The development of geology at the University of Zagreb began in January of 1874, when the “Statutory Article on the Organization of the Franz Joseph I University in Zagreb” was amended to allow students to attend lectures in mineralogy and geology, among other natural sciences. This decision was linked to the growing popularity of geology worldwide and to the increasing appeal of field-based studies of geological processes. In the autumn of 1875, Gjuro Pilar – the first Croatian scholar to receive formal education in geology, which he completed in Brussels – was appointed the first professor of mineralogy and geology at the University of Zagreb. Professor Pilar began teaching at the Department of Natural Sciences and Mathematics within the Faculty of Philosophy on 21 April 1876. Until 1983, he taught mineralogy, geology, petrography, and palaeontology to students of various natural science disciplines. He also served as the first rector of the University of Zagreb with a background in the natural sciences during the academic year 1884/1885. From the very beginning, the University Subdepartment of Mineralogy and Geology collaborated closely with the National Museum (today the Croatian Museum of Natural History), which had been founded during the Illyrian movement and remains located at 1 Demetrova Street in Zagreb’s Upper Town. This collaboration enabled the use of collections of minerals, rocks, and fossils in teaching, while these collections were continuously expanded through the ongoing fieldwork and research conducted by faculty teachers and students.

Following the withdrawal of Gjuro Pilar in 1893 due to illness, the unified Subdepartment of Mineralogy and Geology was divided into two separate units: the Subdepartment of Mineralogy and Petrography, taken over by Mijo Kišpatić, and the Subdepartment of Geology and Palaeontology, led by Dragutin Gorjanović-Kramberger. These two units marked the origins of the two divisions that today form part of the Department of Geology at the Faculty of Science in Zagreb. Meanwhile, the Technical College was established in Zagreb in 1919. From 1926 to 1956 it operated under the name Technical Faculty; from 1956 to 1961 as the Faculty of Chemistry, Food Technology and Mining; from 1961 to 1964 as the Technical Faculty; and since 1964 as the Faculty of Mining, Geology and Petroleum Engineering. As the founders and leaders of the first generation of scientists and teachers at the Department of Mining of the Technical Faculty were educated at the Faculty of Philosophy, and as a significant number of graduates of the Faculty of Science later pursued academic careers at the Faculty of Mining, Geology and Petroleum Engineering, this chapter represents an important part of the history of the geological profession in Croatia.

In 1928, several study groups, or departments, were introduced at the Faculty of Philosophy, including Philosophy and History, and Mathematics and Natural Sciences. The Faculty of Science was established from the Department of Mathematics and Natural Sciences on 8 June 1946, comprising 14 groups, one of which was the group for mineralogy and geology.

In 1893, the Subdepartment of Mineralogy and Petrography was taken over by Mijo Kišpatić, who simultaneously served as a professor at the Faculty and director of the Museum. At that time, these became two separate institutions managed by the same individual. Kišpatić laid the foundations for the chemical classification of rocks and was one of the best microscopists of his time. In 1918, Kišpatić was succeeded as head of the Division by his student Fran Tućan, who remained in this position until World War II, when he was retired. After the war, he was reinstated as head and served until his death in 1954. Among his many contributions, Tućan, posited a theory on the formation of red soil and bauxite as insoluble residues of carbonate rocks. During WWII, the position of head of the Division was entrusted to Ljudevit Barić, a renowned lecturer and expert in mineral optics. In 1954, the distinguished petrologist Miroslav Tajder took up the position of head and held it for twenty years. In 1974, Stjepan Šćavničar succeeded him and, like his predecessor, remained in office for two decades. Stjepan Šćavničar made particularly significant contributions through the acquisition of instruments and equipment essential for modern mineralogical research, including the establishment of an X-ray laboratory. His most important scientific achievements were in determining the structures of minerals and certain synthetic substances. During his long tenure, the number of teaching staff within the Division increased substantially, leading to a broadening of scientific interests. Disciplines such as mineralogy, sedimentology, petrology, and geochemistry experienced rapid development. Following the retirement of Stjepan Šćavničar, Jožica Zupanič, an outstanding sedimentologist and pedagogue, became head of the Division in 1994. During her tenure, the Division moved to a newly constructed building at Horvatovac 95, which remains its home to this day. She served as head for two years, after which the position was held by: Esad Prohić (1996-1997; 1999-2001), Vladimir Bermanec (1997-1999), Darko Tibljaš (2001-2005; 2009-2013), Dražen Balen (2005-2009), Nenad Tomašić (2013-2017; 2021-2025), Marijan Kovačić (2017-2021), and, since 2025, Andrea Čobić.

From 1893 to 1924, the Subdepartment of Geology and Palaeontology at the Faculty of Philosophy, as well as the management of the Museum, was headed by Dragutin Gorjanović-Kramberger, a versatile geologist and palaeontologist, best known for his research on fossil fish and reptiles, and for the discovery of the Krapina Neanderthal. From 1924 to 1928, he was succeeded in both roles by the geologist Ferdo Koch, who had previously served as the first director of the Division of Geology of Croatia in 1923. In 1928, Marijan Salopek assumed the position as head and, alongside his management of the Museum and the Department, held this role until 1941. Owing to his initiative to clearly delimit the costs and inventory of the Museum and the Department, Salopek is regarded as the founder of the Division of Geology and Paleontology at the Faculty of Philosophy. From 1941 to 1945, the head was Fran Šuklje, who taught geology and palaeontology. In 1945, the position was returned to Marijan Salopek, who became the first head of the Division of Geology and Palaeontology within the newly established Faculty of Science. He served in this capacity until 1955, during which time, in 1951, the Division moved to the Street of the Socialist Revolution (today King Zvonimir Street 8/II). In 1955, the position was assumed by Vanda Kochansky-Devidé, a world-renowned palaeontologist and micropalaeontologist, particularly noted for her research on Upper Palaeozoic fossil foraminifers and algae, as well as for her editorial work on leading geological and paleontological journals. From 1959 to 1974, the head of the Division was Milan Herak, an internationally recognized karst geologist, hydrogeologist, and palaeontologist, and the founder of the mobilist concept of the Dinarides. From 1974 to 1982, the Division was headed by the geologist Ante Polšak, a world-renowned expert on rudists (extinct bivalves). In the subsequent years, the heads of the Division were: Stjepan Bahun (1982-1985, 1990-1991, 2000-2001), Josip Benić (1985-1989), Ante Polšak (1989-1990), Vladimir Jelaska (1991-1994), Ivan Gušić (1994-1998), Mladen Juračić (1998-2000), and Zlatan Bajraktarević (2001-2005). During Bajraktarević’s tenure, in the autumn of 2005, the Division of Geology and Palaeontology moved to new premises at Horvatovac 102a, where it temporarily occupied a approximately 1000 m² in the basement and the ground floor of the joint Chemistry and Biology building. Subsequently, the heads of the Division were Ivan Gušić (2006-2007), Jasenka Sremac (2007-2009), acting head Zlatan Bajraktarević (2009-2010), Vlasta Ćosović (2010), Mladen Juračić (2010-2015), Alan Moro (2015-2017), Aleksandar Mezga (2017-2021), Damir Bucković (2021-2023), Đurđica Pezelj (2023-2025) and, since 2025, Igor Felja.

Since the founding of the Faculty of Science in 1946, geological research has clearly been conducted within two main areas – geology and palaeontology, and mineralogy and petrology. Numerous generations of researchers and teachers have developed at the Department, building upon the foundations laid by distinguished scientists and professors who preceded them, many of whom could not be mentioned in this brief historical overview. The work of scientists at the Department of Geology has resulted in numerous studies of magmatic, metamorphic, and sedimentary rocks in Croatia and abroad, with particularly significant contributions to the crystallochemical investigation of minerals. Many fossil species have been discovered and described, extensive areas of the Republic of Croatia have been stratigraphically explored and documented, and major structural interpretations of the External and Internal Dinaric Areas have been established. Today, research continues in the regions of the former Adriatic Carbonate Platform, the Pannonian Basin, and in the study of recent geological processes in terrestrial and marine environments, with particular emphasis on the Adriatic Sea.

Staff members of the Department of Geology have participated – and continue to participate – in numerous projects and programmes in Croatia and abroad, thereby contributing to the ongoing development of geological science. By closely monitoring advances and trends in global geology, new knowledge is gradually incorporated into the Faculty’s study programmes. In the recent decades, geochemical research has expanded significantly, and today the Department of Geology conducts research using modern analytical methods. In addition to supporting traditional geological studies, these methods are increasingly applied in environmental research and in addressing contemporary challenges related to pollution and environmental protection.

The Department of Geology today

The current university study programmes have been aligned with the Bologna Process, in force since the academic year 2005/2006. The following three-year undergraduate programmes are open for enrolment: the university undergraduate study of Geology and the university undergraduate study of Environmental Sciences (the latter offered in collaboration with the Departments of Biology and Geography). Upon completion of an undergraduate degree, students may enrol in one of the following two-year graduate programmes: the university graduate study of Geology, with specializations in geology and palaeontology, or mineralogy and petrology; the university graduate study in Environmental Geology; or the university graduate study in Environmental Sciences. The new, revised undergraduate program in Geology started in the 2025/2026 academic year, with updated content and courses.

The Department of Geology employs 21 teachers, 10 assistants and 13 other staff members (technicians, librarian, head of student administration). The Department currently educates approximately 120 undergraduate and graduate students as well as around 70 postgraduate students in geology and oceanology. For this reason, we hope that in the near future the long-planned Geology building at Zagreb's Horvatovac will finally be constructed, allowing the Department to fully realize its potential.