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Notables
Árpád von Degen
(1866 – 1934), famous Hungarian botanist, Professor of Botany at the Budapest University and member of the Hungarian Academy of Science.
He studied Velebit flora from 1894 to 1913, during which time he discovered and described many new species and sub-species. In 1905, together with his associates, he discovered the endemic species of Croatian sibbirhaea, and in 1907 the endemic brassicale which was named after him as Degenia velebitica. He published the results of this research in his numerous scientific papers and articles. His most famous fundamental achievement was the book "Flora velebitica", published in German after his death by the Hungarian Academy of Sciences. This four-volume book contains a list of all the plant species that until then had been discovered in the area of Velebit, the Senj Pass, and Gola Plješevica, along with information on their distribution, and the physical features of the Velebit mountain range of phyto-geographic significance.
Ante Glavičić
(Senj 1931 – Senj, 2003), Archaeologist
He studied archaeology in Zagreb, and in 1962 was appointed director of the Senj Museum. In 1965, he launched the annual Senj Almanac in which he published many articles on Velebit, including the results of scientific expeditions that he had organized.
Ivo Horvat
(Čazma 1897 – Zagreb 1963),
Botany Professor at the Faculty of Arts, and later at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine of the Zagreb University, one of the most renowned natural scientists and researchers of Croatian and Balkan flora. In his vast life's work that also included researching the phytocenology of Southeast Europe, Horvat's studies of Croatian mountains and forest communities encompassed Velebit.
Josip Kajetan Knežić
(Petrinja 1786 – Senj 1848), Engineer and Austrian army Major
He is recognized as top constructor of Velebit Roads: Obrovac – Sv. Rok (Master´s Road), Gospić – Karlobag, Karlovac – Senj (Josephine). Although self-taught, his roads were so skillfully built that they are in use to this day. The two-tier stone bridge at Tounj is also his work. He spent more than 20 years in Velebit, and after his own wish, was buried at the foot of Vratnik where he built the Chapel of St. Michael as a pious endowment
Josip Kalasancije Klekovski Schlosser
(1808 – 1882), Physician, Naturalist, Botanist, and Zoologist.
In the company of Ljudevit Vukotinović, he first toured Velebit in 1852, then in 1856, and the last time in 1878. He published the results of his floristic research of Croatia, including Velebit, together with Vukotinović in the booklet "Syllabus florae croaticae" (1857), only to incorporate them into his greatest book "Flora croatica" (published in 1869). Some plants have been named after him.
Paul Kitaibel
(1757 – 1817), famous Hungarian botanist, Professor of Medicine, Chemistry, and Botany at the Budapest University.
His name marks the beginning of actual botany research of the Velebit mountain range. He first visited Velebit in 1802 with Count Franz Waldstein; he discovered and described many new plant species and Velebit endemics.
Many species have been named after Kitaibel, including several that grow on Velebit, such as Aquilegia kitaibelii, Primula kitaibeliana, etc.
Ivan Krajač
(Senj, 1877 – Maribor? 1945), Juris Doctor, Lawyer, and Politician
Worked as a lawyer in Jastrebarsko and Zagreb. In 1925, as member of Radić's Croatian Peasant Party, he was appointed Minister of Trade and Industry. In 1945, he disappeared somewhere between Zagreb and Bleiburg.
As member of the Yugoslav government, he actively promoted the initiative that Plitvice and Štirovača be pronounced the first national parks in Croatia. In 1908, he became member of the Croatian Mountaineering Society, and was its sixth president (1921-25). He is remembered as an active reformer of Croatian mountaineering, initiator of many campaigns, construction of houses, and promoter of modern alpinism. He made every effort to bring some culture into mountaineering; he directed the attention of Croatian mountain-climbers to the Dinarides mountain range, and above all, Velebit.
Thanks to him, Ante Premužić was able to mark the tourist trail along Velebit. A group of peaks in Northern Velebit and a house at Vučjak (today the Zavižan lodging) have been named after Krajač.
J.B.Kümmerle
(1876 – 1931), Hungarian Botanist, Department Director at the Hungarian National Museum in Budapest.
As a botanist, he studied the Velebit area eight consecutive times in the period from 1906 to 1913, and significantly contributed to today's knowledge of Velebit flora. He was the first to find the Velebit degenia in full bloom.
Fran Kušan
(Vučja Luka, 1902 – Zagreb, 1972), Professor of Botany at the Faculty of Pharmacy and Biochemistry of the Zagreb University, a connoisseur and researcher of Croatian mountain flora, especially that of Biokovo and Velebit.
He founded the famous Velebit Botanical Garden (1967). Kušan was the author of many studies involving flora, taxonomy, and vegetation. As to Velebit flora, Kušan particularly studied the life conditions of the Velebit degenia (1963), and also discovered several new locations of the Croatian sibbirhaea on Velebit (1971). As professor at the Pharmacy and Biochemistry Faculty, he founded the Botanical Garden of Medicinal and Poisonous Plants in Zagreb (1947), and was author of books "Ljekovite Biljke" (1938) and "Ljekovito i drugo korisno bilje" (1956).
Josip Poljak
(Sl. Orahovica 1882 – Zagreb 1962), Doctor of Geology, Director of the Zagreb Museum of Geology and Paleontology, eminent expert on karst geology and speleology, scientist and promoter of natural sciences. Author of "Planinarski vodič po Velebitu" (1929) – Velebit Guidebook.
Ante Premužić
(Slavonski Kobaš 1889 – Zagreb 1979), Forest Engineer
After graduating from the College of Forestry in Zagreb (1913), he worked in flood control, afforestation of karst, marked numerous forest paths and trails (Rab, Plitvice, Crikvenica, Velebit, etc.). During his post on the Forest Board of Sušak (1926-1935), he marked the famous longitudinal tourist trail of Velebit, from Zavižan to Oštarije (The Premužić Trail, 1930-1933). Together with Ivan Krajač, he explored and wrote about Velebit, especially Rožanski Kukovi.
Ljudevit Rossi
(Senj 1850 – Karlovac 1932), Austrian army officer, and although an amateur, one of Croatia 's foremost botanists.
In the four decades of dedicated work, he collected an excellent herbarium containing as much as 30,000 leaves, which today represents the basis of Croatian herbaria. He collaborated with Borbas and Degen, who named several plants after him (e.g. Polygala rossiana, Leontodon rossianus, and others). The Rossi shelter on Velebit is also named after him.
Ante Rukavina
(Gospić 1928 – Gospić 1992), Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, and renowned mountain-climber
His articles and books about Velebit, in which he cleverly intertwined facts and feelings, have put him among our best and most read authors on this subject. He published countless articles in many mountaineer newspapers, as well as in the Senj Almanac, the Lika Calendar, the Lika News, and so on. He presented his excellent knowledge of Velebit in his books "Velebitskim stazama", "Zvona ispod zvijezda", "Baške Oštarije i šira okolica".
Vinko Struppi
(1733 – 1810), Army Engineer, one of our most admirable road builders of his time, renowned for the construction of the old Josephine Road (Karlovac – Senj)
Because of his ample contribution to road-construction, he was appointed the Royal Construction Manager in Vienna, where he died in 1810.
Nikola Turkalj
(Cvitkovići village near Slunj, 1886 – Zagreb 1947), Civil Engineer, headed the work on marking and constructing the rail-track section Gračac-Knin, during which in 1913 he discovered the Cerovac cave complex in Southern Velebit (at the foot of Crnopac Hill).
Filip Vukasović
(1755 – 1809), Austrian army officer and constructor in the Military Frontier, who was rewarded with an inheritable barony and earldom for his meritorious service. He went to battle with his units throughout Europe, but he mostly fought in Italy and France.
Vukasović is also known for constructing the roads: Gospić – Karlobag (Theresiana), Senj – Sv. Juraj, Senj – Novi Vinodolski. He is also recognized for the construction of the ‘Louisiana’ road that once connected Rijeka and Karlovac.
He died of wounds sustained in a battle against the French in 1809, and was buried in Vienna .
Ljudovit Vukotinović - Farkaš (nobleman)
(1813 – 1893), Writer and Naturalist, Lawyer and Politician; engaged in botany by researching Croatian flora together with his teacher Josip Schlosser. He also discovered new plant species, some of which grow on Velebit, such as Anthyllis tricolor, and others.
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