Head of: Ivan Gušić, F.C.A.
Director: Siniša Radović, Ph.D.
E-mail: zpgkvartar@hazu.hr
The Institute for Quaternary paleontology and geology was founded in 1955. It is the only institution in Croatia that focuses on systematic geological and paleontological researches of the Quaternary period with the aim of reconstructing changes in the climate, fauna, habitats, and the evolution of hominids.
The Institute’s collections, which are the results of many years of field researches, comprise different and numerous finds of from the Paleolithic, Mesolithic and Neolithic cultures, fossile vertebrates, sediments, and the world-famous remains of hominids such as the Neandertals from the Vindija cave, and anatomically modern humans from the caves: Velika pećina, Vindija, Veternica, Bezdanjača and Šandalja.
The richness and diversity of the collections and the Institute’s library provide many reasons for collaboration with other related institutions in Croatia and abroad as well. The activities of the Institute also include systematic information processing, education, and popularization of the geosciences.