EMS Webinar: Croatian meteorology in philately
Marko Vučetić, retirement researcher from Croatian Meteorological and Hydrological Service, and Višnjica Vučetić, PhD, a Senior Research Associate
- Date and time: This webinar had to be postponed
Abstract
The Croatian meteorological philately is poorly known among world philatelists. Such editions are rarely and incompletely included in printed reviews of this topic. The reason for this may be that Croatia was a part of several countries over the centuries, so some editions remained unnoticed.
The first articles on meteorology in philately, as far as it is known, were published by Dr Vuk pl. Simić Vakanović (1895–1973) in the journal News (Vijesti) from the Croatian Meteorological and Hydrological Service (DHMZ, 1962, 1963).
One of the preserved philatelic-meteorological delicacies is certainly the official meteorological report “storm-card” from 1902 created by academic Andrija Mororovičić. The second are postcards with daily maximum and minimum values of air temperature and precipitation amount for the meteorological station Gospić in the period 1931–1937. The compiler of the graphic presentation, agronomist Salaj, and the observer Keleberda, who was a gardener, are listed on the postcards. There are also many postcards with meteorological motifs: meteorological stations, frozen Adriatic coast, storms, windmills etc.
The birth anniversaries of famous scientists and meteorologists such as Andrija Mohorovičić, Ruđer Bošković, Oton Kučera and others are marked on the Famous Croats postage stamps. In addition to the stamps, commemorative envelopes, first day envelopes (FDC), commemorative stamps and various accompanying philatelic products were also issued.
Various recent international events such as climate action, campaign against climate change, protection of the polar regions and glaciers, World Day for the Protection of the Ozone Layer and others were also marked.
During the period of the transition from one state to another, postage stamps of both states circulate for some time. This is called mouse franking. This was also the case in the territory of the Republic of Croatia during 1991, so such mail is extremely sought after and appreciated by philatelists. In the DHMZ, there are rare shipments from meteorological stations on which the mouse franking appears.
Commemorative envelopes on the occasion of World Meteorological Day are a special chapter of Croatian meteorological philately, which has been continuously issued by the Croatian Meteorological Society for 35 years.
The speakers
Marko Vučetić graduated in the field of Geophysics with Meteorology (equivalent to German diploma) from the Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, University of Zagreb. From 1984 till his retirement he worked for Croatian Meteorological and Hydrological Service. In addition to agrometeorology, forestry meteorology and climatology, he is particularly engaged in the research of cognitions through the history of weather and climate as well as the possibility of sailing in the Adriatic in the Antique.
He is particularly active in the popularization of meteorology, and for this purpose he has published countless professional and popular papers in the field of meteorology, agrometeorology, history of meteorology, maritime meteorology, environmental protection, forest fire protection, fisheries, philately, etc. He publishes in magazines, daily newspapers, weeklies, monthlies and participated in many television shows. He also gave many popular lectures, all aimed at popularizing meteorology. Since 2000, he has been a member of the Editorial Board of the magazine More – a magazine for sailing and vessels, and has published in it continuously. He is a passionate bibliophile with a particularly rich meteorological literature.
Philately has a special place among his hobbies, where he won awards at many exhibitions in Croatia and abroad. There are two topics that have a special place in his philatelic collecting passion: postal issues of the Republic of Croatia and, above all, a collection of stamps thematically related to meteorology. He was the president of the Croatian Philatelic Association in two mandates and the long-term president of the “August Šenoa” Stamp Collectors Club.
Višnjica Vučetić, PhD, Senior Research Associate, graduated in the field of Geophysics with Meteorology (equivalent to German diploma) from the Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, University of Zagreb, and at the same faculty she achieved her master’s degree and PhD, the first in Croatia in the field of agrometeorology. She spent her entire working life, 40 years, in the Croatian Meteorological and Hydrological Service. She collaborated on numerous scientific researches and international projects on the topics of: bura wind mechanism and wind energy in the Adriatic, climate change and its impact on agricultural production, plant development and the risk of forest fires. She was the Croatian representative in the Commission for Agrometeorology (CAgM) of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and worked in its working groups. She led a number of programs in applied meteorology and climatology for the needs of the economy. She taught Agroclimatology at the Faculty of Agriculture, University of Zagreb as an external lecturer. She has published 120 scientific and professional papers. She performed various functions in the Climate Section of the Scientific Council for Nature Protection of the Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts, the Croatian Meteorological Society, the Croatian Ecological Society and the Croatian Natural Science Society. She is the founder of the Croatian Agrometeorological Society, and participated in the founding of the Global Federation of Agrometeorological Societies. In this way, she popularizes meteorology and agrometeorology.