Original scientific paper
The valuable contribution of Hrvatsko Zagorje to Croatian and world astronomy
Tatjana Kren
*
* Corresponding author.
Abstract
The paper analyzes the various contributions of Hrvatsko Zagorje, a geographical-
historical region of northwestern Croatia, to Croatian and world astronomy. It is
undoubtedly an important folk astronomy that shows an interest in the firmament and
everything connected with it. The author looks into pre-Christian faith, a folk experience
of the Sun, Moon and Milky Way and the observation and naming of stars and
constellations. A special type of folk tracking of the solar year is the calendar, as indicated
by the months of the Kajkavian calendar.
Education is a prerequisite for knowledge. The Jesuit and Franciscan orders played a
valuable role in Hrvatsko Zagorje as holders of the school system. The Franciscans of the
Province of St. Ladislav opened philosophical courses in Zagreb and Varaždin as early
as the 17th century, and the main controversies were in the transition from peripatetic
natural philosophy to a gradual transition to heliocentrism, Newton’s and Bošković’s
teachings. There is a lack of documentation that could shed more light on this period
and the contribution of professors from Hrvatsko Zagorje who worked at foreign universities.
The most prominent Croatian writers in the 19th century were from Hrvatsko Zagorje.
They contributed to the promotion of astronomy, thus influencing its popularization
among readers. A special case is that of Juraj Žerjavić, the parish priest in the Marian
shrine of Marija Bistrica, who donated his house in Zagreb worth 200,000 crowns for
the establishment and maintenance of the Technical High School. He was a member of
the Croatian Natural Society and its Astronomical section.
Jesuit Stjepan Glavač is important for Croatian and European cartography. He published
a cartographic work, Map of Croatia in 1673. It is a first-class general topographic map of its time and a distinctive cultural and historical document that is considered a
Croatian national monument.
The Jesuit missionaries from Hrvatsko Zagorje, Ivan Ratkaj and Ferdinand Konšćak,
had great importance in world astronomy and cartography. They contributed to
the spread of Christianity among the Indians in Mexico, explored the uncharted parts
of Mexico and made astronomical and geodetic measurements as well as maps of the
areas explored. Especially important for astronomy is Ratkaj’s observation of the famous
Great Comet from 1680.
An exceptional case is the fall of the iron meteorite in 1751 in Hrašćina, its rescue
from devastation, the examination of witnesses and the compilation of a report which
was sent to Vienna together with the meteorite. The paper ends with a presentation of
the importance of the meteorite Hraschina in world science and especially meteoritics.
Keywords
Hrvatsko Zagorje County; cartography; folk faith and folk astronomy (astrognosy); Franciscan School of Philosophy in Varaždin; grant of Juraj Žerjavić; Hraschina meteorite and its importance; Jesuit missionaries Ivan Ratkaj and Ferdinand Konšćak; Jesuit Stjepan Glavač; Kajkavian calendar months; popularization of astronomy of Croatian writers from Hrvatsko Zagorje in the 19th century
Hrčak ID:
346823
URI
Publication date:
22.11.2020.
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