Treasure Chest

He was born in the village of Novaki in 1808 to a wealthy rural family. He received his education in Varaždin, Sopron, Zagreb, and Budapest. During the period of aggressive Magyarization in Croatia, he taught the Croatian language – Kajkavian dialect – at the Academy from 1831 to 1840. Later, he lectured at the Faculty of Law, teaching economic law, political sciences, and Hungarian-Croatian law. From 1835, he served as a professor of statistics and mining law, and from 1849 to 1874, at the Legal Academy, he taught administrative jurisprudence in addition to the aforementioned subjects.

He dedicated his life to science, the education of young generations, and the highest Croatian ideals, earning great respect from both students and professors at the University of Zagreb of his time.

He studied and graduated in law in Pozsony (Bratislava). He joined the fight against the Hungarians, and Ban Jelačić appointed him as commissioner for the supply of the Croatian army in the Varaždin region. He served as an archivist and judge in the Varaždin district and held the positions of deputy county prefect and county prefect in the Križevci County from 1867 to 1871. Afterward, he retired from political life and lived in Ivanec until his death.

Ladislav inherited the Ivanečka Kaniža estate from his father, Franjo Kukuljević, and purchased the Ivanec castle and its surrounding property from the Šarlaj family. He engaged in grain and crop production, bred livestock of noble breeds, and leased the postal service with horses.

He owned 800 acres of forest and 100 acres of arable land, meadows, vineyards, and other properties. He constructed several residential and commercial buildings along Ivanec's main street toward Lepoglava, becoming the wealthiest resident of Ivanec in the 19th century.

He contributed to the renovation of the parish church in Ivanec and built the Chapel of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the park near the Ivanec castle as a vow in memory of his late wife. The chapel was demolished in 1961. In his will, he generously donated to charitable foundations, cultural societies, and associations. He also provided financial support for the elderly, the infirm, and former serfs from his estates in Kaniža, Gečkovec, and Vuglovec.

Born in Ivanec in 1854, Đuro Arnold graduated from the Faculty of Philosophy in Zagreb and pursued further professional training in Göttingen, Berlin, and Paris. He worked as a high school teacher, director of a teacher training school, and professor of pedagogy and philosophy at the University of Zagreb. He was elected rector of the University and became a full member of the Yugoslav Academy of Sciences and Arts (now the Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts). From 1903 to 1909, he served as president of Matica Hrvatska, edited the literary magazine Vijenac, and was an honorary member of the Brotherhood of Croatian Dragons.

Arnold published poetry collections, including Selected Poems (1899), Longing of Imagination (1908), From Heights and Depths (1918), and Selected Poems (1924). In 1896, he initiated the pedagogical seminar at the University of Zagreb for the theoretical and practical training of high school teachers.

He authored numerous scholarly works, such as Ethics and History (1880), Philosophy of Natural Science and Sociology (1889), Art in Relation to Science (1906), and Unified Croatian National Culture (1909). He also wrote high school textbooks, including Logic (1888) and Psychology (1893).

The son of the renowned Ivan Kukuljević-Sakcinski, Božidar studied law in Vienna and Zagreb. After completing his studies, he served as deputy county prefect and secretary in Zagreb, as well as district head in Varaždin. In 1896, he inherited the Ivanec estate with its castle from his uncle Ladislav. Being a devoted admirer of music and literature, Božidar published reviews and critiques, contributing to magazines such as Vijenac, Prosvjeta, Hrvatska vila, and Balkan. He corresponded with notable writers and artists of his time, including Gjalski, Vojnović, Trnski, Fijan, Mandrović, Zajc, Kuhač, and Faller.

His works were inspired by idyllic historical, social, and natural themes. In his prose piece The Youth of Ivan Kukuljević-Sakcinski, he described his father's early years and political efforts.

An unfinished manuscript titled The History of the Noble Family Kukuljević-Sakcinski remains among his works. He also recorded events from Ivanec's history, such as the consecration of his uncle Ladislav's chapel, the dedication of the Ivanec Volunteer Fire Brigade banner in July 1891, and the school flag in 1901.

Božidar was the founder of the Brotherhood of Croatian Dragons, president of the "Kolo" choral society in Zagreb, and the "Vila" choral society in Varaždin.

In 1898, he established a branch of the Croatian Mountaineering Society in Ivanec.

He was born on his father's country estate, Pahinsko. He received his musical education in Varaždin and Zagreb, and later at conservatories in Vienna and Paris. He taught piano at the school of the Croatian Music Institute. From 1896 to 1902, he served as the conductor and director of the Zagreb Opera. He was also the intendant of the Osijek Theatre, choir conductor of the Zvonimir choral society in Split, the Kolo choral society in Zagreb, and president of the Croatian Choral Union from 1924 until his death.

Nikola Faller played a pivotal role in establishing ballet as a separate ensemble in 1894 and enriched the repertoire of the Zagreb Opera with performances of foundational works, particularly operas by composers such as R. Wagner, P. I. Tchaikovsky, J. Massenet, G. Puccini, P. Mascagni, G. Bizet, A. Thomas, R. Leoncavallo, and L. van Beethoven. He also enabled the staging of operas by Croatian composers, including V. Lisinski (Porin), S. Albini (Maričon), F. S. Vilhar (The Queen of Ivanjska), and V. Baresa (Cvijeta). Faller composed chamber music, choral pieces, and sacred music. Beyond his contributions to music, he was deeply interested in botany, particularly the collection and classification of mountain flora. Remarkably, he is also credited as a pioneer of the modern crossword puzzle and made significant contributions to the development of Croatian enigmatology.

Mavro Spiller arrived in the Ivanec region from Kostajnica in 1909 to serve as the royal district physician. Dedicated, respected, and admired for his tireless work, he served the community of Ivanec for 35 years and for 30 years was the physician of the Ivanec Miners' Brotherhood (Fraternal Miners' Fund), an institution that cared for the health of miners and their families. In addition to his regular duties as a district physician, his practice covered the local fraternal funds in Ivanec and Golubovec, serving over 1,000 miners and providing healthcare for 4,000 people, including their families.

Dr. Spiller was active in the social and political life of Ivanec. He served as the president of the National Reading Room committee, president of the Red Cross, and was a respected member of the Croatian Peasant Party. Toward the end of his career, he was appointed Senior Sanitary Inspector. He passed away in 1940 while visiting his son Emil, a forestry engineer, in Jajce. Following his death, his sons adopted the surname Georgijević in 1941, derived from their mother's family name.

Bruno Županić-Steiner was among the first football players in Varaždin and is remembered in the history of the sport for scoring the first official goal on May 15, 1910, during a match between VGŠK Varaždin and "Olimpija" Karlovac.

After studying law in Vienna, Prague, and Zagreb, he worked in the judiciary and began practicing as a lawyer in Ivanec in 1921. He was actively involved in the social and cultural life of Ivanec during the interwar period.

His poetry appeared in the magazine Mlada Hrvatska, and he contributed to publications such as Naše pravice,(Our Rights), Književne novosti (Literary News), Savremenik (The Contemporary), Hrvat (The Croat), Šišmiš (The Bat), Književni horizonti (Literary Horizons), Varaždinske Novosti (Varaždin News), and Hrvatsko parvo (Croatian Law).

Županić-Steiner’s literary work includes contributions on foreign literature (e.g., Turgenyev, Scheyer, Adamič) and studies on Croatian literary history, focusing on figures like Mihanović, Bublić, Vilović, Margel Gotalovački, Galović, Marković, and Miholjević. He also published an article on Dr. Ante Starčević in Hrvatsko pravo and a review of Đuro Vilović's historical chronicle Međimurje (1923).

He published his memoirs titled "On the 60th Anniversary of Mountaineering on Ivančica" in 1968 in the Zagorje Almanac (Zagorski kolendar).

Between the two world wars, Pavica Hrazdira was an active participant in the social life of Ivanec. She was a writer, amateur actress, president of the mountaineering society, and an entrepreneur in the mining industry.

In addition to poetry, she wrote short stories and novellas depicting the struggles of the impoverished people of Ivanec. Her poem Ivanečke sele, later renamed to the tune Poleg jedne velke gore, was composed by Rudolf Rajter. The song gained widespread popularity as a traditional Kajkavian folk tune.

Otokar Hrazdira came to Ivanec from the Czech Republic after World War I. Together with his wife, Pavica, he established two small coal mines near Ivanec. He participated in eight international photography exhibitions, showcasing 18 photographs that were recognized and awarded. In 1931, Hrazdira founded the photography section of HPD "Ivančica" in Ivanec and organized the town's first artistic photography exhibition in 1932. He was the publisher of the only interwar magazine dedicated to artistic photography, Galerija, with its editorial office based in Ivanec. Six issues were published, with Pavao Špiler serving as the editor.

Hrazdira was executed by hanging in the centre of Ivanec in 1944, along with four other prominent citizens, for his collaboration with the anti-fascist movement.

In 1920, together with like-minded individuals, he founded the Ivanec Sports Club. He revitalized the HPOD "Ivančica" branch and was the initiator of the construction of the mountain lodge and the pyramid at the peak of Ivančica in 1929.

He also distinguished himself as a health educator and founded a library in Greda, which he stocked with several hundred books. He was a great friend of the people of Ivanec, the town of Ivanec, and Ivančica Mountain.

Born into a poor and large family of miner Valent Kraš, he began training as a baker in Varaždin at the age of fifteen. Later, he moved to Zagreb, where he worked as a baker. After World War I, he joined the labor movement and became a union activist. He was sentenced in Belgrade to five years in prison, which he served in Sremska Mitrovica. He edited the newspapers “Borba” and “Radnik”. He collaborated with left-oriented intellectuals of that time.

In Ivanec, he organized miners' strikes in 1936 and 1937, which led to improved working conditions for miners. From 1937, he was a member of the highest leadership bodies of the Communist Party of Croatia (KPH) and the Communist Party of Yugoslavia (KPJ).

He was killed in 1941 in Karlovac while organizing the anti-fascist resistance for Kordun, Banovina, Gorski Kotar, and the Littoral regions. He was posthumously declared a People's Hero.

At the beginning of his career, he worked as a teacher in Jurketinec, Donja Voća, Pahinsko, and Varaždin. He founded the Archaeological Department of the Varaždin City Museum, where prehistoric findings from the Varaždin region are exhibited. He researched prehistoric sites in the wider Ivanec area: Vindija Cave, the surroundings of Punikva, Draguševac, and Krč near Cerje Tužno. The exploration of the Vindija Cave is his life's work.

At Punikva in 1939, he discovered a site containing Paleolithic stone tools belonging to the early Acheulean period, which are the oldest stone artifacts found in Croatia. Their age is estimated to be 500,000 years.

He worked as a music teacher in numerous schools across Croatia, led choirs, tamburitza orchestras, and served as a répétiteur for the Osijek Opera. In the 1950s, he completed his music studies at the Pedagogical Academy in Zagreb. From 1954 to 1969, he taught music education and successfully led the choir at the Experimental Elementary School “Jordanovac” in Zagreb, leaving an indelible mark. He composed the song Poleg jedne velke gore, and his many Kajkavian chansons were performed and awarded at the Kajkavian Song Festival in Krapina.

In the Zagorje Almanac (Zagorski Kalendar) of 1961, he published an article titled Pjevačka i muzička društva u Ivancu (Singing and Musical Societies in Ivanec), in which the musical tradition of Ivanec is presented from the early 20th century.

Born in Stažnjevec into a family of teachers, he studied at the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences in Zagreb, where he later worked as a professor in various secondary schools. He worked two years as a journalist in the cultural and artistic department of Radio Zagreb, seven years as an editor at the Lexicographic Institute of the Federal People's Republic of Yugoslavia in Zagreb, and he was also a professor at the College of Economics in Zagreb.

Ladika began writing poetry as a high school student, publishing his first prose poem, Jesen (Autumn). He was the editor of several journals and anthologies, including Književna revija (Literary Review), Književno ogledalo (Literary Mirror), Književna tribina (Literary Forum), and Zagorski godišnjak (Zagorje Yearbook).

He attended elementary school in Ivanec and was part of the first generation of students at the Archbishop's Minor Seminary on Šalata in Zagreb. He graduated from the Catholic Faculty of Theology in Zagreb in 1942 and was ordained as a priest. He served as the archivist of the Zagreb Chapter (Zagrebački Kaptol) from 1966 until his retirement in 1976. He worked on organizing the Chapter and Archdiocesan archives, whose materials had not been unified or systematized. He researched and published the book „Kanonske vizitacije zagrebačke (nad)biskupije” (Canonical Visitations of the Zagreb (Arch)Diocese) (co-authored with J. Kolanović). Together with Josip Kolanović, he published „Nova građa o Jurju Dalmatincu i Seljačke bune XV–XVIII. Stoljeća” (New Materials on Juraj Dalmatinac and Peasant Revolts of the 15th–18th Centuries). The publication of the Diary of Bishop Maksimilijan Vrhovac holds great significance for national church history.

He also researched the early history of Ivanec, contributing invaluable articles to the Ivanec Almanac (Ivanečki kalendar).

He spent his childhood in the Ivanec castle with his grandfather Božidar Kukuljević and grandmother Klara (Baroness Maroičić by birth). His father, Dr. Josip Šaban, purchased the Ivanec castle. Ladislav dedicated himself to researching the history of Ivanec, leaving invaluable records about the old town of Ivanec based on original documentation and his personal knowledge of the family's history.

He completed his piano studies at the Music Academy in Zagreb, focusing on both concert performance and pedagogy under Professor Svetislav Stančić. He devoted his life to teaching and was a professor of piano and piano pedagogy at the Music Academy until his passing.

Šaban tirelessly researched Croatian musical heritage and cultural history, with a particular interest in organs. He authored numerous works on the musical history of Varaždin and its surroundings, the history of music education in Croatia, and the activities of the Croatian Music Institute. In 1975, he became a member of the Yugoslav Academy of Sciences and Arts (JAZU, now HAZU).

Born in Ribić Breg, his family moved to Slavonia in 1925 seeking better living conditions. He attended elementary school in Hrkanovci, the Franciscan Classical Gymnasium in Široki Brijeg, and the Seminary in Đakovo. He was ordained as a priest in 1944. Due to unfounded political accusations, he spent two and a half years in prison. After his release, he was appointed Secretary of the Diocesan Ordinariate in Đakovo.

In 1974, he was named Bishop of Đakovo and Srijem. As a bishop, he is remembered for building a home for retired priests and modernizing the diocesan economy. Under his initiative, new churches and parish houses were built, and old church buildings were restored.

Thanks to his efforts, significant anniversaries were celebrated, including the 1982 centennial of the consecration of Strossmayer’s Cathedral, the 1100th anniversary of the death of Saints Cyril and Methodius in 1985, and the 750th anniversary of Đakovo’s historical legacy and the establishment of the diocese in 1989. He retired in 1997.

He completed elementary school and trained as a mechanic in Ivanec, while his secondary education took place in Varaždin. As a student at the Varaždin Grammar School, he participated in summer archaeological researches in the Varaždin area under the guidance of Stjepan Vuković. He studied geological sciences at the Faculty of Science in Zagreb. During his studies, he worked as a technical associate at the Geological-Paleontological Collection and the Karst Laboratory of JAZU (Yugoslav Academy of Sciences and Arts). Under his leadership, this facility evolved into the Institute for Quaternary Paleontology and Geology.

He earned his PhD in 1963 and became a full member of JAZU (now HAZU, the Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts) in 1979.

He earned widespread recognition for his contributions to paleozoology, paleoanthropology, speleology, and Quaternary geology. He enriched global science with his research on cave deposits at Vindija Cave and Velika Pećina on Ravna Gora, as well as his studies on ice wedge phenomena, cryoturbation, the development of river terraces, and more. The majority of his work focused on the Pleistocene fossil mammal fauna, their distribution, migrations, and species in geological history. He analysed fossil human sites at Vindija Cave, Velika Pećina, and other locations, comparing his findings with European discoveries. He was honoured with prestigious decorations and was elected as a member of the Austrian Academy of Sciences in 1989.

He published several hundred professional and popular works, with the Ivanec region always holding a prominent place in his research.

From an early age, he worked with wood and clay, and his talent was first noticed by his teacher in Kuljevčica, Šime Kurelić. Dr. Adalbert Georgijević recommended him to the painter Ivan Režek and professor Ljubo Babić. At the age of 14, as the youngest painter alongside Krsto Hegedušić, he participated in the exhibition of the group "BA-BE-MI" – Babić, Becić, Miše. After the exhibition, he enrolled in the School of Crafts and later continued his studies at the Academy of Fine Arts in Zagreb.

From 1948 onward, he regularly participated in exhibitions of visual artists from Hrvatsko Zagorje and Međimurje, as well as in group exhibitions of ULUH (Association of Croatian Artists) in 1960 and 1978. He held a solo exhibition at the Gallery of Paintings in Varaždin in 1978, and his retrospective exhibition, covering the period from 1932 to 1982, was held at the "Karas" Gallery in Zagreb in 1982.

The Knights of Malta of the Military Order of Saint John of Jerusalem appointed him as a member of their order on December 30, 2004, granting him the title of Knight-Commander. Unfortunately, Vresk passed away while the recognition was en route from Rome to Croatia. For his exceptional contribution to visual art and the promotion of Ivanec on a global level, he was posthumously awarded the City of Ivanec plaque in 2005.

He attended elementary school in Ivanec and the Real Grammar School in Varaždin. During the war, he participated in the anti-fascist movement, and after the war, he worked as an editor for Varaždinske vijesti and as a correspondent for Zagreb newspapers from Varaždin. He graduated from the Faculty of Law in 1949. After completing his studies, he worked at the People’s Council of the Ivanec district and the People’s Council of the Varaždin district as a legal advisor, counsellor, head, and secretary. He is credited with the restoration of the pyramid on Ivančica and the arrangement of the Mrzljak spring in 1958.

From 1964, he served as an advisor and secretary to the Constitutional Court of Croatia, and in 1983, he was elected as a member of the Court. During two terms in the Croatian Parliament, he was a member of the Legislative-Legal Commission, a Zagreb city councilor, and chairman of the Commission for Regulations and Organizational Matters of the City Assembly.

He contributed to drafting the 1974 Constitution and to amendments to the republican constitution in the late 1980s. He served as President of the Constitutional Court of the Socialist Republic of Croatia in 1988 and 1989. Subsequently, he returned as a judge of the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Croatia until his retirement in 1992.

He authored several scholarly papers in the field of law. After his death, his wife, Nataša, fulfilled his wish and donated his exceptionally valuable library, consisting of 1,200 titles, to libraries in Ivanec and Varaždin.

Born in Vuglovec, he attended elementary school in Ivanec and Grammar school in Varaždin. In 1947, he enrolled in the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine in Zagreb and graduated in 1953. He initially worked at the Veterinary Station in Ivanec and the clinic in Bednja, and from 1961, he was employed at the Surgical Clinic of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine in Zagreb.

He earned his PhD in 1962.He undertook professional training at prestigious veterinary institutions in Utrecht and Cambridge to specialize in cattle and other domestic animals. He was appointed as an assistant professor at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Zagreb, in 1970, associate professor in 1975, and full professor of surgery, orthopaedics, and ophthalmology from 1981 until his retirement in 1993. Between 1984 and 1989, he also taught surgery at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine in Sarajevo.

He is the author of 75 scientific papers and 25 professional and educational contributions.

Collection:600 Years of Ivanec (Zbornik 600 godina Ivanca), Marijan Kraš – Notable People of Ivanec (Znameniti Ivančani), Ivanec, 1997.