Institute Chronicles from 1894. to 1994.
Managment
Departments
Staff
Institute Chronicles from 1894. to 1994.
Managment
Departments
Staff
Speach of the Minister of Science and Technology
Ph. D. Branko Jeren
Croatia is a Mediterranean and Middle European state. The continental part of Croatia borders with Hungary in the north and with Slovenia in the northwest. Through Slovenia it is connected with Austria and other European countries. With her sea routes-the Adriatic Sea-Croatia is connected with the Italian peninsula. The eastern Adriatic coast (Croatia) is longer and more abounding in natural harbours than the Italian Adriatic coast. Numerous islands which streach for over 4000 km, from the northern to the southern border, make the Croatian coast world famous.
The population distribution is related to natural and geographic features. The geographical position of Hrvatsko Primorje and its islands has a predominantly Mediterranean climate-hot and dry summers and mild, rainy winters-with an average temperature of over 16_C and over 2.700 sunlight hours (Hvar). This climate and fertile soil, favourable for Mediterranean crops, have attracted people form far and near wishing to settle there.
The Croatian islands and the coast were settled in the Paleolithic Age. In the Neolithic, from 6-2 centuries B.C. the inhabitants were farmers or raised cattle, but they also knew the art of pottery decoration. Trade was with Greece, Asia Minor, Near East, North Africa and Italy.
In Greek written sources from the 7th century B.C. Adriatic regions were mentioned, and legends tell of Greek merchants who guided by their instincts, reached this coast. It was through our islands that ancient Greeks mapped out two important trans-European routes. When the Greeks, who founded their state in the middle Mediterranean at the end of the 4th century B.C., became interested in the Adriatic coast the living and working conditions in these parts were changed. The Greek colonies of Vis (Issa), Hvar (Pharos), Trogir (Tragurion), Solin (Salona), Stobrec (Epetion), etc. were centres of viniculture and wine trade.
When the Romans arrived in this region they reorganized Illyricum, that is, the region of Histria and Dalmatia.
At the beginning of the 7th century a new nationality-the Slavs appeared on the Dalmatian coast of the Adriatic. Although the coming of the Slavs in these parts was a complex and gradual process; two facts should be singled out as extremely relevant for our problem. First is the fall and destruction of Salona in the first half of the 7th century. According to Thomas the Archdeacon a great number of its inhabitants fled to the islands and others found shelter in Diocletian's Palace. The construction of the Palace started in 295 and it was finished in 304 when the Emperor moved in to spend the last days of his life in peace. He was buried in the Mausoleum but the Palace continued to be lived in until the advent of the Salonitans. From the 7th century the Palace was the scene of the cultural and economic life of ancient Salona. When the founder and organizer of the Split church, John of Ravenna, became bishop in the 7th century, religious continuity was ensured. Mention must be made of the Split Evangelistary which according to the latest research must have been copied in the Slaonitan scriptorium around 580 and which is now kept in the Cathedral Treasury. This evangelistary contains signatures of 16 bishops of Split and their suffragans from the time when Croatia was a free kingdom. The Kings of Croatia are supposed to have taken their oaths of fidelity to the Pope on this book. This seems very likely when we bear in mind the Split Councils in which The Kings of Croatia also participated. By early Christianization the Croats were introduced into the European cultural circle. This is evidenced by Benedictines in the court of Prince Trpimir and by their numerous monasteries in Croatia about which 1. Ostojic extensively writes in his book: "The Benedictines in Croatia".
The other important fact for our study is the birth of the Croatian state, first as a principality and then as the Kingdom of Croatia about which the Emperor Constantine Porphyrogenitus wrote. The center of that state was in the vicinity of Split. At that time also towns "themates L)almatiae" were incorporated into the state of Croatia which had great influence on its economic and cultural life. Once the Slavs came to the Adriatic their interest in migration gave way to their love of the sea and the coast. Their everyday life was connected with the sea and the natural resources by the sea: fishing, olive growing and viniculture. The continuous development of viniculture was not broken for centuries and was closely connected with the progress of production. Owing to modest wine sorts grown in the barren Dalmatian karst, this plant has given life in this region for centuries. The Slavs spoke the ca-dialect of the Croatian language which was full of words from old Croatian, old Romanic dialect and from other languages, especially the Venetian dialect.
In the early 12th century the population on the coast and islands underwent certain changes in their life and work habits. The great Hungaro-Croatian state was formed but it showed little interest in the coastal parts so, naturally, coastal population turned towards those who showed more interest in their problems. Venice spared no efforts in conquering the eastern Adriatic in order to protect her interets in the Levant and Mediterranean. For centuries Venice played an important role in those turbulent periods of history in these parts. When young men from well-off families went to schools in Italy, cultural life and education were greatly improved especially under unfluence of a circle of Croatian writers. This same circle founded the first communal theatre in Europe, began the scholarly study of ancient monuments, enhanced health care and the development of agriculture.
Croatia has always been a Christian country from the time it was a principality and kingdom, or when it first became a part of Hungary and then Austria. So Humanism and Renaissance were strongly felt and gave birth to fine literary works such as Lucic's "Ribanje and Ribarsko Prigovaranje" (Fishing and Fishermen's Tales) and great literary names such as Marko Marulic - in his time the most widely read European writer. It is in the essence of Christianity to bring man back to nature.
In 1767 Venice founded the first "academy" in Split called "Soceta economica di Spalato", which besides agriculture promoted crafts, trade and fishing. In 1787 a similar academy was founded in Zadar - "Accademia economico - leteraria di Zara" which besides agriculture fostered literature.
In the second half of the 18th century organized work on advancement of agricultural and other economic branches started in Split and with a good reason.
When the Croatian part of the Adriatic was annexed to the common state of Austro-Hungary, Austria founded the Ministry of Agriculture (1868) in Vienna. An agricultural inspector (Giovanni Arduino) was immediately appointed and sent to the province of Dalmatia. With their decree of July 1, 1894, the Ministry founded in Split "C.K. Kemicno Gospodarstvenu Pokusajnu Postaju" (The Chemical-Agricultural Testing Station) In 1895 they adopted their statute in which their main task was stated:
"To improve Dalmatian agriculture, especially those branches which are extremely important, such as viniculture, olive growing, growing of silk-worm, etc. on the basis of strictly established scientific researches, chemical and microscopic analysis... To research plant deseases and ways of efficient protection, to analyze and control the use of all production materials in agriculture, then to propagate through the press and lectures the results of research, organization and education especially from the field of oenochemistry, and to analize and issue documents concerning composition and technological validity of all agricultural produces."
Thus, in the 19th century a modern research and educational institution was founded in the cultural, urban and traffic centre of the eastern Adriatic, the town of Split. This was modelled after a design from Vienna. Such an institution could cope with the important task of enhancing agriculture and feeding the population in this region.
A hundred years of life of an institution is a long time. During this time three conquering wars were waged by our nearest neighbours from the east and west to conqueer Catholic Croatia, to devastate centuries old cultural and natural treasures. They were not able to conquer the Croats, who in their long history have never been invaders, but have instead had to defend their own land. The conquerors did succeed in destroying a part of our cultural and natural heritage but they could never break the creative spirit of the Croatian people. Each Croat has defended his homeland, sweated and cried for it. His cultural and scientific achievements were his contribution to the world which is undeniable proof that he was and will always be a part of the civilized world. Scientific achievements of this institute are chronologically listed in this publication. It is worth mentioning that international awards and recognitions (to the institute and individuals) were first awarded a few years after the foundation until 1992. The activity of this institute is revealed by a large number of scientific and professional papers. It was a hard job to gather all the works published during a century-long continual activity of the institute because several departments were often moved, and because of the war. However, 1,311 published works have been gathered which testifies to an intense scientific activity.
In the course of 100 years the name of the institution was changed several times: "C.K. Kemicno Gospodarstvena Pokusajna Postava" (C.K. The Chemical Agricultural Testing Station) (1984), "C.K. Poljodjelska skola i Pokusaliste" (The School of Agriculture and Testing Station) (1905), ,,Stazione Agraria ed Enologica" (1940), "Savezni Naucni Istrazivacki Institut za Jadranske Kulture" (The Federal Research Institute for Adriatic Crops) (1948), "Institut za Jadranske kulture i melioraciju krsa" (The Institute for Adriatic Crops and Karst Reclamation) (1964), but its purpose has always been to foster scientific work of biotechnical science and apply the results to the economy of the Mediterranean.
When the Institution Act was passed in 1993, the institute became a public institution and property of the Republic of Croatia. The institute conducts basic and applied research work in the field of agriculture, food technology and forestry. The basic research is comprised of research of the Mediterranean ecosystem in order to properly evaluate Mediterranean agriculture and forestry and, especially, to study l\Aediterranean crops, their genetic, morphological and biological properties and to find best methods for creating new species. Applied research is comprised of research of physical and Chemical properties of soil, and physical and chemical degradation of soil and the introduction of new species. It also researches the most suitable systems of growing Mediterranean crops, processing technology and biological prevention of harmful insects and deseases. Besides the aforementioned the institute conducts other scientific and. development research and publishes their results. It trains experts from other Mediterranean countries and maintains and develops scientific and research infrastructure such as the maintenance and collecting of autochthonous and imported plant species from all Mediterranean countries in order to create gene bank and new species suitable for growing in these regions. From these collections a certain number of elite species are produced to be used for comercial purposes. The institute controls and makes designs for their customers in the fields of agriculture, forestry, water management, food technology, landscape planning and environmental protection. In accordance with the development of science and economical situation the institute can develop other activities related to its basic activities.
The activity is conducted through nine organizational units: