Matica hrvatska, the oldest modern Croatian cultural institution and publishing house, was established through the efforts of Croatian revivalists in 1842 in Zagreb, in a period when the national consciousness was being ignited and the modern Croatian nation constituted, for the purpose of promoting the cultural, literary and economic ideas of the Croatian national revival movement with books and magazines printed in the standard language based on the shtokavian dialect. At first, it operated under the name Matica ilirska as the publishing fund for the Illyrian Reading Room, whose founders and members at the time – influenced by the national integration ideas and processes in Europe – kickstarted the foundation of a number of important national cultural and economic institutions, such as theaters, museums and the Economic Society. As of 1851, Matica ilirska began to operate as an independent literary and scientific society. After the foundation of the Academy, the Society of St. Jerome and the University, in 1874 the institution changed its name to Matica hrvatska and modernized its program, organization and operations, focusing on the cultural needs of the growing Croatian urban population, developing the national consciousness and providing cultural enlightenment to the people.
With that aim, Matica hrvatska launched a systematic publishing program for original and translated literature as well as for educational and popular science literature in the fields of humanities and social, natural and technical sciences. Outstanding achievements in literature and scientific discussion, clear style and good language as well as premium graphic and visual book design became recognizable features of its publications, which were in some cases, by the end of World War II, printed in quantities above 10,000 copies. During the monarchic and Communist Yugoslavia, Matica hrvatska's cultural program in Croatia was often seen as an alternative political platform for resistance against the centralist and hegemonistic tendencies opposing the interests of the Croatian people.
In the mid-1950s, when it was allowed to establish subsidiaries across Croatia, Matica hrvatska began realizing the concept of a polycentric development of Croatian culture. The subsidiaries printed their own books and magazines, and Matica hrvatska founded the Publishing Institute, which, with its publications, bookstores and antique shops, developed on commercial grounds. In 1962, Matica hrvatska launched Five Centuries of Croatian Literature, the most important Croatian literary series of the 20th century, and in 1967 it supported the adoption of the Declaration on the Name and Status of the Croatian Literary Language. Through its cultural events and publishing, it became one of the main proponents of the Croatian Spring, prompting the regime to suspend its operations after the Karađorđevo events and imprison its prominent officials and members.
After eighteen years of inactivity, Matica hrvatska was restored in 1990, and it has operated since as an independent and non-profit association focused on researching, preserving, developing and promoting the national and cultural identity in artistic, scientific and spiritual creative fields, economy and public life and on fostering democratic social development. Through its activities and continuity, Matica hrvatska has become a national institution, having published more than 8,000 printed editions over 180 years, and there is virtually no significant Croatian book, author, social agreement or movement that didn't arise from among its ranks.
Matica hrvatska
