Branislav ‘Branko’ Galeb

Physicist and professor who considered one of the founders of Physics in Bosnia & Herzegovina. Born in a village near Gacko, he studied in Sarajevo and completed his university education in Belgrade (mathematics). After WW2 he started teaching physics at the Pedagogical Academy. When the Faculty of Philosophy in Sarajevo was founded, he was elected professor of physics. In 1954 he was a visiting fellow at the University of Göttingen. He personally designed and built dozens of apparatuses for experimental teaching. Students remember him as a "magician for experiments”. He was the director of the Institute of Physics, first head of the Department of Physics and the second dean of the Faculty of Natural Sciences and Mathematics in Sarajevo. He also helped found the Medical faculty.

Branislav (better known as Branko) Galeb was a prominent Croatian physicist, born on September 10, 1911, in Nadiniki near Gacko, Herzegovina. He completed his elementary and high school education in Sarajevo and graduated in mathematics from the University of Belgrade in 1936. Following his graduation, he worked as a professor at the Trade Academy in Sarajevo, where he was active during World War II. Galeb was an active participant in the National Liberation Struggle, leading to his arrest and imprisonment in the notorious Jasenovac and Sajmište camps. After the war, he returned to Sarajevo and began teaching physics at the newly established Pedagogical Academy. He later became a professor at the Faculty of Philosophy in Sarajevo, where he played a crucial role in founding the Department of Physics.As the first head of the Department of Physics and the director of the Institute of Physics, Galeb was instrumental in developing experimental physics education. He was known for his engaging teaching style and innovative experiments, earning him the nickname "the magician of experiments." His contributions extended to establishing the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Sarajevo, where he equipped its physics cabinet.Throughout his career, Galeb remained dedicated to advancing physics education and research until his passing in 1971. His legacy continues to influence students and educators in Bosnia and Herzegovina.