SERBIA - National review, No 49

Prologue

GALLERY

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

CONTENTS 

Prologue
COMMON SPRING MIRACLES IN SERBIA
Don’t Talk about Life behind Its Back
 
Vitrage
NUMBERS, EVENTS, INTERESTING THINGS

Album
ARCHITECT NIKOLAI KRASNOV (1864–1939), NOT TO BE FORGOTTEN
The Russian Builder of Serbia

Mark
THE EASTER MIRACLE OF JERUSALEM FOR THE FIRST TIME IN SERBIAN COUNTRIES
Illuminated by Beneficial Flame
For centuries, in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, before Easter, prayers of the Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem miraculously ignite a bundle of candles in his hands. Both Roman Catholics and Armenians tried it, but in vain. Together with the Jerusalem, Greek and Russian church, as of this year the Serbian Church will that same day broadcast the Holy Fire of the Lord in its homeland and share it withpeople. ”And the rose flared up, and the field flared up, and the temple shone...”

By: Miloš Lazić
Photographs: Želјko Sinobad

Shield and Sword
ELEVENTH ”VITEZ FEST” AT THE BELGRADE FORTRESS
Flying up through the Gates of Time
That weekend, on April 4 and 5, on Lazarus Saturday and Palm Sunday, the armors shone, decorated flags wove, old weapons rattled. Knights rode to the Despot’s Tower, pages and ladies walked, unusual instruments and inspirational songs were heard. And everywhere around it, unusual lectures, beautiful exhibitions, films about knights, tournaments. It is not only an interesting event, a tourist attraction and culture of memory. And the essence of knighthood lies not in the sword but in the heart, and is not applied only in battles, but in every step of one’s life

By: Daša Marjanović

Roads
ON KOŠTAM POLJE, IN THE LOBBY OF PESTER PLATEAU
Before the Magic Disappears
This is one of the lest known areas of Serbia, in which quite a different time still pulsates today. Language and stone here remember more than the melancholic mountain antiquities. Underground rivers and rainfall lakes, summer storms and winter snowdrifts, howling of wolves and buffalo ghee, remains of old churches and remains of walls, livestock settlements and vast pastures... Images that make this world special. One should visit it before the aggressive and vulgar modernism penetrates here and start making everything uniform

Text and photographs: Josip Šarić

South
IN POREČ, TODAY IN MACEDONIA, THE PLACE WHERE THEY STILL REMEMBER DUKES AND HAIDUKS
Pressure, Heavy and Obscure
This area around the Treska River, in Western Macedonia, they used to call Little Šumadija, In the first decade of the 20th century, the core of the Chetniks’ activity used to be located herewith dukes Micko Krstić, Mihailo Josifović, Trenko Rujanović, Dane Stojanović... Statistically, there are almost no Serbs here today. Displaced, exiled, killed, denationalized. But, one must scratch a little and be patient. The story swells like dough. Underneath the double bottom of identity, a different reality is here for eternity. It is not joyful, but it exists

By: Milutin Stančić
Photographs: Luka Suša, Milutin Stančić

Memory
ŠAJKAŠI, AN IMPORTANT CHAPTER OF SERBIAN FREEDOM-LOVING TRADITION
Fearless River Warriors
After the fall of the Despotovina, this river fleet on šajka (war ships) was moved from Belgrade, Smederevo and Kovin far to the north, ”to the Upper Land”. In the 18th century, after the turmoil caused by the Great Vienna War, the Šajkaški corps was formed again in South Bačka, in the area that today carries the name after the šajka warriors. They were very brave and skilled in river battles, excellent engineer, scouts, light horsemen. Later, they became famous all over Europe also as infantry. However, brighter than anything is their tragic heroic defense of Šajkaši from Hungarians in 1848–1849

By: Petar Đurđev

The Capital
SINIŠA MALI, MAYOR OF BELGRADE, EXCLUSIVELY FOR ”NATIONAL REVIEW”
The City of Innovations and Opportunities
Belgrade is for him primarily energy and charm. People first, everything else follows. He is imbued with the spirit of the Fifth Belgrade Gymnasium and Palilula municipality where he grew up. He gladly remembers sunsets on Tašmajdan and billiard in ”Šansa”. He has traveled a lot, but for him this is the most beautiful city in the world. Belgrade lacks big investments, and Belgraders lack discipline. For the investments he is fighting as much as he can, and is more cautious about the discipline. He fears that by imposing too much discipline Belgrade could lose some of its mesmerizing free spirit, without which it would not be the same city

Care
IN RUMA, TOWN WHERE OLD AGE IS DIGNIFIED AND BEAUTIFUL
Joys of the Third Age
In this place, there are two institutions that take care of elderly, ill and poor people, with several decades of tradition and experience, and with ample support from the Municipality. They continuously invest in improving the quality of life of this part of the population and provide even better social security. Times are tough, but the old age does not have to be gloomy and sad. It is the mirror of us all

By: Katarina Filipović

Gig
TENTH ”SM JAZZ AND BLUES SPRING FEST” IN SREMSKA MITROVICA
Blues for the Vast Plain
Every year, the Festival gathers a large number of experts and connoisseurs. Big audience confirms that there is an interest for this type of music in Srem. Among this year’s participants, on April 25, there were ”The Gamblers”, ”Delta Blues Gang”, ”Serbian Jazz, bre!”

Gifts
HALF A CENTURY OF THE SCULPTURE PARK IN VRNJAČKA BANJA
The Healing Power of Arts
As far back as 1965, the event ”Autumn of Vrnjci” was conceived and initiated by Dobrica Ćosić and Miodrag B. Protić. Its important part consists of gathering of sculptors and works in stone and ceramics. Already in the 1950’s the central park in Vrnjci was filled with masterpieces of art, from Ernst Neizvestny to Olga Jančić, from Alina Šapošnjikov to Matija Vuković. Today, it is a unique collection in this part of Europe

By: Jelena Borović Dimić

Traces
SERBIA IN THE EYES AND SKETCHES OF EMMA FICK, AN AMERICAN
Corners and Edges of the Everyday
She travels and draws. Is there a better profession in the world? Detail by detail, this creative girl is making a portrait of Serbia. She reminds us of a beauty of little things, there, around us, and still misplaced in hustle and bustle of our lives. She provides clips from our excitingly plain lives. First she fills her album online, then moves it to a gallery. She is now preparing her illustrated guide through Serbia

Text and photographs: Dragana Barjaktarević

Pallet
ŽELJKO NIKOLIĆ, A YOUNG PAINTER FROM ŠABAC
Painting is a World Being Created
For him, a painting is an art and not ideological problem. He focuses his interests toward more important sources, toward the bases far deeper than the modern ones. Intentionally aside from the social and artistic games, great advertisements and small works, he has been building his authentic opus and himself in it. With all the risks and not running away from difficult tasks, maybe impossible ones. The feat of restoring a tradition is an ideal. Only dreaming about it is already a lot

By: Dejan Đorić

String
VLADA KANIĆ, AN UNUSUAL MUSICIAN WHOSE SONGS WERE APPROPRIATED BY THE PEOPLE AND THEY WOULDN’T GIVE THEM BACK
A Little House in Srem
In the late 1960’s, music career of this singer from Zemun, a civil engineer, was on the rise. He visited Norway for a two-months long gig and stayed there for forty years. He built dozens of bridges, buildings, houses, kindergartens, schools, roads... But is most important work, the only one that will certainly outlive us all, is certainly his song ”A Little House in Srem”. There is no tavern in Serbia in which this son cannot be heard, and some are even named after it

By: Mišo Vujović

Fairytale
GOOD VRETENKO, EAGLE RIDER, AND HIS FICKLE LUCK
Snow White and the Eight Dwarf
Vretenko did not forget the princess who promised to marry the person who tells the most beautiful fairytales in the world. And he didn’t stop looking for her. But Ika’s dad, that oaf who does not brush his teeth and skips breakfast, sent him to a wrong fairytale again. Like, he made mistake because of the fog. Vretenko then had to interfere in someone else’s adventures, to save both the Snow White, and the person hunting her. Afterwards, everybody begged him to stay, but he had to follow his star, on a different sky. And he was sad, very sad

By: Nebojša Jevrić

The Winner
DEJAN TOMAŠEVIĆ, GREAT SERBIAN BASKETBALL PLAYER, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE SERBIAN BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION AND ONE OF THE FOUNDERS OF ”HOLY SERBIA”
Searching for the Right Way
We were unprepared for the vortexes that opened up before us. Unawake, short-sighted and naive. We lost important threads, many of us got lost. It is the case in all areas, and in sports as well. There are no fast and easy solutions now. Bit, I think that our people and our country are exceptional. What we have endured gives me the right to. Let’s wake up, look at ourselves in the mirror, help our children. And it will be better already. Even before nobody would give us anything for free

By: Dejan Bulajić
Photo: NR Press and archive of Dejan Tomašević

Footholds
INSTITUTE FOR SPORT AND SPORT MEDICINE IN BELGRADE, AN EXAMPLE OF GOOD SYSTEMIC SOLUTIONS
On the Wings of Science and Profession
This modern research and development institution, with a tradition that is almost sixty years long, is the foundation of expert support to sports and recreation in Serbia. It is an indispensable factor in making strategic decisions in this area. In May 2015, it is the host to the International Conference on Sports Medicine, the first one in Serbia, which will bring together hundreds of participants from around the world, the cream of this profession

Link
BELGRADE BUSINESS SCHOOL CROWNED WITH ANOTHER VALUABLE AWARD
Recognized Great Contribution
Exceptional golden chain of the Cultural-Educational Community of Belgrade – for lasting contribution to culture of the capital and Serbia – was handed out at the award ceremony in the National Theatre on April 14. Six decades of tradition, quality and fair approach, modernity and orientation to development, exceptional results and accessibility, were not unnoticed

Acknowledgments
”TELEKOM SRBIJA” THE RECIPIENT OF THE NATIONAL AWARD OF SERBIAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
The Level of Social Responsibility
In strong competition among thirty eight successful companies, ”Telekom” received its award for the campaign ”When driving, park your phone!” ”Both toward the society and toward the users, and toward its employees, we are building a relationship based on trust, care and responsibility”, said Predrag Ćulibrk, General Manager of this company

Beauty
”MERKUR’S” CENTER FOR MEDICAL ESTHETICS HAS A NEW MODERN DEVICE
Laser Reshaping of the Body
The most efficient esthetic and medical procedure for removal of fat cells, cellulite and stretch marks in the world is now available in Vrnjačka Banja. Painless and safe, clinically fully tested, already after two weeks and six sessions gives evident results. And it makes you not only more beautiful, but also healthier

Energy
BIG NEW DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS IN MINING BASIN ”KOLUBARA”
Green Loan for Black Gold
Total value of the project ”protection and improvement of the environment in Kolubara Coal Basin” amounts to over 180 million Euros. Its implementation will enable much more rational use of coal, secure supply of thermal power plants with lignite of uniform quality, and great reduction in emission of hazardous substances

By: Zrinka Badnjević
Photo: Archive of ”Kolubara”

Reaches
THERMAL POWER PLANTS ”NIKOLA TESLA”, THE NURSERY OF TOP EXPERTS
Knowledge Improved through Practice
In forty five years of work, generations of experts of this energy giant forged their knowledge and accumulated great experience. Announcements of TENT’s engineers attract great attention at the most prestigious gathering dedicated to energy. The same thing happened at the recent International Conference ”Energy Sector 2015” on Zlatibor

By: Miodrag Vuković
Photographs: TENT