OUR HISTORY
Croatian Geological Survey was founded in 1909 as a Geological Commission of the Kingdom of Croatia and Slavonia on the initiative of Dragutin Gorjanović Kramberger.
Dragutin Gorjanović Kramberger
Dragutin Gorjanović Kramberger worked on organization of Croatian geology while they where part of Vienna Geological State Institute, so they are considered as the inititators of Croatian geology. As Gorjanović proposed to the Royal Government, The Geological Committee of the Kingodm Croatia and Slavonia was founded and signed by the Ban Paul Rauch on July 3th, 1909. The two departments were established - Mountain formation section (Ferdo Koch as Head of) and Agrogeological section (Franjo šandor as Head of). Gorjanović was appointed as the President of the Committee.
From 1909. until 1923, while the Institution founder was also a Head of Institution, the main field activities took place in Velebit, Lika and Gorski Kotar. The most engaged geologist of that time was F. Koch, especially in the part of geological mapping. He is known as the author of map sheets Knin-Ervenik, Pag, Gračac-Ermain (Rmani) and their explanatory notes. The Committee was active until 1922, when a Department of Geology - Royal Department of Geology Zagreb was established.As a newly appointed Head of Department, Gorjanović have organized the Department structure. In 1923, F. Koch was appointed as a Head of Department and he remains in his function until 1928. As a result of insufficient financial support, that entire period is charaterized by reduced volume of geological research. As a consequence of that there were practically no new released maps. In 1929 Head of Department, Koch, has published map Karlobag-Jablanac 1:75.000.
By the law of the Geological Survey of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia (December 29th, 1930), Department of Geology Zagreb has stopped acting as independent department. As Banovina of Croatia was formed, Department of Geology has been re-established in Zagreb. In 1939, Šuklje has re-established The Department of Geology of the Banovina Croatia in Zagreb. Through the World War II (1941-1945), Department was known as Croatian State Geological Departmentwith Šuklje as head of until 1947. After the World War II was over, Department was renamed in Geological State Department In the middle of 1946, Croatian government makes a decree to establish Institute of Geology and Mining of Croatia in Zagreb. In 1947 I. Jurković was named Head of the Institute. In that time, The Deprtment of Ore, Fuel and Metallurgy was merged with the Institute which led to a significant strengthening of chemical departmant, laboratory and mininig deprtment. The majority of professional work of Institute Geologists in these years and immediately afterwards was primarily related to the research of mineral resources in Croatia. By decision of the Government of the People's Republic of Croatia on October 21, 1950 The Institute of Geology and Mining changes the name to Department of Geological Research of People's Republic of Croatiaand the next more than four years was funded as a Republic geological service. In 1955 Service changes name to Department of Geological Research. In the same year, J. Ogulinec was name Head of the Institute. The year 1958 was extremely important for the Institute and also for all geology in Croatia. Making of Basic Geological Map, than known as Complex Geological Map or A Map, has started in that year. The name Basic Geological Map was officially used since 1960, up to the end of the project. No doubt, this is a capital project of the geology in Croatia. The project was performed on the territory of the entire state. The territory of Croatia is covered by 74 map sheets in scale 1: 100,000. In 1960, Department changes name to The Institute for Geological Research. The Institute became a scientific institution. Co-founders of the Institute were universities, Naftaplin, The Community of Electric Companies and Chamber. The Institute was formed as three departments: Department of Geology, Department of Mineralogy and Petrography and Department of Hidrogeology. Thanks to Head of Institute L. Nikler, structure of the Institute created in 1966 retained pretty much the same until today. In 1977. Institute changes name to Department of GeologyThe structure of the Institute remain the same until 1988 when it was renamed to The Institute for Geological Research.. In the 1980s under the coordination of the Head of the Instiute D. Bošković, introducing of the Act of Geological Reserach was actual. The Act became official in 1986 and it predicted Institute as Geological Survey.The Department kept its scientific and professional continuity through the years. From 1960 to 1991, more than 20 dissertation were defend both in science and geological engineering.
Need for making of standardized maps related to applied geology was observed during the making of the Basic Geological Map. During that period of time, standard has increased and making of Basic Engineering Map in scale 1:100.000 and Basic Hydrogeological Map 1:100.000 was continued. There were also made preparations and program for making the Map of Mineral Resources, including introspection map. Field part of making the Basic Geological Map 1:100.000 was officially completed in 1985. In the coming years, the map sheets and explanatory notes were completed. At the same time, during the mid 1980s, preparations for making of the geological map 1.50.000 according to the principle of lithostratigraphic units which was also called a complex geological map or the basic geological map II, were made. Instead of former Head of the Institute Ž. Babić, in 1991 Đ. Benček was named as Head of Institute, who has obliged his duty by the end of 1996. Based on the Act on Scientific Research, in 1992 Institute was added to the Register of Scientific Research Orgnizations and Units as a Working Scientific Research Organization - The Institute for Geological Research. In 1997 Institute had lost its status as the State Department, which lasted for 88 years, and become one of the 25 public scientific institutes in the Republic of Croatia. The Head of the Institute is no longer named but is elected by a public application (B. Biondić, 1997-2001; D. Matičec, 2001-2005; J. Halamić, 2005-2017; S. Miko 2017- ). From 1997 until 2014, the financing of Geological Map Program was continued through the scientific research projects. After that, founding continues mainly by the revenue of the Institute. As a public scientific institute, a large part of the research is focused on the development of scientific research capacities (in the period from 1997 to 2019, 55 doctoral dissertations were defended) and the number of scientists increased from 12 (1997) to 45 (2019). To the increasing number of scientists has also contributed a significant investments in laboratory, field and information equipment, particulary since 2005. In 2005 the Institute for Geological Research changes his name to Croatian Geological Survey. The next year HGI-CGS becomes a member of the European Association of Geological Services - Eurogeosurveys. In order to overcome the change in financing and generally reduced research funding (2014), the Ministry of Science intensifies the applications for projects on EU funds and on the Croatian science foundation competitions. Since 2017, HGI-CGS employees participate in average on 15 scientific projects. The future of scientific research work is ensured through projects and more than ten PhD students who currently work on their dissertations. The geological map program and its performance is largely based on the appearance of the future financial period through the program contracts. znanstvenih projekata . Budućnost znanstvenoistraživačkog rada osigurana je putem projekata i više od deset doktoranata koji trenutno izrađuju svoje disertacije. Program geoloških karta i njegovo izvođenje u velikoj mjeri počiva na izgledu budućeg financijskog razdoblja kroz programske ugovore.
Povijest Hrvatskog geološkog instituta
