Personage > Ljudevit Farkaš Vukotinović

While essentially an amateur scientist and a writer, Ljudevit Farkaš Vukotinović, was a law graduate and a true nature lover. He was always observing and analyzing minerals, fossils, plants and animals throughout Croatia. He laid the foundations of some scientific areas of work- he tried to use the tools of new scientific fields, like phylogenetics and geology. He did a pioneer work, together with his friend J. K. Schlösserom, in classifying the entire flora of Croatia. He was the secretary of Count Janko Drašković at Požun Assembly, he worked as a notary in the Municipality of Križevci (1836-1840), and founded the Illyrian Reading-room in 1839. In the 1848 war against the Hungarians, he became a commander in chief of the forces of Križevci Municipality. He was the president of the County Court from 1850 until 1854, when he was retired because he opposed recognizing German as the official language in Croatia.His 1878 manuscript On the Establishment of National Museum reads: At the time of national revival, we were all doing our best to fulfill our duty, regardless of a reward or praise.

The Great County Ruler (1861 - 1867) also wrote poetry, novels, and dramas. In 1842 he was also one of the initiators, together with Stanko Vraz and Dragutin Rakovac, of the magazine Kolo(Circle), editor of Leptir (Butterfly) (1859 - 1861). He published Pjesme i pripovijetke (Poems and Novels) (1838 -1840), Ruža i trnje (Rose and Thorn) in 1842., Croatian-Hungarian Past in1844, Pjesme (Poems) in 1847, Trnule in 1862, etc. He was a botanist and mineralogist, who wrote a notable scientific monography, Podobe hrvatskih hrastovih okoline zagrebačke (Outline of Croatian Oak Trees in Zagreb Area). He was one of the first members of the Yugoslav Academy of Sciences and Arts (he became a member in 1866), as well as a member of some foreign academies of sciences. He was also na honourable member of the Town. In his honour, a street in Križevci was named after him.