Education and Culture - Programming
The Decade of the Academicians of the Island of Hvar (2025 – 2035)
The island of Hvar represents a unique sociological and anthropological phenomenon where knowledge, books, and education have stood for centuries at the core of everyday life. From this enduring tradition arises a remarkable distinction that Hvar is the birthplace of numerous Croatian academicians and, by some accounts, the island with the highest number of academicians per capita in the world.
Building on this extraordinary heritage, Petra Sahlberg and Pero Lučin have initiated a long-term interdisciplinary program “The Decade of the Academicians of the Island of Hvar (2025–2035)” dedicated the preservation and promotion the academic, cultural, artistic, and scientific heritage and legacy of academicians born on or originating from the island of Hvar.
“The Decade of the Academicians of the Island of Hvar” is a unique collaborative platform led by the Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts, the Pharos Institute, the Cities of Hvar and Stari Grad, and the Municipalities of Jelsa and Sućuraj. It bridges the past, present, and future by fostering lasting cultural value, inspiring for future generations, and strengthening the island’s cultural identity.
Core Program Areas
1. Memorial Landmarks Honoring the Academicians of the Island of Hvar
This program expresses gratitude and remembrance through spatial and visual forms and celebrate the lives, works, and contributions of Hvar’s academicians. Planned initiatives include the Academicians’ Promenade in Stari Grad, commemorative plaques on birthplaces or ancestral homes, memorial rooms dedicated to the academicians, and other interior and exterior memorial installations across the island each serving as a lasting testament to their achievements. Read more
2. Days of the Academicians of the Island of Hvar
An annual interdisciplinary event combining science, education, culture, and artists that bring together experts and the wider community to honor the creative and intellectual legacy of academicians and their enduring connection to the island of Hvar. The program encompasses scholarly events (scholarly colloquia, panels, workshops) alongside complementary public events (exhibitions, concerts, etc.). More than commemorative occasion, the “Days of the Academicians of Hvar” represent a strategic contribution to the preservation, revitalization, and promotion of Hvar’s cultural and scientific heritage.
3. Academicians and the Island Community
Through a wide range of community-based projects, it encourages active participation of the local community in preserving and promoting cultural, artistic, and intellectual excellence as an integral part of Hvar’s cultural identity nurturing a sense of pride and inspiring younger generations.
4. Biographical and Bibliographical Publication Series „Academicians of Hvar “
This publication series documents, contextualizes, presents, and promotes the scientific, literary, artistic, and intellectual legacy of Hvar’s academicians as a vital part of the island’s intangible cultural heritage. The series serves as both an academic resource and a cultural archive, ensuring that the live and works of these distinguished academicians remain accessible and relevant to scholars and the public alike.
5. Branding „Hvar – The Island of Academicians “
Through the development of a comprehensive tourism and communications strategy, this initiative positions Hvar as an island of exceptional cultural and intellectual heritage, contributing to the growth of cultural, and potentially scientific tourism on the island while strengthening its identity as a place of knowledge and inspiration.
“The Decade of the Academicians of the Island of Hvar (2025–2035)” offers a unique and exceptional opportunity for the island of Hvar to showcase, celebrate and share its rich cultural and scientific capital, empower local communities, enhance cultural identity, and leave a lasting source of inspiration for future generations.
Academics: Children of the Island
The project „Academics: Children of the Island” carried out as part of the program „The Decade of the Academics of the Island of Hvar (2025-2035)“ focuses on exploring the formative years of the academics form the island of Hvar, periods of childhood often overlooked in official biographies, yet crucial for understanding their later scientific, artistic, and social contribution.
The project offers a unique insight into the childhood, youth, and islands life of these distinguished individuals, exploring hot the natural environment, community, and island way of life shaped their vales, identity, and creativity. Its goal is to collect and analyze personal anecdotes, memories, and testimonies form the early lives of Hvar’s academics, as well as historical, socioeconomic, and sociocultural dana related to the life on the island across different periods.
The project is led by history teacher Tarita Radonić and her students from Hvar Secondary School – campus in Jelsa and Hvar Secondary School in Hvar Twon.
Starogrȏjske besȉde
In a time of rapid social and linguistic change, where global communication patterns are swiftly displacing local speech, every effort to systematically research, record, and preserve an original idiom represents an act of cultural and scientific responsibility, as well as a precious contribution to the safeguarding of cultural diversity and linguistic heritage.
It was therefor on the initiative of Mladen Plančić and Petra Sahlberg that work began in 2024 on a comprehensive lexical compendium of Stari Grad – Starogrȏjske besȉde. The project is carried out in collaboration with team of young doctoral students from the University of Zadar, Paula Jurić and Andrino Dužević, under the mentorship of Prof. Dr. Dunja Brozović Rončević, Head of the Department of Ethnology and Anthropology.
The publication Starogrȏjske besȉde aims to preserve, promote, and raise social and cultural awareness of the importance of the Stari Grad dialect. For to preserve a language means to preserve the memory of a community’s worldview, and its spiritual bond with the place that has shaped it.
Engagement, Recognition and Award System in Primary School
In 2025, the Institute has partnered with Primary School “Petar Hektorović” in Stari Grad, led by principal Linda Kuničić, and Lila Mularczyk, education expert from the University of New South Wales School of Education and Deputy Director of NSW Department of Education, Australia, to develop and implement an inclusive and comprehensive Recognition and Awards School Policy.
The goal of this project is to celebrate students’ efforts, achievements, and contributions while enhancing their engagement both within and beyond the school.
By fostering a culture of appreciations, the policy aims to: (1) Recognize and celebrate diverse talents, accomplishments, and contributions; (2) Reinforce positive behaviors, values, and attitudes; (3) Enhance and strengthen student engagement, motivation, and a sense of belonging.
The overarching purpose of this school policy is to ensure that every student feels seen, valued, and acknowledge, regardless their academic performance, affirming that each students’ journey, effort, and growth matter.
Student Wellbeing Program „You Are More Than You Think“
The Institute has launched a comprehensive student wellbeing program You Are More Thank You Think, aimed at strengthening the personal development, self-confidence, and digital wellbeing of children and young people.
During 2024, experts from the Institute for Professional Development of the Association „Partners in Learning“, in collaboration with teachers from Primary School „Petar Hektorović“ in Stari Gard, are implementing activities within the project Be Internet Awesome, funded by Google.
The program focuses on promoting digital safety, responsible online behavior, and the development of a positive digital identity among primary school students, helping them to recognize their own value, build resilience, and learn to use technology safely and purposefully.