The historical period during the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century was, among other things, extremely turbulent for the development of technical sciences in Croatia. The initiator of the idea on the institutionalization of Croatian Higher Technical Education was the Club of Engineers and Architects founded in 1878 in Zagreb. In 1884, the Club changed its name to the Society of Engineers and Architects in Zagreb. The academic community, and particularly the Faculties of Engineering in Zagreb, can be grateful to this Club/Society since it initiated the first serious discussions on higher technical education in 1891, which was not present in Croatia at the time, as part of the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy. Since that first initiative until the end of World War I, there were numerous attempts to found the Polytechnic in Zagreb. A public fundraising action was initiated at that time to found the Polytechnic and the first significant donation came from Juraj Žerjavić, dr.med, a priest from Marija Bistrica.
Milan Rojc, dr.med, the Head of the Department for Worship and Teaching at the Croatian Government, was the most deserving person for founding the Polytechnic. He procured the order to found the Polytechnic from the Trust Board of the Slovenes, Croats and Serbs in December 1918, and classes started in October 1919. Therefore, 1919 is considered the start of classes and technical sciences studies in Zagreb and Croatia.
The Polytechnic conducted classes in the architectural, construction-engineering, cultural-engineering, chemical-engineering, mechanical-engineering, electric-engineering, shipbuilding-engineering and marine-mechanical engineering divisions (or departments in certain periods), as well as a geodesic course, which also became a department in 1920.
The Polytechnic in Zagreb and the Faculty of Engineering of the University of Zagreb (founded in 1926) form the foundations of the contemporary development of engineering in Croatia and have remained one of the brightest points in Croatian engineering heritage until today, when we mark the 100th anniversary of the foundation of the Polytechnic in Zagreb. The stated institutions grew into today's 12 Faculties of Engineering of the University of Zagreb, which became independent in the period from 1956 to 1991.
Today, all technical faculties form the framework of contemporary technical sciences, economy and culture in Croatia. Tens of thousands of engineers who completed studies at the Faculties of Engineering of the University of Zagreb work in the homeland, but also abroad, and every day turn their endless imagination and creative human ideas into reality.
Ivan Smolčić, Bachelor of Mechanical
Engineering and Naval Architecture
(LZMK)
