On March 2nd we toured the multimedia exhibition ‘Hrvatska svijetu/Croatia to the World’ held at the Meštrović Pavilion.

We had an opportunity to learn and remember the Croatian inventors, scientists, artists, writers and researchers who achieved significant results and whose work has had an impact on global history: Ruđer Bošković, Andrija Štampar, Nikola Tesla, Marko Polo, Slavoljub Eduard Penkala, Lavoslav Ružička, Ivan Meštrović, Ivana Brlić Mažuranić, Milka Trnina, Zinka Kunc Milanov, Dora Maar, Benedikt Kotruljević, Marko Marulić, Nikola Šubić Zrinski, Faust Vrančić, Andrija Mohorovičić and many others.

We saw works of arts, authors’ drawings, patents, videos and devices created by Croatian inventors. We have learnt that Ruđer Bošković discovered that the Moon had no atmosphere and a lunar crater has since been named after him. Nikola Tesla is best known for alternating current electricity supply system, but was also innovative in the fields of x-rays, wireless power supply, electromagnetic radiation, radio waves and much more; Andrija Štampar was a pioneer of public health who helped to form the World Health Organisation; Andrija Mohorovičić was the first person to discover that Earth is covered with large plates whose movement and collision are the cause of earthquakes. The Croatian Sherlock Holmes, Ivan Vučetić pioneered the use of forensics in law enforcement, specifically fingerprinting as he compared numerous fingerprints and noticed that none of them resembled each other. Though Leonardo da Vinci was the first to come up with the idea for a parachute, Faust Vrančić was the first to actually build one using a wooden frame and fabric and tested his invention himself - at the age of 65 he jumped with his parachute from a bell tower in Venice... The most explosive Croatian invention is the torpedo. The first prototype of the torpedo was developed by naval officer and inventor Ivan Blaž Lupis.

We were so surprised by how many everyday objects were invented by Croatians. We liked this impressive exhibition and learnt a lot about the ingenuity and achievements of the Croatian geniuses who have changed the lives of millions and the world in which we live.

Photo Group: Lena, Sofia, Petra, Giulia, Umika (MYP0)