novelty in the form of the dissemination of pictorial information for the purpose of promoting settlements, areas, economic activities or important persons. At the turn of the 19th to the 20th century, after the first editions in the larger cities and important tourist centres of Croatia, postcards of smaller settlements, including postcards of Lovinac, appeared. The article presents postcards from Lovinac that were reliably in use between 1902 and 1940, with descriptions of the pictorial part of the postcard – both location and naming the people in the pictures that were recognized from the few available tellers, which is the result of almost 30 years of collecting and searches for the same by the author. It is shown how well-known photographers of the time were hired to prepare the pictorial part of the postcards, and wholesalers of the time appear as publishers, which speaks of their awareness of and involvement in contemporary trends.
Copyright (c) 2024 Davor Šarić https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Famine and Shortage in the Middle Lika in the Second Halfof the 18th and First Half of the 19th Century – Analysisof Demographic Indicators from Church Registry Books
The history of Lika, as well as the other karst areas of our region, has been marked by a difficult life conditions of its inhabitants. This paper analyzes the trends of nuptiality, fertility and mortality in 7 Catholic parishes of Middle Lika and 2 parishes of Podgorje from 1740 to 1858. The obtained data is also used to observe how Middle Lika lived through two crisis periods recognized at the level of the whole Europe – the eighties of the 18th century and the period after the end of the Napoleonic Wars (1815-1818). In both periods, the synergy of socio-political specificities and extreme weather conditions partly caused by volcanic eruptions led to widespread famines. The situation in Lika society in the mentioned periods is very opposite. The eighties of the 18th century hit Middle Lika very hard, which is confirmed by huge jumps in mortality and falls in marriage rates, and during the whole decade the population growth was negative in the observed parishes. On the other hand, the period after the Napoleonic wars minimally affected the Middle Lika society, no more than many other years of scarcity. The analysis of overall trends confirms that Middle Lika in the second half of the 18th and the first half of the 19th century was demographically a typical pre-industrial society characterized by a high birth rate and high mortality, especially of children.
Copyright (c) 2024 Filip Pavelić https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Joso Vrkljan, Lička pukovnija kroz povijest Veleučilište Nikola Tesla i Ogranak Matice hrvatske Gospić, Gospić, 2022.
Copyright (c) 2023 Anela Serdar Pašalić https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Tihana Petrović Leš, Mjesta sjećanja: Sveti Rok i Lovinac Zagreb, Srednja Europa, 2022.
Copyright (c) 2023 Marko Kolić https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Establishment and operation of the Collection Archive Center in Novalja
The archival collection center in Novalja started its work on 1st of September 2009 as a part of the State Archives in Zadar. Along with Korčula, it is a second archival collection center in Croatia situated on an island. The need of its estabishment was based on a size of an island and numbers of creators of documentary and archival materials. In this article a proces of its estabishment was described, it provides information about the building in which it is located, storage capacity, the type and structure of the material stored in it, and also work domain and territory of competence.
the archival collection center in Novalja
Copyright (c) 2023 Barbara Crnković https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Educational programs in croatian protected areas – examples from Lika region
Although the protection of nature is the most important task in the protected areas, their scentific, cultural, estethic and educational values are also promoted. Therefore, some educational programs, especially for school children, are organised in many protected areas. In this paper some programs for school children in Lika region are presented: National parks Plitvice lakes and North Velebit, in Nature park Velebit and in Cave park Grabovača (Risovac-Grabovača significant landscape area). In those protected areas, their natural characteristics and values are highlighted through educational programs, with special emphasis on forms of karst relief like caves. They are presented to visitors in order to familiarize with the meaning and protection of certain ecosystems for future generations. The aim of this paper is to analyse educational programs that are implemented in the mentioned protected areas and to point out their importance for school population during education, with an emphasis on programs for pupils of primary classes. Some examples and programs that are organised in these areas like outdoor school, suitable workshops, field work are also presented.
Copyright (c) 2023 Jadranka Brkić-Vejmelka, Mario Paral https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Functions of the Topos of Lika in Narrative Discourse – Lika as the original homeland of Branko Ćopić
There are few writers who referred to their homeland as Branko Ćopić did. Although he learned about the topos of Lika from the stories of his mother and grandfather, Ćopoć in almost all interviews, letters and even his own works referred to Lika as his original homeland. With this fact, this paper moves in two directions: the first part analyzes Ćopić’s interviews and letters in which he talks about the topos of Lika as a homeland, while the second part of the paper presents interpretations of Lika’s motifs in Ćopić’s literary works. From all sources (both factual and fictional) it is evident that Lika, both as a geographical and as a motive term, represented the habitus of values that significantly determined the work of one of the greatest writers of South Slavic literature.
Copyright (c) 2023 Šeherzada Džafić https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
The work establishes the native poetics of one of the most famous contemporary poets from Gospić – Grga Rupčić. In addition to the biographical and autobiographical context of the Lika – Rastoka area, the life and work of Grga Rupčić is approached in an overview and analytical manner, taking into account the diversity of the author’s literary (poetry and prose) and non-fiction oeuvre. The stylistic analysis of Rupčić’s poetry, characterized by an emotional and reflective lyrical sensibility, is a sign of an educational call, native landscape, and people. The author’s prose literary-publicistic oeuvre, in which he talks about Lika’s social and cultural reality, has a chronicle character and a satirical-humorous intonation. The author’s literary and critical work is aimed at writers of native land. Grga Rupčić’s poetic, poetical and prose, essayistic and literary criticism, as well as chronicle work is a sign of the cultural, historical, educational and literary imaginary of his native area, and his topoanalysis is a sign of poeticizing the native land. The native cultured lyrical subject, identical to the author, marked by nostalgia, memories and recollections, in his entire rich oeuvre inscribed human value in the beloved space, translating its reality into a poetic-mythical dimension, leaving an indelible mark in the literary and cultural life of Lika and Gospić.
Copyright (c) 2023 Sanja Vrcić-Mataija https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
The history of the building of the Budak bridge
Over the centuries, the bridging of the Lika River at the mentioned location proved to be indispensable for the resident population, and the greatest challenge for the builders. In order to provide answers to these claims, the following text chronologically presents the actions and events closely related to the mentioned bridge from the middle of the 18th century to the present day, with special reference to its irreplaceable traffic significance for Gospić and its surroundings. Due to its location in the administrative area of the village of Budak, among the local population it is consistently referred to as the adjective “Budački”, and throughout history, together with the bridges of Ribnik, Bilaj, Kaluđerovacand Kosinj, it has been the key crossing point of the largest Lika river. The first knowledge about the bridge at this location is related to graphic sources – military maps of the time, and from the second half of the 19th century, more detailed studies are possible thanks to preserved written and pictorial materials, and project documentation also. The importance of the bridge is to the greatest extent that it was located on the most important road for the Gospić area, which connected Gospić in direction of north and in direction of the border area with Bosnia near Petrovo Selo. Bosnian merchants from the Bihać valley used the bridge to deliver essential food, mainly cereals and corn, and saved the people of Lika from starvation. The people of Gospić knew all this very well and simply could not afford a traffic interruption, so in the middle of the 19th century they built a high-quality and solid stone bridge, which served them reliably for more than eighty years. That the bridge had a quality foundation is also evidenced by the load-bearing elements – foundations, which have been preserved in their original form to the present day and were the main support of every bridge built later.
Copyright (c) 2023 Vladimir Šulentić https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
A piece of history from organized postal traffic in Lika
The history of organized postal traffic in Lika; as well as in the Lovinac region; is closely related to the Vojna krajina, as post offices were primarily established according to military needs. This paper presents rare philatelic objects from the postal history of the Vojna krajina region (Military Frontier) in the 19th century. The first post offices used for both military and civilian postal services in the Lovinac area were Mali Halan and Sveti Rok, both of which were closed more than 125 years ago, meaning that the rare written traces of their existence not only provide an insight into certain social processes, but also show the way the post functioned at that time.
Copyright (c) 2023 Davor Šarić https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Famine in the Middle Lika in the second half of the 18th and the first half of the 19th century – environmental and societal factors, facing capacity and adaptation strategies
Historically, Lika has a reputation of an area marked by poverty and unpleasant meteorological conditions. Low temperatures and abundance of precipication (especially snow) on one hand, as well as prolonged periods of drought on the other has made agriculture difficult, especially in the subsistential economy of the 18th and 19th century. This, in correlation with poor soil quality and a wide spectre of demographic, economic and agricultural factors, often pushed the society of Middle Lika towards famine. State politics and specific organisation of Habsburg Military Frontier present in the area also served as a factor that stumped the development of the society As contemporary sources state, food scarcity and famine were a regular occurance in Lika. However, people from Lika were able to use some of their societies inner qualities to overcome the famines, as well as to adapt to prevent the occurence of the future famines. Putting greater focus on the livestock, integrating wider families under one household and implementing potato as a primary culture helped the survival of the hardy people of Lika.
Copyright (c) 2023 Filip Pavelić https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Pupils from Lika at the Royal Land Men’s Crafts School in Zagreb in the period from the school’s foundation to 1929
The paper encompasses the research into archival materials of the former Royal Land Men’s Vocational School in the period from 1882 to 1929. It was carried out in the State Archives in Zagreb and it resulted in discovery of names of more than fifty Lika pupils who attended the school. Documentation on the work of the institution as well as pedagogical documentation (Class books, School Diaries, Directories, Certificates) is interpreted in the paper. Official School Reports, not only list the names of the students, but also record details from the time of their education and reduced circumstances in which some of them lived. By using the synthesis method, numerous data were combined and important facts about the education of pupils from Lika in Zagreb were highlighted. The development of vocational or apprenticeship schools in Lika at the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century is also presented. The education system at the Crafts School in Zagreb is described, as well as the life of pupils who lived in its boarding school. The paper contributes and encourages research into the history of craftsmen in the Lika area.
Copyright (c) 2023 Antonia Došen https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Hrvatski i lički domoljub, plodan pisac i beskompromisni pravaš
Copyright (c) 2023 Ante Bežen https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0