100th ANNIVERSARY OF THE CROATIAN HUNTING FEDERATION

The Croatian Hunting Federation is a non-partisan, non-profit legal entity established on 10 December 1925 in Zagreb, to preserve and promote hunting and nature conservation. The Federation was founded 100 years ago by 27 representatives of hunting clubs in Zagreb and, on its 100th anniversary, as the umbrella organization of Croatian hunting, it operates through over twenty county hunting associations and the Hunting Association of the City of Zagreb, with 1,100 member hunting clubs and over 65,000 members. The Croatian Post decided to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Croatian Hunting Federation by issuing a special postage stamp featuring a symbol of the celebration, which also summarizes the entire history of Croatian hunting: a stag head in antlers with elements of the recognizable Croatian checkerboard. This is also the symbol that adorns the Coat of Arms of the Croatian Hunting Federation. The Federation’s goals have always been the preservation and promotion of hunting, hunting culture and traditions, hunting ethics and hunting heritage. Its work focuses on protecting and supporting its members and hunting clubs nationally and internationally; conserving and protecting wildlife, natural habitats, and flora and fauna throughout Croatia; and promoting hunting through the publication of scientific, professional and other literature. The Federation operates in the fields of hunting, game management, wildlife breeding and protection, hunting and sustainable use of wildlife, in accordance with the Hunting Act, with the aim of protecting and maintaining the biological and ecological balance of natural habitats, wildlife, and flora and fauna, taking into account economic, tourism and recreational functions as well as environmental protection. The Federation is a member of the International Council for Game and Wildlife Conservation (CIC) and the European Federation for Hunting and Conservation (FACE). The Croatian Hunting Federation provides training for hunters, gamekeepers, hunting wardens and trophy evaluators, and issues gamekeeper badges and permits to authorized personnel. It issues hunting licenses to domestic and foreign hunters. The Federation founded and owns the Hunting Museum of the Croatian Hunting Federation, established in 1955, which maintains a register of major and atypical trophies, preserves top-quality trophies and organizes trophy exhibitions. It organizes competitions in hunting shooting and hunting cynology and publishes professional literature in the field of hunting, including Lovački vjesnik, the first Croatian hunting magazine founded in 1892, and the magazine Dobra kob. Recognizing their broader social value, the traditions of Croatian hunting have been listed among the protected cultural assets (Z-7472) of the Republic of Croatia. These traditions are part of a wider range of activities in which hunting is only one component, with increasing importance given to wildlife breeding and protection, conservation of natural habitats, maintenance and promotion of biodiversity and sustainable management of hunting grounds. Although the Croatian Hunting Federation officially dates its establishment to 1925, hunting itself has a much longer historical component, reaching back to the period when it was recorded alongside foraging as the oldest organized human activity, playing a key role in the development of early human communities, and has thus been inseparably connected to history and culture since prehistoric times. Present in every historical period and almost every community, hunting has evolved in meaning and developed a complex structure over time. From the general social need and the basic source of resources for life in the Paleolithic, hunting in later historical periods becomes a privilege of the ruling social classes, which takes place in the Croatian area during the Middle and Early Modern Ages. In the 19th and 20th centuries, hunting gradually liberalized and became accessible to both urban and rural citizens. Increasing access to hunting for wider social groups, particularly after the Second World War, led to the growth of rural and urban hunting societies, with the status of hunter acquiring special cultural significance. Today, hunting is a popular and widespread activity across Croatia. The main bearers of Croatian hunting traditions are hunters organized in local hunting clubs, which are linked to county hunting associations, the Hunting Association of the City of Zagreb and the Croatian Hunting Federation (CHF). The Croatian Hunting Federation is located at 63 Vladimira Nazora Street, Zagreb. More information can be found on its website www.hls.com.hr and on social media. Croatian Hunting Federation