Matica hrvatska is celebrating its 180th anniversary
The oldest modern Croatian cultural institution and publishing house Matica hrvatska is celebrating its 180th anniversary.
On March 24, 2022, Hrvatska pošta puts into circulation a new commemorative postage stamp with the motif of a book and national identity – the emblem of Matica hrvatska’s work in honor of the anniversary.
The author of the brand is Katarina Lončar, a designer from Zagreb.
The text below on the occasion of the release of the new commemorative stamp was written by Matica hrvatska.
Matica hrvatska, the oldest modern Croatian cultural institution and publishing house, was founded by Croatian revivalists in 1842 in Zagreb, at a time of awakening national consciousness and constituting the modern Croatian people to promote cultural, literary and economic ideas of the Croatian national revival through books and magazines. the language of the Shtokavian basis.
Initially, it operated under the name Matica ilirska as the publishing fund of the Illyrian Reading Room, whose founders and members – influenced by the ideas and processes of national integration on European soil – initiated the establishment of a number of fundamental cultural and economic institutions such as theaters, museums and society. .
From 1851, the Illyrian Matica began to operate as an independent literary and scientific society. After the founding of the Academy, the Society of St. In 1874, under the changed name (Matica hrvatska), Jeronimo and Matica sveučilišta carried out program, organizational and business-planning modernization, focusing on the cultural needs of the growing Croatian citizenry. , developing national awareness and cultural enlightenment.
For this purpose, Matica initiated the publication of a systematically designed publishing program of original and translated literature and teaching, popular science literature in the field of humanities, social sciences, natural and technical sciences.
High achievements of fictional texts and scientific discussions, clear style and good language, and excellent graphic and artistic equipment of books became recognizable features of Matica’s editions, which were occasionally published in more than 10,000 copies until the end of the Second World War.
During monarchist and communist Yugoslavia, Matica’s cultural program in Croatia was often accepted as an alternative political platform for resistance to centralist and hegemonic tendencies directed against the interests of the Croatian people.
In the mid-1950s, when it was enabled to establish branches throughout Croatia, Matica began to realize the concept of polycentric development of Croatian culture. The branches print their own books and magazines, and Matica establishes a publishing house that develops publications, bookstores and antique shops on a commercial and commercial basis.
In 1962, Matica launched the Five Centuries of Croatian Literature Library, the most important Croatian literary edition of the 20th century, and in 1967 it encouraged the adoption of the Declaration on the Name and Position of the Croatian Literary Language.
Through cultural events and publishing, Matica became one of the main bearers of the ideas of the Croatian Spring, its work after Karadjordj was suspended by the regime, and prominent officials and members were sent to prison.
After an eighteen-year break, Matica was renewed in 1990 and since then has been continuously operating as an independent and non-profit organization responsible for research, preservation, development and promotion of national and cultural identity in the field of artistic, scientific and spiritual creativity, economy and public life. social development.
Through its activities and continuity, Matica has become a national institution that has published more than 8,000 printed publications in 180 years and there is almost no important Croatian book, author, social agreement or movement that did not come from its members.