Andrija Štampar
(an excerpt from 'Selected Papers of Andrija Štampar': "Life and Achievements of Andrija Štampar, Fighter for the Promotion of Public Health" by M.D. Grmek)

Childhood and Education at Home

Andrija Štampar was born in the village Drenovac (commune Brod), on the border of the then Austro-Hungarian Monarchy, on September 1, 1988. His father Ambroz Štampar, son of a carpenter from Lika, was a school-master in Drenovac, and Andrija was born in the building of the village school where they lived.

Andrija had to leave his parental home very early. His gifts were obvious, and his parents wanted him to obtain higher education. From 1898-1906 he went to grammar school in Vinkovci. During his secondary schooling, Andrija proved a brilliant pupil. It was at that time that he wrote his first literary attempt: a collection of popular riddles published in the periodical 'Pobratim' (1902).