Lavo Čermelj facts for kids
Lavo Čermelj (born October 10, 1889 – died January 26, 1980) was a smart and brave Slovene person. He was a physicist (someone who studies how the world works, like energy and matter), a publicist (someone who writes for the public), and an author. He was also a political activist, meaning he worked to bring about political change. In the 1930s, he was a key leader for Slovenes who had to leave their homes in the Julian March (an area that was part of Italy) because they were against Fascist rule.
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Early Life and Education
Lavo Čermelj was born in Trieste. At that time, Trieste was part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. He went to a German-language high school in his hometown.
After high school, he first studied law for a year at Charles University in Prague. Then, he changed his mind and went to the University of Vienna. There, he studied mathematics and physics. He finished his physics degree in 1914.
During World War I, he joined the Austro-Hungarian Army. After the war, he went back to Trieste. By then, Trieste had become part of the Kingdom of Italy. He worked there as a professor at a private high school that taught in the Slovene language.
Standing Up for His People
In the late 1920s, Lavo Čermelj started working with secret groups. These groups were trying to stop the Fascist Italianization policies. This was when the Italian government tried to make everyone in the Julian March speak Italian and follow Italian culture.
When the Italian Fascist secret police found out about his activities, he had to leave. He secretly moved to the Kingdom of Yugoslavia. He settled in Ljubljana and found a job at the Bežigrad Grammar School.
Research and Important Work
In the early 1930s, Lavo Čermelj began working as a researcher. He joined the Minority Institute in Ljubljana. This was a private place set up to study how Slovene people living in other countries were treated. This included Slovenes in Italy, Austria, and Hungary.
In 1935, he wrote a very important book. It was called Life-and-death Struggle of a National Minority: the Yugoslavs in Italy. In this book, he wrote about the difficulties faced by Slovenes and Croats. These people lived in the Julian March and Venetian Slovenia. His book was later translated into French, German, Italian, and Russian. It became a key book for understanding the situation of these groups.
During World War II
In April 1941, the Italian army took over the area around Ljubljana. This happened after the invasion of Yugoslavia. Lavo Čermelj was arrested by the Italian authorities. He was put on trial at the Second Trieste trial.
He faced a very harsh punishment, but it was later changed to life in prison. He was sent to a high-security prison on the island of Elba. In 1944, Allied troops freed him. After that, he joined the Yugoslav partisans, who were fighting against the occupation.
Later Life and Science
After World War II, Lavo Čermelj worked as an expert for the Yugoslav foreign ministry. After 1947, he spent most of his time studying the legal rights of the Slovene minority in Italy.
Čermelj also wrote several books and articles to make science easier to understand for everyone. In 1971, he translated a book called Astronomy by Fred Hoyle into Slovene. This book was originally published in 1962.
He passed away in Ljubljana.
