Croatian Greats - Season 2

1. Ivan Meštrović

Aired: 3/25/2018

The most esteemed Croatian great of the 20th century is undoubtedly the sculptural genius and architect Ivan Meštrović. *Gregory of Nin* in Split and the *Fountain of Life* in Zagreb are just a fraction of nearly 3,000 sculptures he created in his lifetime and scattered across the world. We followed the itinerary of this “wonder from Vlaj”: from his native Otavice, where he hung out with sheep, to worldwide fame and coffee with King Alexander, Eisenhower, Rodin, and Stepinac. Why can we call him Croatia’s greatest donor? Why did he end up in a Ustaše prison, and who saved him from execution at the last moment? Why was he called the Michelangelo of his time? Find out in the new episode of Croatian Greats.

2. St. Leopold Mandić

Can someone 135 cm tall, with a speech impediment and an awkward gait, become a world-class great? The example of St. Leopold Bogdan Mandić shows us that it is possible. He is not credited with an important invention like alternating current, but by hearing confessions for up to 12 hours a day, he transformed countless lives. We reveal why the entire Catholic Church venerates him as a saint and what it truly means to be holy…

3. Marija J. Zagorka

Her male colleagues belittled her, Bishop Strossmayer supported her, and women followed. Her life was even more interesting and tragic than her novels. Learn all about her real name, talent, perseverance, and about justice that is slow, but attainable…

4. Matija Gubec

In Croatia, streets and squares bear the name of Matija Gubec, a total of 362, and both the Ustaše, the Partisans, and the HSS have at various times invoked his legacy. Yet even today, we still do not know whether his name was truly ‘Matija,’ whether he was the leader of the rebellion, or whether he was even executed. In this episode, various experts, as well as local guardians of memory from Stubica, help us get as close as possible to Gubec’s historical figure. We will also uncover some unknown details about Franjo Tahy. Was he a hero or a villain? Why did infertile women visit his tomb for years, and why was he expelled from the church in Stubica? Find out in the new episode of Croatian Greats. The show was filmed in Zagorje, ensuring a touch of spontaneity and fun. Cheers!

5. Ruđer Bošković

The Jesuit Ruđer Bošković was a mathematician, astronomer, geodesist, physicist, philosopher, diplomat, and writer. He worked in statics, and thanks to him alone, the domes of St. Peter’s in the Vatican and the Imperial Library in Vienna never collapsed on popes and emperors. In his free time, he wrote poetry, criticized Newton, and explored Troy. But did you know that he laid the foundations of subatomic particle physics? Did you know that he embraced the principle of relativity long before Einstein, who, according to legend, kept his portrait above his desk? Discover what we owe to this versatile genius and whether he really looked like Mozart in the new episode of Croatian Greats.

6. Vesna Parun

She wrote an entire mountain of books, 87 in total and did so on trams, in bed, and standing up, because she didn’t have a desk. But did you know about her love of football and sports predictions? And that the poem *“Ti koja imaš nevinije ruke”* was translated into 22 languages?!

7. Ante Starčević

There is one Croatian politician whom both left- and right-wing voters equally admire. We are, of course, talking about Ante Starčević, who graces the 1,000 kuna banknote. But what exactly earned him a place at the top of our distinguished society of monetary greats? What earned him the title “Father of the Homeland”? Is there a Mother of the Homeland? Find the answers in the new episode of Croatian Greats. You will also learn some lesser-known details from the life of this politician, philosopher, and writer. Is it true that he lived an almost ascetic life and went gray overnight? We visited his native Žitnik in Lika, spoke with a young and lively Ante Starčević, and prepared a show as hearty as a Lika potato. Enjoy!

8. Croatian Nobel laureates - Ružička and Prelog

Two of the total three Nobel laureates of Croatian descent were chemists. Lavoslav Ružička supplied the American military with artificially produced testosterone, and by discovering synthetic musk, he saved thousands of musk deer. Vladimir Prelog’s contribution was the discovery of the CIP rule, which opened a new field of research in chemistry. This episode will prove to you that chemistry doesn’t have to be boring. On the contrary.