2022180th Anniversary of Matica Hrvatska (C) - First Day Cover

Matica hrvatska, the oldest modern Croatian cultural institution and publishing house, was established through the efforts of Croatian revivalists in 1842 in Zagreb, in a period when the national consciousness was being ignited and the modern Croatian nation constituted, for the purpose of promoting the cultural, literary and economic ideas of the Croatian national revival movement with books and magazines printed in the standard language based on the shtokavian dialect. At first, it operated under the name Matica ilirska as the publishing fund for the Illyrian Reading Room, whose founders and members at the time – influenced by the national integration ideas and processes in Europe – kickstarted the foundation of a number of important national cultural and economic institutions, such as theaters, museums and the Economic Society. As of 1851, Matica ilirska began to operate as an independent literary and scientific society. After the foundation of the Academy, the Society of St. Jerome and the University, in 1874 the institution changed its name to Matica hrvatska and modernized its program, organization and operations, focusing on the cultural needs of the growing Croatian urban population, developing the national consciousness and providing cultural enlightenment to the people.