This cultural and scientific institution was established on 29 April 1861 by the Croatian parliament when it supported a proposal of the then Djakovo Catholic Bishop Josip Juraj Strossmayer, the greatest benefactor of the HAZU in its history.
This year, HAZU is also marking the 150th anniversary of the birth of a world-famous scientist and inventor, Nikola Tesla, who was a HAZU honorary member and the 100th anniversary of the birth of Vladmir Prelog, who won the Nobel Prize in chemistry in 1975.