Jurij Matija Šporer

Juraj Matija Šporer or Đuro Matija Šporer or George Sporer or Đuro Matić Šporer (1795–1884) was a Croatian physician and writer who was one of the forerunners of the Illyrian movement. Šporer was the first Croatian person who attempted to publish a native 'Illyrian' language newspaper. His attempts failed because of the complete lack of interest for newspaper published in his native language.

Family, education and professional career

Šporer was born in Karlovac in 1795 in Habsburg Monarchy. His father Josip, originally from Bribir, was the first mayor of Karlovac under French control (as part of the Illyrian Provinces), appointed directly by Napoleon and one of the first Freemasons in Karlovac.

Šporer began attending the gymnasium in Zagreb, continued in Senj and completed it in Zagreb. He graduated with a degree in medicine and philosophy at University of Vienna and received the status of physician in 1819. Šporer worked as a physician in Karlovac, Bakar, Rijeka, Split, Klagenfurt and Ljubljana. After he was retired in 1851 he moved to Rijeka where he lived until his death on 1 August 1884.

Bibliography

• Juraj Matija Šporer (1849). Kastriota Škenderbeg: tugokazie u pet izvedah.
• "Odziv iz prošlosti" - 1863, memoirs