SERBIA - National review, No 80

Prologue

GALLERY

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

CONTENTS 

Prologue
THE CHARM OF FIXED MATCHES
The Devil’s Joke

Vitrage
NUMBERS, EVENTS, INTERESTING THINGS

Album
EXHIBITION OF PHOTOGRAPHS IN THE GARDOŠ TOWER
Cities, Mandalas

Lens
DRAGICA ĐURAN’S ”MY WORLD IN COLOR” BLOG PRESENTS US ITS SELECTION OF THE MOST BEAUTIFUL PLACES
Serbia under Her Hat
She didn’t allow herself to know foreign countries better than her own. She travels through Serbia and publishes travelogues, photographs, advice, information, suggestions for journeys and contemplation. Especially for this occasion, in the eve of the summer of 2020, we have Dragica’s small anthological selection before us. Even when speaking about well-known places, her interpretation makes them new and different

City Tales
FROM ZEMUN, UNDER BEŽANIJSKA KOSA, DOWN THE PROGAR ROAD
Toša and His Well-Diggers
The street in the XVIII century wasn’t named after a well; it was named after a kafana. In the place his wine barrel stopped after rolling down from a hill, Teodor Apostolović, wholesaler and industrialist from Zemun, dug a well. Soon afterwards, the ”Tošin Bunar” kafana was raised next to it, became famous and survived to the very day. Vineyards were up on the hill, and the famous ”little house in Srem” in them, mentioned in a song. People from Zemun, rich and poor, famous and unknown, loved to come here. And the entire neighborhood, during master Toša’s lifetime, became famous as Tošin Bunar. The kafana was closed only twice in its history, and the street changed its name only twice. For a short while

By: Miloš Lazić

Bridges
UNUSUAL AREA AND PEOPLE ON THE TRIPOINT BETWEEN SERBIA, NORTHERN MACEDONIA AND ALBANIA
Gorani
Numerous historical sources and scientific arguments suggest that these authentic Highlanders were Serbs before Islamization in the Ottoman Empire. Emperor Dušan mentions them in 1348 in the founding charter of the Monastery of the Holy Archangels. Even today, they speak Old Serbian, with other linguistic influences. There, in Gora, in their valley in the outskirts of Mount Šara, they preserved picturesque customs, culture and an undisturbed awareness of their identity. Many of them work in Belgrade and travel home every Friday. Unfortunately, since the establishment of the international protectorate in Kosovo and Metohija in 1999, about 65 percent of Gorani have emigrated

Text and Photo: Mina Bajrami

Notebook
AN ALTERNATIVE GUIDE TO BERLIN
A City that Walks on Art
Berlin is a historical monument and center of political power, paradise for yuppies, hipsters, clubbers, gastro-nomads, joggers, visitors of Sunday flea markets, island of museums, salon of modern architecture, stage for street musicians, European capital of graffiti… It remembers its great ideas, ones it doesn’t speak about often or with everyone, but attracts visitors today mostly with its daring creativity, originality and freedom

Text and Photo: Dragana Barjaktarević

Treasuries
”ADLIGAT”, AN UNUSUAL ASSOCIATION AND MUSEUM IN BELGRADE
The Magic Called Book
The library was created by generations of the Lazić family, starting from the XVIII century. The books were taken through wars, revolutions, breakdowns of many states. Saved and still collected. The crown of the entire endeavor was formed by Viktor Lazić, by founding the ”Adligat” Association. Today it keeps more than a million of bibliographic units, several tens of thousands rarities, collections of newspaper, vinyl records, philately, numismatics… Legacies of many great men of Serbian culture. You will also find books made of rice, bones, palm leaves, elephant excrement, goat skin, silk… And all that is available to us in the extraordinary Museum of Books and Travels

By: Gordana Simeunović
Photo: Željko Sinobad, Momir Alvirović, ”Adligat’s” Archive

Endeavors
ON THE OCCASION OF THE RECENT EXHIBITION ”SERBIAN CHURCH, RUSSIAN HAND” IN BELGRADE
Unforgettable Flourishing of White Idea
At the exhibition and in the extensive accompanying study, ”Orthodox churches and chapels in Serbia from the opus of Russian emigrant architects” were presented. In addition to architecture, frescoes, iconography, sculpture, woodcarving, scientific and cultural contributions were also covered. There were some exceptional creators, great names. The Slavic and Orthodox spirit, New Byzantium and wide horizons permeated the great renewal of the wounded Serbian lands. That momentum lasted only twenty-three years, and it left amazing fruits

By: Dejan Đorić

Old Masters
EIGHTIETH ANNIVERSARY OF THE BIRTH OF SLOBODAN RAKITIĆ
The Great Čiča of Serbian Poetry
He was a lyricist, one of the greatest of his time. His main subjects: love, being, monasteries, Kosovo. Serbia, with its highest values and Serbiandom as a whole. In his imagination, he listened to the pulses of the past. Committed to everything he did, polite and truthful, refined, he spread goodness and trust all around. He was still young when people called him Čiča (old man). Perhaps because of his beard, reliability, some because of Draža, some due to affection, yet, that’s how everyone called him. In poetry, there was only one Čiča. Rakitić

By: Dragan Lakićević

Arena
NENAD LALOVIĆ, MEMBER OF THE EXECUTIVE BOARD OF THE IOC, THE MOST INFLUENTIAL SERB IN THIS KIND OF WORLD ORGANIZATION
Temptations of Contemporary Sport
There is really something in the Serbian sports miracle that cannot be measured with money, or even logic. All our weaknesses, both organizational and other, fit into one word: discipline. The biggest problem we face in Serbia is the underestimation of knowledge and expertise. Coaches are underestimated, as well as educators, which cannot bring anything good. Today’s world has long rested on self-flattery and excessive self-confidence, and it has turned out that it is not able to quickly manage even ordinary medical masks

By: Dejan Bulajić

Buildings
THE TOWN HALL IN SUBOTICA, A MASTERPIECE OF SECESSION ARCHITECTURE
Two centuries of admiration
A high level of urbanism and building projects, as eternal pearls of architecture, are always secure heralds of cultural renaissance. The culmination of that renaissance in a town in northern Bačka is its central building and symbol, a luxurious palace in secession style with several halls, more than one hundred rooms, more than five hundred windows and doors, a beautiful Borges-style labyrinth and officially one of seven most wonderful buildings in Serbia

By: Dragica Bajić

Destinations
VRNЈAČKA BANЈA READY FOR THIS UNUSUAL SUMMER SEASON
Seaside Has an Alternative
New promenades, new amenities, new possibilities of Goč. And the old charm. The first Serbian hot water spa and a new aqua park. Carnivals, festivals, high culture events. Treatment, entertainment, sports, recreation. (...) Everything is there, even Novak Đoković, who chose Vrnjačka Banja for part of his family vacation and preparation for the continuation of the season

Examples
THE RUMA STRATEGY OF RESTORATION AND DEVELOPMENT CONTINUES
New Face of the Town
The central city core has been rebuilt, but in such a way as to preserve the authentic looks and charm of this town in Srem. The square, the main street, the fountain, a number of old buildings and important roads are shining again. Investments in kindergartens, schools, and heating system continued. Preschool establishments in Ruma are available to all children free of charge. More children have been announced for the next school year than this one. ”Just let them be born, it is up to us to make sure that they have everything they need”, says Slađan Mančić, President of the Municipality

By: Mile Vajagić

Health
”MERKUR’S” VIRTUAL INFO CENTER
Consultations from Home
Modern technologies enable patients and guests to receive medical advice and answers to questions while they are still at home. Thus, they can be informed about all the rules and procedures of staying and treatment after the Covid-19 pandemic. ”Merkur” does everything to make rest and treatment completely safe, pleasant and fruitful

Seed
THE INSTITUTE OF FIELD AND VEGETABLE CROPS IN NOVI SAD DOES NOT SLOW DOWN
New Assets, Old Dedication
The scientific journal ”European Seed” has included two experts from the Novi Sad Institute on its list of the twenty most innovative breeders in seed production. The latest generation of maize hybrids has had excellent results in the past five years. The long-term commitment to help Serbs in the southern province, less affluent farmers, and top sports has continued