Education and Culture - News

Youth Association “Ferol” Stari Grad

As the Institute’s mission is to strengthen local communities, especially young people, during the summer of 2024, Petra Sahlberg, on behalf of the Institute, worked with representatives of the youth of Stari Grad on program planning and the preparation of documentation for the establishment of the local youth non-government organization “Ferol.”

The association was officially registered and began its activities in early 2025. The Institute will continue to support the development of the association and its program initiatives, with the aim of encouraging active youth participation in the social, cultural, and sustainable development of the community.

Constituent Session of the Steering Committee for the Decade of the Academicians of the Island of Hvar (2025–2035)

The Decade of the Academicians of the Island of Hvar (2025–2035) is conceived as an interdisciplinary framework for the island’s cultural development, integrating science, art, education, and community. Its purpose is to preserve and promote the legacy of distinguished Croatian academicians born on, or originating from, the island of Hvar by creating lasting values and inspiration for generations to come.
The constituent session of the Steering Committee for the Decade of the Academicians of the Island of Hvar (2025–2035), the principal coordinating body of this ten-year program was held on 28 July 2025 in the City Hall of Stari Grad. The program aims to connect academic excellence with community identity, transforming the island’s academic heritage into a source of inspiration for the future.

Pursuant to the signed Cooperation Agreement between the Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts (HAZU), the Pharos Institute, the cities of Hvar and Stari Grad, and the municipalities of Jelsa and Sućuraj, the Steering Committee includes the following appointed members: Academician Davor Miličić, Academician Kuzma Kovačić, Academician Kažimir Hraste, Professor Pero Lučin, PhD, Petra Sahlberg, Tarita Radonić, Šime Ravlić, Vinko Vranjican, Marija Marjan, and Ivan Slavić, with Nela Tadić appointed as Secretary.

Professor Pero Lučin, PhD, Director of the Pharos Institute, was elected as Chair, and Academician Davor Miličić, Vice President of HAZU, as Deputy Chair.

Presenting the organizational structure, Petra Sahlberg, Lead Program Manager, emphasized that, due to the complexity and long-term nature of the program, an adaptive project management model will be applied allowing flexibility and responsiveness throughout implementation. She underlined that program committees will be responsible for planning, coordination, and execution of activities in line with the strategic directions set by the Steering Committee.

Tarita Radonić, Lead Program Coordinator, presented proposed mandates and compositions of program committees overseeing various aspects of the initiative, from organizing the Days of the Academicians of Hvar, to creating commemorative landmarks, branding Hvar as “the Island of Academicians” and preparing a biographical-bibliographical publication series on the academicians of Hvar.

It was agreed that the program will include, in addition to full members of HAZU, also corresponding and associate members originating from Hvar. Academician Miličić noted that several among them were deserving of full membership but, due to various circumstances, did not attain it.

Outlining the key priorities and presenting initial plan for 2025–2026, Sahlberg emphasized that the integral role of youth participations and their active engagement across all dimensions of the program is a priority. She underlined that, beyond celebrating Hvar’s cultural and intellectual heritage, the program aspires to engage and inspire younger generations though live and legacies of the academicians offering valuable role models, underscoring the transformative power of education, and fostering a sense of responsibility for personal development and community contribution.

According to the proposed plan, by the end of 2025, a concept design for the Academicians’ Promenade in Stari Grad will be completed. In 2026, the program will formally commemorate the lives and contributions of Academician Don Šime Ljubić and Academician Jakša Barbić.
Marija Marjan, Governor of the Municipality of Jelsa, proposed that the celebration of Academician Barbić’s birthday be held in his native village of Pitve, to honor his origins and to encourage the decentralization of program activities beyond the main administrative centers of the island.

In closing, the newly elected Chair of the Main Committee, Professor Pero Lučin, PhD, emphasized that the Decade of the Academicians of the Island of Hvar (2025–2035) is at once a scientific, cultural, and social initiative, positioning Hvar as a birthplace of renowned scholars and artists, and as a place where past, present, and future converge in the creation of enduring heritage and inspiration for generations to come.

Constituent Session of the Program Committee for Commemorative Monuments

The Decade of the Academicians of the Island of Hvar (2025–2035) is a ten-year interdisciplinary program celebrating the contributions of distinguished Croatian academicians born on, or originating from, the island of Hvar. Its goal is to preserve and promote their legacy while bridging science, culture, education, and community to create enduring value and inspiration for the future. The program is led by the Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts, the Pharos Institute, and the cities of Hvar and Stari Grad, along with the municipalities of Jelsa and Sućuraj.

On 26 September 2025, the constituent session of the Program Committee for Commemorative Monuments was held at the Hrvatska čitovnica in Stari Grad. Tarita Radonić was unanimously elected as Chair, and Academician Kuzma Kovačić as Deputy Chair.

Presenting the work plan and key priorities, Petra Sahlberg, on behalf of the Steering Committee, highlighted the realization of the Academicians’ Promenade in Stari Grad as a priority activity.

Architects Luči Plosnić and Zdenko Pavičić, together with sculptor Dragan Dužević, presented the conceptual design of the Promenade. “The project unfolds at the threshold between the urban walkway and the natural seafront, forming an integral intellectual pathway — a series of twenty-five sculptural open books permanently embedded into the Stari Grad waterfront. Each element bears the name of a distinguished Hvar academician, symbolizing an ongoing dialogue between knowledge, creativity, and social responsibility,” explained Plosnić.

The series of interventions is positioned between the main pedestrian line and the mooring sites, following the natural rhythm of movement without disturbing the ambient harmony. Through its discretion and cadence, the pathway evokes the “Za križen procession” (“Following the Cross”) — yet here, each step follows “Za knjigom” (“Following the Book”), symbolically directed toward intellectual heritage and collective memory. Pavičić added that the memorials will be made of bronze, with a distinctive golden sheen. The sculptural form of open pages will reflect daylight — reminiscent of the shimmer of the sea — while at night, ambient lighting will reveal a play of reflections. The design also draws inspiration from Tvrdalj’s fishpond, a space of contemplation, silence, and endurance. “These books become stars beneath our feet — solid and steadfast, yet ever-changing in their visual impression,” he said.

The authors concluded that the concept does not aspire to monumentality but rather affirms the idea of a spatial impulse — a subtle yet powerful meeting point between past and present, academia and everyday life, memory and movement.

Following a brief discussion, the conceptual design was unanimously adopted as the initial basis for further work. A Working Group for the Academicians’ Promenade in Stari Grad was appointed to prepare documentation and oversee realization by March 2026.Members include Academician Kažimir Hraste, Academician Kuzma Kovačić, Tarita Radonić, Antonio Škarpa, Dragan Dužević, Luči Plosnić, Zdenko Pavičić, Vilma Matulić, and Vinko Tarbušković.

The Mayor of Stari Grad, Vinko Vranjican, also attended the session, expressing wholehearted support for the initiative, emphasizing its importance in preserving the island’s cultural identity, and confirming the City’s full readiness to assist in the realization of planned activities in Stari Grad.
In closing, Petra Sahlberg presented the Steering Committee’s 2026 plan, which foresees the commemoration of Academician Don Šime Ljubić and Academician Jakša Barbić, to be discussed further at the next meeting of this Program Committee.