Presentation of the book by Srećko Tomas, PhD, The Origin and Youth of Nobel Prize Winner Ružička, co-organized by the Pilar Institute – Vukovar Regional Center; Vukovar, 09/06/2026
On the occasion of International Archives Day and International Archives Week, on June 9, 2026, at 6 p.m., the presentation of the book by Srećko Tomas, PhD, The Origin and Youth of Nobel Prize Winner Ružička, was held in the Congress Hall of the Ružička House in Vukovar (J. J. Strossmayera 25, Vukovar).
The publication of the book and its presentation are dedicated to Nobel Prize winner Ružička and his family in accordance with and with the common theme of marking this year’s Archives Week in the Republic of Croatia, entitled Archives and Science. The event is being co-organized by the State Archives in Osijek, the Ivo Pilar Institute of Social Sciences – Vukovar Regional Center, the Vukovar City Museum, the Public Institution of Culture Croatian Home Vukovar and the Vukovar Branch of Matica Hrvatska.
The book is the result of the author’s many years of research into the life, work and scientific achievements of the Croatian chemist and Nobel laureate Lavoslav (Leopold) Ružička, born in Vukovar on September 13, 1887, and the data and insights it contains are largely taken from or based on archival materials and other materials in the possession of the State Archives in Vukovar, the State Archives in Osijek, the Vukovar City Museum and other cultural and heritage institutions. Its particular value lies in the fact that the author, among other things, managed to reconstruct in detail the family tree and life of the Ružička family in Vukovar and in particular the role of the Nobel laureate’s father, Stjepan Ružička, in the social, public and political life of the city, from his move to Vukovar in early 1886 until his tragic death on November 19, 1891.
We believe that by coming to the book presentation, you will make an important contribution to the renewal of the memory of Lavoslav (Leopold) Ružička, the first Croatian Nobel laureate, and the Ružička family in which he grew up and which is ultimately responsible for the recognition of Vukovar and Croatia in the European and global context.
