Varaždin lover of botany and natural history!

Franjo

Dino

How did Košćec collect more than 50,000 natural objects and why did he owe the city of Varaždin?

Franjo was an entomologist, botanist, museum curator and professor at the Varaždin high school. He graduated in natural history at the Faculty of Philosophy in Zagreb in 1908.

Throughout his working life, until his retirement in 1946, he was a high school teacher in Varaždin.

He was a great naturalist, and throughout his life he dedicatedly collected insects, especially butterflies. In the entomological collections of Franja Košćeca, almost all families from the order of butterflies (Lepidoptera) characteristic of this area are represented. In his work, he developed several tools and techniques for dissecting smaller insects. For each determined species, Franjo wrote down the locality and date of discovery.

The collected entomological materials number more than 50,000 specimens! He collected materials starting in 1903, and he collected them in the area of ​​the wider Varaždin area. This hard-working scientist was also a great benefactor.

Namely, he donated his collection of natural objects and his life's work to the city of Varaždin in 1959. With this, he started the work of the Entomological Department. This collection is still preserved today and is one of the most valuable entomological collections in the country. Today, his collection is presented to the public in the Hercer Palace of the Varaždin City Museum, and will serve as the basis for the construction of the Butterfly House.

Do you have any stories about this person?

Read more stories

About catching butterflies