Jovan Cvijić

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Portrait of Jovan Cvijić by Uroš Predić
Portrait of Jovan Cvijić by Uroš Predić

Jovan Cvijić (Serbian Cyrillic Јован Цвијић) (1865 - 1927) was a Serbian geographer, president of the Serbian Royal Academy of Sciences, and rector of the University of Belgrade.

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[edit] Early Years

Jovan Cvijić was born on October 11 (September 29, Julian calendar) 1865 in Loznica (Лозница). His father was Todor Cvijić, a Montenegrin merchant. His mother was Marija, maiden name Avramović, from Korenita, a village in the Jadar area, which is close to Tronoša Monastery and Tršić, village where Vuk Stefanović Karadžić was born. He finished primary school in Loznica, and lower gymnasium in Loznica and Šabac. Cvijić finished higher gymnasium in Belgrade, in First Belgrade Gimnasium.

When he finished gymnasium in 1884, Cvijić wanted to study medicine abroad, but his municipality couldn't pay his scholarship. His professor from Šabac gymnasium, Vladimir Karić, suggested he attend geography lectures at Great School in Belgrade. Cvijić did that, and entered the Nature-mathematics section of Great School. He finished his studies in the year of 1888. For one school-year he was a lecturer in Second Belgrade Gimnasium. After that, in 1889, he started studies of physical geography and geology at Vienna University with state scholarship. Cvijić finished his studies in Vienna in 1892, and in 1893 he defended his doctoral dissertation on subject "Das Karstphänomen" on the same university.

March, 1893 he became regular professor at the Philosophy Faculty of Great School in Belgrade. First he held physical geography and etnography lectures, and later only geography lectures.

[edit] Later years

He started his scientific work while a student at Great School, when he wrote "Appendix to our geographical terminology," and continued as high-school professor, and student in Vienna, when he examined geography of eastern Serbia, Istria and Adriatic and on this topic he wrote several works and his dissertation. His whole life he dedicated to examination of Serbia and Balkans, and almost every year he traveled across the Balkans.

Apart from pure geography, Cvijić is known for his work in geology (geomorphology, tectonics, paleogeology, neotectonics). His monography about Karst generated very positive reviews in European scientific circles, and his speech about the structure and classification of mountains on The Balkan Peninsula based on geology-tectonic knowledge made him famous as the first Southern-Slavic geotectonist. He always included geology in his geography works. His two books named "Geomorphology" are valuable even today, and represent outstanding base for modern research. He also explored Balkans' psychology types.

In 1905, when Belgrade University was founded, he was among first eight regular professors, who elected the rest of the staff.

He founded Geography College of Philosophy Faculty in 1893 and was the Head of it from the start until 1927. Together with other geographers and natural scientists he founded the Serbian Geographic Society 1910 in Belgrade. He was the president of this society until his death. He was twice rector of Belgrade University in 1906/07 and in 1919/20.

Cvijić was known world-wide among scientists, and received many acknowledgements. He became Associate of the Serbian Royal Academy of Sciences on February 5th 1896, and full member on February 4th, 1899. By the act he became a president of The Serbian Royal Academy, on April 12th 1921. He held this position for the rest of his life. Beside this, he was an associate of The USSR Science Academy, Yugoslav Academy of Sciences and Arts, Science association Parnasos (Athens), honorable doctor of Sorbonne and Charles University (Prague). He was honorable member of many geographical, etnographical, natural science, and other associations across the world (Petrograd, Budapest, Bucharest and others). He received English, French and American medals for scientific achievements.

[edit] Works

For more than 30 years of intense scientific works, he published many significant works. One of the most important is "Balkan peninsula".

The most important works (on geology) include:

  • Geography researches in area of Kucaj in Eastern Serbia, 1893;
  • Das Karstphänomen, 1893, Wien;
  • Karst, 1895;
  • Structure and classification of the Balkan Peninsula mountains, 1902;
  • Die Tektonik der Balkanhalbinsel mit besonderer Berückichtigung der neueren Fortschritte in der Kenntnis der Geologie von Bulgarien, Serbien und Mazedonien, 1904, Wien;
  • Fondaments of geography and geology of Macedonia and old Serbia I-III, 1906-1911;
  • Grundlinien der Geographie und Geologie von Mazedonien und Alt-Serbien. Nebst Beobachtungen in Thrazien, Thessalien, Epirus und Nordalbanien, 1908, Gotha;
  • Lake plastics of Sumadija, 1909;
  • Geomorphology I-II, 1924, 1926.

Over 30 years he traveled through Balkans, which resulted in number of works, and founding "anthropogeographic school".

Typical of his work is analysis of the influence of climate and geography on human building patterns (morphology). Cvijić was among first to emphasize that humans are ecosensibile creatures. When it comes to forming of anthropology types Cvijić underlines social structure (occupation), endogamy and exogamy and migration as primary factors. Particularly strong is influence of environment on etnopsychological characteristics of population – basic concepts for this Cvijić gave in his work on anthropogeographical problems of Balkan peninsula, which is further elaborated in the work Balkan peninsula and Southern-Slavic countries (Cvijic, J.: Balkan peninsula and Southern-Slavic countries, II, Belgrade 1931). This work was first published in French, and in 1922 expanded and printed in Serbian. – Etnopsychological typisation that Cvijić gave in this works, was ideologically severely criticized after World War II in Yugoslavia.

He died on January 16, 1927, in Belgrade, at age of 62.

[edit] Legacy

On November 21 and 22 2002, Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts organised a scientific meeting "Social-political work of Jovan Cvijić"

There is Jovan Cvijić Memorial museum in his family house in Belgrade (5, Jelena Cetkovic street). This house was built in 1905 and since 1963 is under protecton of state. In this house is legacy of Jovan Cvijić with 1463 items.

There is a geographic institute "Jovan Cvijić" in Belgrade, number of schools and streets in Serbia are named after him. He is still considered as probably the most significant Serbian geographer. His students continued his work, and six of them later became members of Serbian Academy, for example: Pavle Vujevic, Borivoje Z. Milojevic or Milisav Lutovac.

His life and work were particularly well-researched by geographer Milorad Vasovic who wrote a 454 pages book "Jovan Cvijic - scientist, public worker, statesman", 1994.

[edit] External links

[edit] Jovan Cvijić's works

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jovan_Cviji%C4%87"
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