Famous Croatians: Slavoljub Eduard Penkala

When you think of brilliant inventors from the Balkans, your mind almost certainly jumps straight to Nikola Tesla. But if you walk through the historic streets of Zagreb today, you are actually walking in the footsteps of another visionary, a man whose most famous creation is almost certainly sitting on your desk or tucked into your pocket right now.

Meet Eduard Slavoljub Penkala. He was Zagreb’s very own Leonardo da Vinci, a tireless innovator who changed the world with a stroke of genius, quite literally. For travelers booking a trip to Croatia's capital with Toural Travel, discovering Penkala’s legacy adds a fascinating layer of storytelling to the city's charming Upper and Lower Towns.

The Invention that Conquered the World

Born in Slovakia to a family of Polish and Dutch heritage, Penkala arrived in Zagreb around the turn of the 20th century. While studying chemical engineering in Dresden, Germany, Penkala took up the violin. It was during these music lessons that he met Emily Stoffregen, a talented pianist who would become his wife and move with him to Zagreb. He fell so deeply in love with the city that he voluntarily took on the Croatian name "Slavoljub" (meaning "glory-lover" or "Slav-lover") and declared Zagreb his true home.

It was here, in 1906, that he patented an invention born out of pure frustration with standard wooden pencils: the automatic mechanical pencil. No sharpening, no broken leads, no mess. A year later, he followed it up by inventing the solid-ink fountain pen.

Partnering with the Moster brothers, Penkala opened a factory in Zagreb that quickly exploded into one of the largest writing instrument manufacturers in the world. Their iconic logo, a stylized man with a giant pen tucked behind an oversized ear, became a global symbol of modern utility. To this day, if you ask someone in Croatia, Serbia, or Bosnia for a ballpoint pen, they won’t ask for a kemijska; they will ask you for a penkala.

Zagreb’s Aviation Pioneer

If Penkala had stopped at pens, his place in history would be secure. But his restless mind couldn't be contained to a writing desk.

In 1910, just seven years after the Wright brothers' historic flight in North Carolina, Penkala built Croatia’s very first two-seater airplane. He constructed it entirely in Zagreb's Črnomerec neighborhood. On a clear day that same year, he took to the skies, making it the first official flight in Croatian history and establishing Zagreb’s first runway.

Step into his laboratory during those golden years, and you would have found blueprints for an astonishingly diverse range of inventions. He created the Termofor (the rubber hot water bottle still used today to soothe sore muscles), an early version of the pocket flashlight, an anti-creeping device for railway tracks, and even a non-toxic liquid laundry detergent.

‍

Marketing genius

Penkala understood the power of advertising. To promote the new pen in Graz, Austria, a marketing apprentice was dressed up as the company's big-eared caricature logo and sent to walk the busy city streets holding a giant pen the size of a walking stick. The stunt caused such a chaotic scene of laughter and crowds that the police actually arrested the young man for violating a local city council ban on public parades! The arrest landed the pen in all the major newspapers, creating massive free publicity. This was just one of the countless examples where Penkala found a brilliant strategy to promote his products to the masses.

Walking in Penkala’s Footsteps Today

For travelers exploring Zagreb, Penkala’s spirit is woven tightly into the fabric of the city. As you wander through the bustling Lower Town or take the funicular up to the romantic, gas-lit alleys of the Upper Town, you are exploring the exact landscapes that inspired his work.

Today, you can pay homage to him by seeking out his bronze likeness. As part of Zagreb's popular Sit & Meet project, a series of statues dedicated to great Croatian minds scattered across city terraces, you can actually sit down at a cafe table right next to Penkala, who is depicted proudly holding his revolutionary mechanical pencil.

Next time you write a postcard home from your Toural Travel vacation, take a close look at the pen in your hand. You have a brilliant Zagreb adoptive son to thank for it.

‍