Josip Juraj Strossmayer

Josip Juraj Strossmayer was a bishop, theologian, politician, and the brains behind some of the most significant national initiatives in science, education, and culture in contemporary Croatia.

Strossmayer played a key role in the foundation of the Yugoslav Academy of Sciences and Arts in 1866 and the University of Zagreb's restoration in 1874. He started the construction of the Academy Palace, which was finished in 1880, and established the Strossmayer Gallery of Old Masters in Zagreb in 1884.

Strossmayer established the Jesuit Cathedral and Croatian University, among other things. He created schools, libraries, and readers because he thought that everyone should be literate and educated. Strossmayer contributed to the establishment of the Cetinje printing house, the Matica Slovenska, and the Matica Srpska, the national cultural organizations for the Slovenes and the Serbs, respectively.

He stood out as a speaker during the Vatican Council and was one of the most prominent opponents of papal infallibility. Strossmayer "remarkably fine Latin" was lauded by the pope. He created a big splash with a speech in which he supported Protestantism. He was well-liked outside of Croatia and deserves to have an honorable place in the annals of recent Croatian history.