Franjo Petrić
(Franciscus Patricius - Cres, 1529 - Rome, 1597)
- an exceptionally creative personality in both Croatian and European philosophical community. He worked on theological issues and engaged in linguistic science, geometry and music history. In his masterpiece called Nova de Universis Philosophia (New Universal Philosophy, 1591), he outlined a complete philosophical system in his authentic and systematic way of presentation.
Vinko Jelić
(Jelich - Rijeka, 1596 – Zabern (Elzas), 1636)
- a composer, member of the Vienna Boys Choir and the Graz Court Orchestra. He is mentioned in many renowned anthologies such as Promptarium musicum (Strasbourg 1622 - 1627) and Viridarium musico - marianum (Strasbourg, 1627). He was a master of the concertato style and chamber music, respected both by his contemporaries and present day connoisseurs.
Andrija Mohorovičić
(Volosko, 1857 - Zagreb, 1936)
- one of the most important world seismologists in the period from 1860 – 1936. He was the first to prove the existence of the Earth’s crust and define its thickness unequivocally, basing his findings on various seismological records. The boundary between the Earth's crust and the mantle is called the Mohorovičić discontinuity.
Juraj Julije Klović
(Don Giulio Clovio Croata, Grižane, 1498 - Rome, 1578)
- owing to his contribution to miniature painting and the art of mannerism, he is considered a renowned contributor to the art of the 16th century. Highly appreciated and praised by his contemporaries, he was named Michelangelo of Miniature. His masterpiece called Horae Beatae Mariae Virginis is a commentary to St. Paul's epistle.
Ivan pl. Zajc
(Rijeka 1832 - Zagreb, 1914)
- a Romantic composer and conductor, a follower of the Italian opera tradition, an authentic melodist and a skilled instrumentalist. Among his 1,200 works, his opera called Nikola Šubić Zrinski stands out as the most famous Croatian opera and a national symbol.
Janko Polić Kamov
(Sušak, Rijeka 1886 - Barcelona, 1910)
- a writer and forerunner of the Croatian avantgarde. He applied new creative techniques and refused the traditional literary models. In just seven years of literary work, he created a relatively extensive opus. His novel The Dried-up Mire (Isušena kaljuža) is formally considered one of the most daring prose experiments in Croatian literature.
Ivan Mažuranić
(Novi Vinodolski, 1814 - Zagreb, 1891)
- a poet, politician and the first Croatian Chancellor and Governor (ban) from 1873 to 1880. He gained acclaim with The Death of Smail-aga Čengić (Smrt Smail-age Čengića), an epic poem printed in more than 160 editions and translated into numerous languages, a work revolving around the idea of national liberation and a universal vision of the fall of evil.
Ivan Matetić Ronjgov
(Ronjgi, 1880 - Lovran, 1960)
- a composer, author of melographic records and music pedagogue. He wrote almost exclusively vocal compositions, mainly choral songs based on folk music elements. He was also an interpreter of folk chants from the Istrian and Kvarner coastal regions and a person who tried to resolve the issues related to the latent harmony of Istrian/Kvarner folk chants.
Ivan Lupis
(Rijeka, 1814 - Torriggia 1875)
- a fleet commander. In cooperation with Robert Whitehead, he invented and constructed the torpedo in 1860. The extraordinary success of this invention led to the establishment of the Torpedo Factory in Rijeka in 1873.
Franjo Rački
(Fužine, 1828 - Zagreb, 1894)
- a priest, doctor of theology, historian and politician. As Parliament delegate, he was distinguished for his speeches advocating Croatian independence based on state and historic rights. He was also one of the co-editors of Literature, the first Croatian scientific magazine, and the first president of the Yugoslav Academy of Science and Art, as well as the founder of modern Croatian historiography.