The topic of this article is related to Rijeka at the time of the infamous Bach’s absolutism, when the Narodna Čitaonica Riečka (Croatian Popular Lecture Club of Rijeka) began to operate. Dr. Ignac (Vatroslav) Vinko Medanić (1805-1856), a prominent Rijeka attorney, landlord and shipowner, patrician councillor of Bakar and Rijeka, played an important role in its foundation. This contribution is about an unusually important citizen of Rijeka of his time, who is today unfortunately forgotten. He was an acquaintance of the Croatian orthographic reformer Josip Završnik, of the Slovak revivalist and writer Jan Kollár, of the leader of the Illyrian movement Ljudevit Gaj, the Ban and Governor of Rijeka Josip Jelačić Bužimski, of the Croatian polyhistor and writer Ivan Kukuljević Sakcinski and other distinguished persons of his time. He was the first vice-president of the Narodna Čitaonica Riečka and the chief government commissioner for the founding of the Chamber of Commerce in Rijeka. In this paper we focus on the most important biographic details of his career and the main characteristics of his activist work, especially of his work in the domain of public education and culture.

Rijeka; 19th century; Croatian culture; Medanić; Illyrian movement; Slavic movement