About the Author
Personal Introduction
Dear visitor, welcome to the web pages dedicated to the history, origin and heritage of the surname Tandara.
My name is Jure Tandara, a road traffic engineer. I am 70 years old and have been retired for six years. I live in Zagreb with my wife Ruža, I am the father of two sons — Ivica Julio and Marin Tin — and the grandfather of five grandchildren: Vigo, David, Jakov, Kaia and Laura.
After a long working life, today I dedicate myself to my family, to researching our roots, and to everything that connects me with nature and creativity.
Professional Career
I began my professional career as the Head of the Croatian Railways Rolling Stock Repair and Maintenance Facility in Zagreb, where I was responsible for the organisation, supervision and quality of maintenance, as well as for the reliability of the railway fleet. This first appointment provided me with a strong technical and organisational foundation for my future work in the field of transport systems.
I then worked as the Head of the Container Terminal in Zagreb, where I was responsible for managing terminal operations, organising freight flows and coordinating logistics processes.
Afterwards, I assumed the position of Head of the Traffic Safety Department at the Rijeka–Zagreb Motorway. Together with my colleague, the Head of the Maintenance Department, Mr Dinko Pešut, we laid the foundations of a modern motorway maintenance and traffic safety management system, the first of its kind in the Republic of Croatia.
Our work was recognised by the European Commission, which awarded the Tuhobić Tunnel the distinction of being the safest tunnel in Europe in 2009, as the tunnel that achieved the greatest improvement in safety after receiving a poor rating during the first European tunnel safety assessment in 2004.
An important part of my professional career was also the management of the implementation project of the RDS–TMC traffic information system in the Republic of Croatia. This project established the foundations of modern traffic information services and enabled the integration of Croatian road traffic information into the European dynamic traffic management network.
Sport and Technical Creativity
Alongside my professional career, I devoted a significant part of my life to sport and technical creativity. I hold a black belt in karate and was a former member of the national team of Karate Club Tempo. For many years I was also actively involved in skiing, mountaineering and cycling.
I found particular enjoyment in building models of historic ships, replicas of Roman and ancient military machines, as well as handcrafted wooden toys for my grandchildren.
Family and Everyday Life
Today I find the greatest joy in nature and in spending time with my grandchildren, creating memories that will outlive generations. My family, my children, grandchildren and friends remain my greatest source of inspiration and happiness in life.
About the Project
This web project is now in its final development phase and in the initial testing phase on the GitHub and Lima-City web platforms. Most of the collected material has already been organized, processed and presented in the Digital Archive of the Tandara Family Line, while the remaining content is still being reviewed, harmonized and supplemented. The testing process covers page display, links, interactive diagrams, protection of private information and access to the private archive so that the final version will be complete, clear and reliable.
Public and Private Information in the Archive
This privacy rule applies throughout all eight publicly accessible sections of the website. Information is publicly displayed for people born in 1930 or earlier and for people born after 1930 whose death has been confirmed. Because the principal genealogical sources were generally not systematically updated between 2012 and 2026, the absence of a recorded death does not necessarily mean that a person is still living.
For people born after 1930 whose death has not been confirmed, the public website does not display their name, year of birth, current place of residence or family relationships. A neutral notice is shown instead, indicating that a living or possibly living descendant exists. A person whose year of birth is unknown may remain public when parents, siblings, spouse or children clearly place that person in an older, deceased generation; uncertain cases are temporarily protected until verified. Photographs previously published in public interviews may remain visible, but they are not linked to protected genealogical information.
More complete information about protected family members has not been deleted; it is preserved in a separate private family archive. Access to this information is not permitted without valid prior approval from the administrator of the private archive. Family members and persons with a legitimate research reason may request access through the Contact & Collaboration page. A request should include the applicant’s full name, a valid email address, the relevant family branch or relationship, a person who can confirm the applicant’s identity, and the reason for requesting access. Email verification alone does not grant access: every request is reviewed manually, and controlled access may be granted only to an approved user.
Below is a concise overview of the purpose, scope and distinctive features of this genealogical project.
Genealogical Project of the Tandara Surname
This website represents the first Croatian digital genealogical archive that systematically, chronologically and thoroughly documents the Tandara surname — from the earliest known ancestor Ivan (born around 1695) up to the present generations. It is the first publicly accessible project in Croatia that presents the Tandara surname in full historical depth, with precise family branches, original documents, photographs and narrative descriptions.
The site is built according to high standards used by the best genealogical websites worldwide: clear structure, bilingual content, consistent visual presentation, well‑organized family branches, historical context, geographical distribution and digital archival organization. In the Croatian context, this is the number one project and the first website of its kind — the only one that presents a Croatian surname at a level previously seen exclusively on international genealogical platforms.
Unlike existing Croatian genealogical sources, which mostly offer surname statistics, simple databases or minimal historical records, this site provides a complete family history: living stories, photographs, personal documents, family branches, migrations, historical circumstances and the development of the surname over more than three centuries. It is the most detailed, comprehensive and professionally structured genealogical website dedicated to a single Croatian surname.
TANDARA‑SURNAME is therefore the first Croatian genealogical website that reaches the standards of global genealogical archives while remaining fully authentic, locally grounded and dedicated to a single family.
The website is optimized for use on a laptop or desktop computer, as the family tree and graphical elements contain a large amount of detail that cannot be fully displayed on mobile devices. For complete clarity and visibility, using a computer is recommended.
This project was created with the intention of gathering, preserving and systematically presenting information about our ancestors, family branches, the places they lived in and the events that shaped the history of the Tandara family line.
Over time, many valuable records have been lost, forgotten or scattered across various archives and private collections. The goal of this website is to preserve family heritage, historical identity and memories for present and future generations.
The family trees and data published on this site are the result of many years of research in parish archives, registry books, historical sources, archival materials and testimonies from family members.
A special place in this research belongs to the work of Milan Lažeta, whose publication “Genealogy of the Tandara Clan” laid the foundation for further study of the history and origin of our family and remains one of the most valuable sources for understanding the heritage of the Tandara line.
Every discovered piece of information represents a small but meaningful part of the mosaic that together forms the story of our origins.
As part of the project’s future development, T‑shirts of various sizes will be produced featuring the homepage logo — the family tree with its four main branches and the diagram of the earliest Tandara families. Since the entire project is funded exclusively from my pension, the number of T‑shirts will be limited. Several pieces will be gifted to the first or most notable members of our family, those who will proudly wear the surname on their chest.
If there is interest in creating a wall poster — either as a decorative piece or a large wall map — please contact me using the information provided on the site. I will gladly consider the possibilities and arrange details with anyone who wishes to have such a visual representation of our family history.
Acknowledgements
This digital archive would never have come into existence without the people whose knowledge, dedication and love for our family heritage laid its solid foundations.
I owe special gratitude to my cousin and friend Vice Tandara, whose enthusiasm and vision inspired the creation of the publication "Genealogy of the Tandara Clan". His idea of researching, preserving and permanently recording the history of our family line marked the beginning of a project that has left a lasting legacy for future generations.
I also extend my sincere and heartfelt gratitude to our mutual friend Milan Lažeta, the author of the publication "Genealogy of the Tandara Clan". For many years he devoted himself to researching church and state archives, parish registers and numerous historical sources, patiently collecting and connecting information about the many branches and lineages of the large Tandara family. The result of his many years of work is this exceptionally valuable publication, which represents an invaluable contribution to preserving the history and heritage of our family line.
The publication "Genealogy of the Tandara Clan" forms the foundation and principal source of information upon which this digital archive has been built. Without the vision of Vice Tandara and the dedicated research of Milan Lažeta, this project would never have been possible.
To both of them I express my heartfelt gratitude and deepest respect for their immeasurable contribution to preserving the shared heritage of the Tandara family.
Jure Tandara