Mirko Berlaković, leading Gradišćanski Croat cultural figure, dies at 86

Mirko Berlaković, an 86‑year‑old educator and cultural activist of the Gradišćanski Croats, passed away after a period of serious illness. He spent his career promoting the bilingual heritage of the Burgenland Croat community, serving as director of the Dvojezična glavna škola in Veliki Borištof from 1990 to 2001 and securing its bilingual status in 1994. Berlaković authored five school textbooks, terminology guides and two editions of a Gradišćansko‑Croatian grammar, and he led several music and folk ensembles, including the tambura group Slavuj and the choir Harmonija.

He received the Gradišćanski Croats’ Cultural Award in 2025 and was the subject of the book “Naš Mirko” released by the Croatian Printing Society in April 2026. His long‑term leadership of that society (1981‑1995) helped establish its own premises and secure regular subsidies for its newspaper, strengthening the community’s publishing activity. His death marks the loss of a prominent figure in the cultural life of the Burgenland Croat minority.