Famous people from Lika

There have been many distinguished people from Lika throughout history. Some of them are even globally recognized:

• Marko Mesić - priest who gathered the people from Lika in fighting against the Turks
• Ante Starčević -  Croatian politician, publicist and writer, named „The Father of the Homeland“
• Šime Starčević -  linguist and priest, author of the first grammar book in Croatian language
• Nikola Tesla - globally renowned scientist and innovator, one of the most respected sientists generally. The man who cast light upon the world and set the foundation for modern electronics is the genius from our region
• Andrija Štampar - doctor and scientist. He created the Constitution of the World Health Organisation, was the Dean of the University of Zagreb Medical School. The School for Public Health Andrija Štampar was so named in his honor. His family is originally from Čanak in Lika!
• Joso (Joko) Crnjak - one of the greatest herders from Lika. He lived in Korita (Čanak) and had more than 500 sheep and many other cattle breeds. He was well-known in Lika as a great philanthropist.
• Miroslav Kraljević -  globally renowned painter whose art can be found in all the globally famous museums and currently carries the highest prices in Croatia
• Mile Budak - Croatian politician, one of the most recognized Croatian prose writers, writer of novels and short stories. His work mostly includes his Lika and the hardships of life in Lika.
• Duke Borna -  great Duke of Croatia who is mentioned for the first time as the Duke of Gacka in old records and scripts
• Marijan Matijević - wrestler and philanthropist, the strongest man in the world according to many sources. Known as „The Hero from Lika“, he won many golden medals in wrestling competitions around the world, the most famous of which was the gold medal as the best wrestler in the world given to him by the Turkish Emperor Hamid II.
• Josip Čorak - famous wrestler, winner of the silver medal at the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich. He refers to himself as „Joso from Ličko polje“
• Fran Binički - Croatian priest, writer, philosopher and essayist born in Mušaluk
• Slavko Degoricija -  Croatian politician, History professor, patriot and former Chairman of the Vila Velebita association of people from Lika in Zagreb
• Slavko Štimac -  popular Croatian actor
• Rade Šerbedžija - globally famous actor
• Vlatko Pavletić - Croatian scholar and Interim president of Croatia, whose family is originally from Vukšić
• Ana Karić -  famous Croatian actress born in Perušić
• Ivan Devčić -  Bishop and Metropolitan of Rijeka
• Jure Turić -  renowned writer and pedagogue
• Ban Josip Jelačić - originally from Lika and was proud of it, so much that he called himself „Ban Jelačić of Bužim“ (Bužim – a village in Lika where his parents are from)
• Josipa Lisac -  our famous singer whose family is originally from Mušaluk
• Krunoslav Prpić - legendary Croatian radio host and reporter who covered the area of Lika in the Homeland War. Borni n Perušić