Author

Luka Ivan Jukic

Luka Ivan Jukic is a freelance journalist who writes about Central and Eastern Europe. His forthcoming book, Central Europe: The Death of a Civilization and the Life of an Idea, will be published by Hurst Publishers in August.

Articles by Luka Ivan Jukic

Print of Hungary from the Nuremberg Chronicle.
essays

Europe’s last Latin kingdom

From the late Middle Ages, Latin came under sustained siege by the proponents of vernacular languages. And yet, in Hungary the language remained in everyday use well into the 19th-..

Luka Ivan JukicMarch 18, 2025
A double portrait of Mozaffar al-Din Shah, the fifth Qajar shah of Iran.
essays

What happened to the politician’s moustache?

In the West, facial hair has been all but banished from the world of politics. It is now the enemies of the Pax Americana who sport the moustaches and beards that were once essenti..

Luka Ivan JukicFebruary 12, 2025
A statue of Augustus the Strong in Dresden.
Review

The spectacular disasters of Augustus the Strong

One of the 18th-century’s most colourful princes, Augustus 'the Strong' combined disastrous military expeditions with an instinct for art and culture...

Luka Ivan JukicDecember 3, 2024
C.H. Fritzsche's Parade of the Ladies' Races, Dresden (1710).
essays

Saxony and the return of the Third Germany

The citizens of Saxony and Thuringia elected new state parliaments on 1 September, voting overwhelmingly for extremes of left and right. Over its long and complex history, Saxony h..

Luka Ivan JukicSeptember 12, 2024
Ursula von der Leyen speaks to the European Parliament as she seeks a second term as president of the Commission, 18 July 2024.
notebook

The European Union’s coming ideological crisis

Despite the success of populist parties in the 2024 European elections, the leadership of the EU remains in the hands of the establishment parties of Christian and social democrats..

Luka Ivan JukicJuly 23, 2024
Pre-Great War Austrian soldiers watching a pageant.
Review

The Habsburg world we have lost

The Habsburg monarchy’s political culture persisted in odd and varied ways, following the disintegration of the Austria-Hungarian state. The failures and mendacity of the succeedin..

Luka Ivan JukicJuly 9, 2024
Polish postcard celebrating the founders of three Slavic nations: Lechia (Poland), Czechia (Bohemia; modern Czech Republic), and Ruthenia.
essays

Why Putin is haunted by the spectre of Polish power

Just as the Russian Empire claimed to be fighting Polish influence, Vladimir Putin has cast his soldiers as the liberators of Ukraine from domination by Poland. It is a distorted h..

Luka Ivan JukicMarch 4, 2024
Poster advertising travel to Scotland.
essays

Why Scotland lost its tongue

The disappearance of the Scots language from its native land is more than a linguistic conundrum. It is testament to Scotland's distinctive status within the British Isles and its ..

Luka Ivan JukicJanuary 24, 2024
A poster for an 1895 exhibition on Slavism in Prague.
essays

The long fall of the Slavic nation

The 19th century witnessed an attempt to create a shared sense of identity among Slavs, founded upon a common language. Despite its failure, its legacy resonated across European hi..

Luka Ivan JukicJanuary 2, 2024