Josif Pancic
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Josif Pančić (Јосиф Панчић) (1814-1888) was a world-renown Serbian botanist.
Josip Pančić was born on April 5, 1814 in Bribir near Senj in the Military Border of Austria/Hungary (modern-day Croatia) to a Croatian Catholic family. Finished elementary school in Gospić, went on to the lyceum in Fiume and graduated in 1842 in Budapest in medicine although he had an avid interest in biology in general, botany in particular.
He was acquainted with the Serbian linguist Vuk Karadžić in Vienna who convinced him to settle in the then Principality of Serbia, still under nominal Ottoman suzerainty, in 1846. He relinquished his Austro-Hungarian citizenship and changed his given name to Josif as he converted to Orthodoxy. Serbia would become Pančić's home in every sense of the word and he was considered a Serb thereafter.
Pančić worked as a physician in rural Serbia and documented its flora during his frequent visits of the principality. Pančić fell in love with Kopaonik which he visited 16 times between 1851 and 1886.
He was credited with having classified many breeds of plants which were unknown to the botanical community at that time. The Serbian Spruce is actually named in his honour Pančić's omorika ('omorika' being the Serbian name for a spruce), its full Latin name being Picea omorika Pančić (Serbian Pančićeva omorika, Панчићева оморика).
Pančić was named the first president of the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts founded on April 5th, 1887.
A mausoleum of Josif Pančić on Kopaonik was erected in 1951 by the Academy, the University of Belgrade and the Hikers union, with the inscription:
- Honoring Pančić's request, we moved him here to rest forever. We also announce his message for the Serbian youth: "Only with a thorough understanding and analysis of the nature of our country will they show how much they love and honor their homeland".
The standard botanical author abbreviation Pančić is applied to species he described.