A word about Dr. Josif Pancic
Josif Pančić was born on April 5, 1814, in Ugrini. He completed primary school in Gospić and secondary school in Rijeka. Unsatisfied with the lack of natural history content at the Faculty of Philosophy in Zagreb, he left to study medicine in Pest, where he developed a deep passion for botany, dedicating all his free time to it. After a period in Vienna, Pančić moved to Serbia in 1846, where he achieved his most significant contributions. n 1853, Pančić was appointed professor of natural history and agronomy at the Lyceum in Belgrade (later the Great School, the highest educational institution in Serbia at the time). There, he established a natural history collection, a library, and a natural history cabinet.
He also founded a botanical garden. As a university professor, Pančić devoted himself to scientific research, particularly in botany, zoology, and geology. In 1875, he gained international recognition by discovering an endemic spruce species on Tara Mountain, which was named after him. Over his career, Pančić discovered 102 plant species and described approximately 2,500, placing Serbia among the countries with extensively researched flora through his seminal work, Flora of the Principality of Serbia.
In addition to his botanical studies, Pančić researched fauna, discovering two grasshopper species, studying fish and birds, and pioneering ecological studies in Serbia. He was also active in education, writing textbooks, and was a trailblazer in Serbian mountaineering, serving as the country's first mountain guide.
Pančić will also be remembered as the first president of the Serbian Royal Academy, now known as SANU, a position he assumed in April 1887.
He passed away in early 1888, leaving a final wish to be buried on Mount Kopaonik, where much of his research was conducted. This wish was fulfilled in 1951 when his remains, along with those of his wife Mileva, were interred at a mausoleum atop Kopaonik. Today, the mountain's highest peak is named Pančić's Peak in his honor.