Bosnia & Herzegovina
Knowledge heroes
Every nation has its heroes. They come in all shapes and sizes. Heroes elevate moral, they create a common bond between citizens, they are transformative, they inspire optimism and they inspire other heroes. Knowledge Heroes is an ongoing project initiated by Bosnia & Herzegovina Futures Foundation aiming to highlight the biographies of individuals who’s intellect has played an important role in shaping Bosnia & Herzegovina. By commemorating their life stories, we want to ensure that new generations of citizens in Bosnia & Herzegovina don’t forget the important roles these “heroes” have played in advancing our society and improving the quality of life. Knowledge heroes live on forever because their contributions are timeless, widely recognised as unselfish and impactful. We hope that the stories of our heroes will inspire the next generation of brave citizens who dare to dream big, who dare to push boundaries, who dare to be different and through their intellect leave a positive mark on history. Let us remember that we all have the potential to become knowledge heroes. We at Bosnia & Herzegovina Futures Foundation say
“Acknowledge and respect the past, embrace and live the present, shape and secure the future”
Naim Hamdija Afgan (1929 - 2019)
Mechanical engineer, professor and a global expert in sustainable energy development. Born in Banja Luka, his career became international very quickly attaining a mechanical engineering degree from University of Zagreb (1956) and Ph.D from the University of Belgrade (1966). He was Scientific Adviser at the Nuclear Science Institute (Vinca), Belgrade, in the field of Heat and Mass Transfer, Energy Engineering and Nuclear Technologies (1965-1991). He was a professor and chair of energy engineering at the University of Zagreb until 1993. From 1993 until his death he was a professor and UNESCO Chair holder at the Technical University of Lisbon, Portugal. He was part of the editorial boards of dozens of top tier research journals and published numerous books and articles. He was a member of numerous academies including Fellow of the Islamic Academy of Sciences since 2000.
Tugomir Alaupović (1870 – 1958)
Professor, poet, storyteller and statesman. He became the first non-foreign professor at any Gymnasium (High school) in Bosnia & Herzegovina with his role at the Sarajevo Gymnasium. He studied Slavic and classical philology at the University of Zagreb and Vienna. He received his doctorate in 1894 from the University of Vienna becoming the first from Bosnia & Herzegovina to hold a Ph.D. From 1913-15 he was the superintendent of secondary schools in Bosnia and Herzegovina. He held numerous government roles including the role of minister.
Katarina Ambrozić (1925 - 2003)
Art historian , curator, art critic , translator and professor. She is the first art historian from Yugoslavia to receive a doctorate in modern art. Born in Mostar, she studied in Belgrade, Ljubljana and Paris. She was a curator, scientific advisor and head of the Department of Foreign Art at the National Museum in Belgrade. She also held a professorial role at the University of Novi Sad. In 1978 she was elected head of the Department of Fine Arts of the Academy of Arts, and in 1978 vice-dean for scientific and artistic activities for two terms, while in 1992 she was elected the first president of the Scientific and Artistic Council. She is the author of 26 monographs and books, 160 scientific papers, over 350 art critics and a translator of 24 books. She holds the French Order of the Knight of the First Order for Literature and Art La Croix de Chevalier des Arts et Lettres (1984).
Pavao Anđelić (1920 - 1985)
Lawyer , archaeologist and historian who dealt with the history of medieval Bosnia especially the developed Middle Ages. Although he graduate from Zagreb Law school in 1946 and practiced law until 1954, his real passion was history and archelogy. He studied history in Sarajevo and got his Ph.D. from the University of Belgrade in 1972. He was an archaeologist with the National Museum in Sarajevo from 1955 until 1976. His archaeological work at royal court sites of medieval Bosnia on Bobovac and Kraljeva Sutjeska, and in the area of medieval Visoko, are legendary. He wrote numerous research papers and important books on these topics. He is considered the founder of heraldic science in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Ivo Andrić (1892 – 1975)
Novelist, poet, short story writer and diplomat who won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1961. His writings dealt mainly with life in his native Bosnia under Ottoman rule. Born in Travnik, he went on to study South Slavic history and literature at universities in Zagreb and Graz, eventually attaining his Ph.D. in Graz in 1924. He served in numerous consular roles as well as ambassador roles for the Yugoslav government and was regarded as one the greatest authors from the region. He donated the prize money from his Nobel Prize to establishing new libraries and buying books in Bosnia & Herzegovina.
Anto Babić (1899 - 1974)
Historian, professor and educator. Born and raised in Travnik, Babić graduated in history and geography at the Faculty of Philosophy in Zagreb (1923). During the WW2, he was actively involved in the National Liberation War, and at the first session of ZAVNOBiH he was elected a member of the Presidency, where he headed the Department of Education in the liberated territory of BiH. From 1945-46 he was the minister of education of BiH and in 1950 became the first dean of the faculty of philosophy, University of Sarajevo. He founded the department of history and published important works on feudalism, Bosnian state, the church of Bosnia and diplomacy from the medieval period. He was a member of the Bosnian, Serbian and Macedonian academies of science & art.
Bogdan Babić (1885 - 1938)
Forestry engineer, director and community leader. He was born in Banja Luka and after graduating from high school, he went to the College of Soil Culture in Vienna, where he distinguished himself as one of the best students. As early as 1910 he became a young intern at the Department of Forest Management at the Forestry Department of the Provincial Government in Sarajevo. He worked his way up until he became the director of the Forest Directorate in Sarajevo in 1931. He was also the head of the forestry department at the Drina banovina, until his tragic death in 1938. He collaborated as a member of many societies and was been known throughout the forestry world as an excellent and objective expert. King Alexander I Karadjordjevic decorated Babic with the Order of the White Eagle V. degree 1934, the Order of Saint Sava V. and IV. degree and the Order of the Yugoslav Crown V. degree.
Josip Bać (1902 - 1985)
Hydrogeological engineer and researcher of deep underground water sources that made incredible contributions to the discovery of water, drinking, mineral and medicinal water, but also the development of health tourism in many places in BiH, countries of the region and Europe.
Miloš Bajić (1915 - 1995)
Modernist painter, who is considered to be the founder of abstract painting in Yugoslavia. He was born in Resanovci, a village near Bosansko Grahovo. In 1922, he moved to Belgrade and completed grammar school and teacher school. During WW2 he spent years in a concentration camp and used drawing as a way to mentally survive. He hid over 150 drawings which were recovered after the liberation. In 1949, he graduated from the Academy of Arts in Belgrade and he became one of the first assistant professors at the Belgrade Academy of Arts and worked. Numerous distinguished painters were students in professor Bajić’s class. He received several national and international awards, decorations and honours. His works are today displayed in numerous museums.
Smail Balić (1920 - 2002)
Historian, culturologist and scholar. Born in Mostar, he studied in Sarajevo and obtained his Ph.D in 1945 from the University of Vienna. He was employed at various archival and historicist positions, especially in German-speaking countries. Until 1986 he performed a number of significant scientific and archival functions such as a researcher of the Institute for the History of Arabic-Islamic Science at the Goethe University Frankfurt, a member of the Association of Austrian writers, and a corresponding member of the Jordanian Islamic Academy science. In 1995, he received the Austrian Cross of Honour for Science and Art, 1st class. He spoke numerous languages fluently including: Arabic, Turkish, Persian and English, besides his native Bosnian and German.
Zlata Bartl (1920 - 2008)
Scientist, chemist and inventor of ‘Vegeta’, the most widely used and popular spice in Yugoslavia. Born in Travnik, she completed her schooling in Sarajevo before she enrolled in Faculty of Philosophy in Zagreb in 1938. She completed her degree majoring in chemistry, physics and mathematics. After graduating in 1942, she returned to Sarajevo where she got a job as a teacher. She landed a job at the food company Podravka in 1955 and would would go on to develop chemical and food formulas for some of the most beloved dehydrated soups and the Vegeta spice. She went on to win numerous awards for her work leaving a lasting legacy. Podravka established a foundation bearing her name, whose goal is to stimulate and finance the scientific work and research activities of graduate and postgraduate students
Safet Beg Bašagić (1870 - 1934)
Among the first to hold a Ph.D in Bosnia & Herzegovina’s after defending his thesis at the University of Vienna in 1909. Bašagić was a researcher, collector, literary, journalist, poet, translator, professor, bibliographer, curator of a museum and statesman, he was a true Bosnian intellectual He founded numerous publications and societies that had a goal of intellectually stimulating a relatively poorly educated population as well as provide financial and peer support for formal education.
Midhat Begić (1911 - 1983)
Literary critic and essayist. He was born in Lopare and graduated in French language and Yugoslav literature at the Faculty of Philosophy in Belgrade in 1934. He worked at the Ministry of Culture in Sarajevo 1945-1948, and at the Institute for Social Relations in Belgrade 1948-1950 . He was a lecturer of Serbo-Croatian language at the Faculte des Lettres in Lyon from 1950-53 . In Lyon, he defended his doctoral dissertation. He was a professor at the University of Sarajevo until his retirement in 1973 but also spent three years (1966-69) as a professor of Yugoslav literature and civilization at the Sorbonne University in Paris. In 1957 he founded the magazine for literary and artistic criticism Izraz and was its editor-in-chief until 1964. He received a large number of awards for his lifelong work including two prestigious awards in France: Prix de l'Academie francaise and Ordre du merite national francais.
Šefik Bešlagić (1908 - 1990)
Cultural historian and conservationist who made enormous contributions to mapping and understanding medieval necropolis in Bosnia & Herzegovina. He was born in Gornja Tuzla and educated in Tuzla, Doboj, Sarajevo and Zagreb. He was the director of the Institute for the Protection of Cultural Monuments of Bosnia and Herzegovina. He was a historian of material culture, especially of stones (Stećci, nišani, čatrnje, stolice). Beslagic advocated the protection of material monuments as an integral cultural heritage of Bosnia and Herzegovina. He developed an extensive catalogue of stećak tombstones from in 1971. He received numerous awards for his important work including the 'Veselin Masleša' award for scientific research. He was the president of the Society of Conservators of Yugoslavia.
Alojz Benac (1914 - 1992)
World class archaeologist and historian. Born in Derventa, Benac studied classical philology and archaeology in Belgrade's Philosophy Faculty, and received his doctorate from Ljubljana University. He worked in the National Museum of Bosnia and Herzegovina from 1947 to 1967 and then became a professor of archaeology and ancient history at the University of Sarajevo. He later became the founder and first Director of the Centre for Balkan Studies, within the Academy of Sciences and Arts of Bosnia and Herzegovina, of which he was General Secretary & President. He also taught prehistory of the Balkans at the University of Münster. He excavated a number of important archeological sites in the region and thus significantly contributed to the elucidation of prehistoric times in BiH. His contributions to better understanding Stećci is widely recognised as ground-breaking.
Mersad Berber (1940 - 2012)
Painter, graphic artist and academic. Born in Bosanski Petrovac, he trained at the Academy of Fine Arts in Ljubljana where he graduated with a BA and MA. In 1978, Berber received a teaching position at the Academy of Fine Arts in Sarajevo. Widely considered as one of the best known graphic artists in the world. He was included in the Tate Gallery collection in 1984. Berber received more than fifty awards in his career in Italy, Brazil, Japan, Monaco, Egypt, and others. Throughout his career he created cycles of paintings which chronicle events, homages and dedications. Each cycle has its roots in Bosnian-Herzegovinian history from the medieval to the twentieth century.
Hasnija Berberović (1893 - 1938)
As a 16 year old, became the first Bosnian Muslim (Bosniak) teacher in Bosnia & Herzegovina. She taught at the first Muslim primary school and in the Girls' High School in Sarajevo. She played a pivotal role in women’s rights and paved the way for other Muslim women, in a very conservative period, to dream and make those dreams a reality. She advocated for women’s education in a time where women’s education (especially among Muslims) was seen as betrayal of cultural belonging. She co-founded “Osvitanje (The Dawning)”, the first Islamic women’s association in Bosnia & Herzegovina and was its first president, as a means of affirmation of rights and economic empowerment of women in the country.
Ljubomir Berberović (1933 - 2019)
Geneticist and academic. Born in Sarajevo, he studied medicine, biology and philosophy at the Universities of Ljubljana and Sarajevo, and in 1964 he received his doctorate in Sarajevo. He is the author of a large number of academic and scientific publications from three scientific areas: Genetics Population, with an emphasis on human populations, Karyology and Cytotaxonomy, with an emphasis on studying freshwater fish and the history and philosophy of natural sciences. He was rector of the university of Sarajevo from 1985 to 1988.
Berta Bergman (1892 - 1945)
The first Bosnian woman to finish high school and one of the first female physicians/doctors in Bosnia & Herzegovina. Bergman was born in Blažuj near Sarajevo and graduated from the Mostar Gymnasium in 1912. She attained her medical degree in Vienna in 1918. She worked all over the country, most notably in Banja Luka and Mostar where she served as head of the local children's polyclinic.
Marija (Bergman) Kon (1894 - 1987)
The first Bosnian woman to be awarded a doctorate (Ph.D.). Bergman was born in Blažuj near Sarajevo and graduated from the Mostar Gymnasium in 1912. She attained her doctorate in Germanics from the University of Vienna in 1916 before returning to Bosnia & Herzegovina. She taught at gymnasiums in Mostar, Cetinje and Sarajevo. She helped set up the German language and literature department at the University of Sarajevo. The younger sister of Berta Bergman.
Fehim Bajraktarević (1889 - 1970)
Philologist, orientalist and Slavist. He gained international recognition as one of the founders of modern oriental studies in the former Yugoslavia. Born in Sarajevo, he completed his studies at Faculty of Philosophy in Vienna in 1917.
He defended his doctoral dissertation the follow year. He specialized in 1919 in London ( University College ), and from 1922 to 1924 at the Faculté des Lettres in Algeria. In 1925 he began teaching the subject History of Persian literature at the University of Belgrade, where in 1926 he founded the Department of Oriental Philology, which he headed until his retirement in 1960. He spoke Persian, Arabic , Turkish , French , English , Italian and Russian.
Mahmut Bajraktarević (1909 - 1985)
The first Ph.D. holder in mathematics in Bosnia & Herzegovina, defending his thesis in 1953 at world famous Sorbonne University in Paris. Prof. Bajraktarevic was a world class mathematician and academic who had a great influence on the development of mathematics in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Yugoslavia.
Emerik Blum (1911 - 1984)
An electrical engineer, businessman, philanthropist and the founder and first director of one of Southeast Europe's largest conglomerates, Energoinvest, with over 42,000 employees and 1 Billion USD turnover at its peak. Blum also served various level of Yugoslav government and as the 26th mayor of Sarajevo from 1981 until 1983.
Blanka Bobarević (1920 - 2001)
Chemist and university professor. Born in Sarajevo, she studied chemistry in Zagreb. War disrupted her studies but she graduated in pharmaceutical chemistry eventually. She defended her doctoral dissertation at the Faculty of Natural Sciences and Mathematics in Sarajevo in 1960. She became a professor at the medical faculty and the head of chemistry. She founded the The Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry in 1975. She was also the dean of the Faculty of Pharmacy (1974-78). She specialised at the National Center for Research of Natural Compounds in Paris and further in Milan, Florence, Graz & London. She published over 100 research papers.
Staka Bokonjić (1885 - 1954)
The first Bosnia born female medical doctor. Born in Gradiška to the well known Čubrilović family, Staka was incredibly intelligent. She moved to Belgrade as a young teen to complete Gymnisum education, which enabled her, under ‘Prosvjeta’ scholarship, to study medicine Charles University in Prague. During WW1 she treated patients in Zagreb where she would stay on and specialise in dermatovenereology. She moved to Sarajevo, where she worked at the Dermatovenerology Clinic within the State Hospital until her retirement in 1948.
Kalmi Baruh (1896 - 1945)
Scholar in the field of Judeo-Spanish language and pioneer of the Sephardic & Hispanic studies in former Yugoslavia. Born in Sarajevo, Baruh's academic studies and the PhD were at attained at University of Vienna. He worked as a teacher in the First Sarajevo Gymnasium and was the only Balkan Peninsula scholarship recipient from the Spanish Government for the post-doctoral studies in the Spanish Center for Historic Studies in Madrid (1928/9). He spoke ten languages and published numerous important research works. He was an eminent intellectual who gave special attention to the pupils of poor social background, workers' education, inter-religious tolerance and fought against anti-semitism. He died in a concentration camp in 1945.
Đuro Basler (1917 – 1990)
Historian, archaeologist and conservator. Born near Bosanski Brod, he studied archaeology at the the University of Zagreb. From 1950 to 1959 he worked as a conservator of archaeological monuments at the Institute for the Protection of Cultural Monuments of Bosnia and Herzegovina , and from 1960 as an archaeologist at the National Museum in Sarajevo. During his career, he excavated and preserved a number of important prehistoric, Roman and medieval sites. At the National Museum he founded (1960) a research center for Paleolithic and Mesolithic cultures. He was considered by his peers the last true polyhistorian.
Mula Mustafa Bašeskija (1731 – 1809)
18th-century chronicler, diarist, poet, calligrapher and educator. His book Ljetopis o Sarajevu ("Chronicle of Sarajevo"), in which he detailed his life and the lives of his family members, but also the urban life in Sarajevo and Bosnia & Herzegovina 1746 to 1804. This work is considered the most comprehensive work of this kind in the history of the country. Bašeskija gave back to the community by freely educating peasants, teaching them how to read and write, religion and law.
Zdravko Besarović (1919 - 1980)
Medical doctor, surgeon and academic. Born in Sarajevo, he studied medicine in Belgrade, completing his medical degree and surgery specialisation in 1950 and 1954 respectively. He further specialised in France in the late 1950’s before becoming the head of surgery at Zenica Hospital. His academic career started in Sarajevo in 1963. In 1965 he spends time in Russia and Czechia, specialising in neurosurgery. He wrote 75 research works, including two important textbooks on neurosurgery. He received two honorary doctorates, one in Michigan (1975) and one in Manheim (1976). he was the rector of University of Sarajevo from 1972-73 & 1974-78. He received numerous international awards.
Jelena Bilbija Lapčević (1902 -1964)
Writer, translator, actress, journalist and speaker. She was born in Crni Lug, near Grahovo and was educated in Belgrade. She studied at the Faculty of Philosophy in Zagreb and at the same time attended the State Acting School, where she graduated in 1928. She had the honor of being the first to announce the solemn beginning of the regular broadcasting of Radio Belgrade. She was the first editor of the children's magazine Poletarac and wrote several children's books. She was an advisor in the founding of Television Belgrade and a role model for a plethora of talented radio journalists in the former Yugoslavia.
Džemal Bijedić (1917 - 1977)
Statesman, reformist, equal rights advocate and leader. Bijedić was born in Mostar and graduated from Law School in Belgrade in 1940. He played an important role in the liberation of the country from axis powers. From 1971 until his death in 1977 he was Prime Minister of Yugoslavia. He advocated the development of the economy, organized new economic reform and infrastructure of Bosnia and Herzegovina, construction of a modern road network, regional water supply, city sewers and telecommunications. He pushed the project “1000 schools” which aimed to build schools in all rural parts of the country. During his career he met with the most important world statesmen of that time: Mao Zedong, Gerald Ford and Leonid Brezhnev. The university in Mostar was renamed Džemal Bijedić University in his honour.
Jovan Bijelić (1886 - 1964)
Academic painter who was born near Bosanski Petrovac. Bijelić is one of the most important representatives of color expressionism painting in Yugoslavia. When the Czech painter Jan Karel Janovski came to Sarajevo in 1906 and opened a painting school, Jovan Bijelić enrolled in that school, where during his schooling he received a solid craft foundation for his further work and training. He studied painting at the Academy of Arts in Krakow, Poland and resided in Paris 1913/1914. and in Prague in 1915. He was elected among “The 100 most prominent Serbs” by the Serbian Academy of Arts and Science. His portfolio of works includes: 981 oil paintings, 103 watercolors, 52 pastels, 676 drawings, 19 book illustrations, 94 sets, 8 published short stories and one in manuscript and 1 translation.
Milan Budimir (1891 - 1975)
Philosopher, professor and distinguished researcher of classical philology. Budimir was born in Mrkonjic Grad and he was educated in Sarajevo and studied philology at the University of Vienna, where he received his PhD in 1920. He started his academic career in Belgrade in 1920 and went on to become one of the most recognisable academics in former Yugoslavia. The scientific opus of Budimir includes several hundreds of works, books, studies, treatises and articles. He researched history of classical languages old Balkan and Slavic languages, the history of religion as well as linguistics. He was a full member of the Serbian Academy of Arts and Science.
Stojan Ćelić (1925 - 1992)
Painter, art critic and professor who successfully modernized Yugoslav fine arts and introduced them to the close context of European and world creativity of that era. He was born in Bosanski Novi and as a 12 year old went to Belgrade to pursue his artistic talent. He graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts and became professor. He was also dean o for several years. In addition to painting, he dealt with numerous disciplines of artistic creation: graphics, drawing, pastels, watercolors, tapestries, mosaics, scenography, book illustration. He was a full member of the Serbian Academy or Arts and Science. He held a large number of exhibitions and won dozens of awards.
Branko Ćopić (1915 -1984)
Writer and one of the most recognisable authors in Yugoslavia. He wrote poetry, short stories and novels, and became famous for his stories for children and young adults, often set during World War II in revolutionary Yugoslavia, written with characteristic Ćopić's humor in the form of ridicule, satire and irony. Born in Hašani, near Bosanska Krupa and studied in Banja Luka, Sarajevo and Karlovac, before moving to Belgrade to complete his higher education. His works have been translated into more than a thirty languages and sold millions of copies. He was not afraid to express his thoughts, which often found him being criticised by the government at the time. He died tragically by suicide but left an enormous legacy on the literary world of Bosnia & Herzegovina, Yugoslavia and the world.
Hamdija Ćemerlić (1905-1990)
Lawyer, researcher, academic and rector of the University of Sarajevo. Born in Janja, he was among the first to attain a Ph.D. at a prestigious institution, Sorbonne University in 1936. He was the first dean of the Faculty of Islamic Sciences and drafted the first curriculum. In April 1945, he became the Minister of Justice in the first Government of BiH and was the initiator of the Faculty of Law in Sarajevo (first faculty in post WW2). He was a professor at the Law faculty and dean in two periods. He was one of the most important intellectuals in the 20th century and member of many international associations.
Svetozar Ćorović (1875 - 1919)
Distinguished author who was born and schooled in Mostar. He is widely considered one of the most important novelist in Bosnia & Herzegovina and among the greats in the former Yugoslavia. He wrote from his early teens for in many newspapers and magazines. He was the founder and editor of the magazine Zora, member of the editorial board and contributor to the opposition newspaper Narod (1907). He was elected to the Bosnian Parliament in 1910. He published a dozen books of short stories, almost as many novels and several plays. His work was focused on life in Herzegovina. There are numerous awards bearing his name. He is the older brother of Vladimir Ćorović.
Vladimir Ćorović (1885 - 1941)
A world renowned historian, scholar, historian, university professor, author, and academic. His bibliography consists of more than 1000 works. Ćorović was born and raised in Mostar and graduated at the University of Vienna in 1904, studying Slavic Archaeology, History and Philology. He attained a Ph.D. in 1908 from the same institution, thus becoming one of the first in Bosnia & Herzegovina with the title. He was a professor of Serbian history at the University of Belgrade since 1919, and Rector in 1934–35 and 1935–36 and also becoming the first from Bosnia & Herzegovina at the head of this academic institution. He worked as a curator and later administrator at the National Museum of Bosnia and Herzegovina. He is considered one of the greatest academic historians in the western Balkans.
Slobodan (Danny) Ćurčić (1940 - 2017)
Professor of art and archaeology, emeritus, at Princeton University, and a global authority on Byzantine art and architecture. Born in Sarajevo, Ćurčić attained his bachelor and masters in architecture at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 1965 and his Ph.D. in history from the Institute of Fine Arts at New York University in 1975. He has authored numerous research papers and text books that are considered the go to books on the topics.
Vejsil Ćurčić (1868 - 1959)
An adventurist, archaeologist and conservator who made enormous contributions to archaeology in Bosnia & Herzegovina. He undertook fundamental archaeological and topographic research and focused on ethnographic material, especially woodcarving items, weapons, costumes and accessories for business. He wrote about prehistoric mining and metallurgy. He made a monograph on weapons and fishing in the territory of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Edhem Čamo (1909 - 1996)
Veterinarian, professor, educator and first dean of the veterinary faculty in Sarajevo. Born in Trebinje, he studied in Sarajevo and completed his veterinarian degree at the University of Zagreb in 1938. He obtained a doctorate in veterinary medicine at the same university in 1948. He was part of the liberation army in WW2 and right after it he was deputy republican minister of agriculture. He was also twice elected rector of the University of Sarajevo (1956–1960), as well as chairman of the University Council and chairman of the Society of Yugoslav Universities. He has worked in many other organizations, including the chairman of the Bosnia and Herzegovina Cancer Society.
Vladimir Čavka (1900 - 1984)
Medical doctor, university professor and ophthalmologist. Born in Orašje, he completed his medical studies in Vienna in 1924 and specialised ophthalmology in Zagreb in 1928 at the Clinic for Eye Diseases. During this period he began his academic career also, completing his Ph.D. in 1939. His research work focused on degenerative changes of the cornea, glaucoma, conjunctival and corneal reflex, and in 1935 he constructed a corneoreflexometer. After WW2 he moves to Sarajevo as one of the founders of the medical faculty and eye clinic, which became the largest ophthalmological institution in the country for the treatment of chronic eye diseases. He was the first president of the Scientific Society of BiH (1952-1955). He is the initiator and the first editor-in-chief of the journals Medical Archives and the Yugoslav Ophthalmological Archives.
Džemaludin Čaušević (1870 - 1938)
Theologian, thinker, educator, reformer, journalist, translator and linguist. Čaušević is considered one of the most significant and influential Bosnian Muslim personalities of the 20th century. He was educated in Istanbul, completing Islamic studies and law. From 1901 he taught at the Gymnasium in Sarajevo and in 1909 became professor at the Sarajevo’s Sharia school. He was the grand mufti (Reis-ul-Ulema) of Yugoslavia from 1914 - 1930 brining about enormous education & modernisation of Muslim life in Bosnia & Herzegovina. Together with Hafiz Muhamed Pandža, he translated the Qur’an into Bosnian and attached his forward-looking exegesis to it. He was the biggest advocate for education and enlightenment, and is often cited for saying “knowledge always triumphs over ignorance”.
Umihana Čuvidina (1794 – 1870)
She is the earliest female author from Bosnia & Herzegovina whose work survives to this day. Čuvidina wrote poems and contributed greatly to the traditional genre of Bosniak folk music, sevdalinka. She was engaged to a young man named Mujo Čamdži-bajraktar who died as a soldier and as a result of his death, she never married again. She devoted her life to poetry. She wrote her poetry in Arabica (Bosniak variant of the Arabic script used to write the Bosnian language) and paved the way for other women to write and publish their work.
Dragan Damjanović (1957 - *)
Physicist and ceramics expert. With nearly, 30,000 citations, he is the most cited researcher from Bosnia & Herzegovina. Born in Sarajevo, he graduated as one of the best students at the Faculty of Natural Sciences at the University of Sarajevo. He attained his PhD in Ceramics Science from Pennsylvania State University (PSU) in 1987. In 1991 he joined the Ceramics Laboratory, Ecole polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne where he is currently a "professeur titulaire", and leads the Group for Ferroelectrics and Functional Oxides at the Institute of Materials. He is considered one of the go to experts on piezoelectric, ferroelectric and dielectric properties of a broad class of materials. He has numerous patents and has won numerous international awards for his work.
Vojislav Danilović (1910 - 1981)
Medical doctor and leading nephrology expert. Born in Trebinje, Danilović would go on to graduate from the University of Belgrade and become a leading medical expert in the former Yugoslavia. He was a professor and dean of the medical faculty at the same institution and published over 300 scientific works. He made made enormous contributions to better understanding and treating endemic nephropathy. He founded the Yugoslav Society of Nephrology and was its first president. He received numerous national awards including Seventh of July Award, Order of Labor with a Red Flag, the Order of Merit for the People with a Gold Star in 1979 and the Annual Award of the Serbian Medical Association.
Oskar Danon (1913 - 2009)
Composer, conductor and professor. After graduating from high school in Sarajevo, he went to Prague to study music composition and conducting at the conservatorium while in parallel studying philosophy, musicology & aesthetics at Charles University. He attained his Ph.D in musicology in 1939. He is widely considered one of the most important conductors and composers in Yugoslavia and certainly one of the most influential in the development of the cultural life of Sarajevo after WW2. He was the first director of the Opera and Ballet of the National Theater in Belgrade and the chief conductor of the Ljubljana Philharmonic and the Radio Zagreb Symphony Orchestra, as well as a full professor at the Music Academy in Belgrade. Together with peers he founded the art society Collegium Artisticum.
Stevan Dedijer (1911 - 2004)
Physicist, academic, business intelligence pioneer. Born in Sarajevo, he attended secondary school in Rome, Italy, and graduated from the Taft School in Connecticut, in 1930. He earned a degree in physics at Princeton University in 1934. He was a paratrooper in The 101st Airborne Division in the US army during WW2 and landed in Normandy. In 1949 he returned to Yugoslavia as a researcher at the Belgrade Nuclear Institute where he served as director from 1952-1955. He was awarded a honorary PhD from the University of Lund in Sweden where he founded the Research Policy Institute. He was the first person in Europe to teach business intelligence at a university & co-founder of the Swedish Intelligence Network BISNES. He was coined the grandfather of business intelligence CIA Director William Colby.
Vojo Dimitrijević (1910 - 1980)
One of the most important painters from Bosnia & Herzegovina in the 20th century and the founder of modern art in Bosnia and Herzegovina. At age of 16 he already exhibited his work in Prague. He graduated from the State Art School in Belgrade in 1936, and then visited the studio of Andre Lot in Paris. He participated in the founding of The Association of Fine Artists of Bosnia and Herzegovina (ULUBIH) and the School of Fine Arts in Sarajevo , where he worked as a director and professor. He was a member of the Academy of Sciences and Arts of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Matija Divković (1564 - 1631)
Franciscan and writer. In 1611 he authored and published the first printed book in Bosnia & Herzegovina, “Nauk krstjanski za narod slovinski (Christian Doctrine for the Slavic People)”. He would go on to publish four works in total by 1616. The significance of his work is even greater when we consider the fact it was authored in western Cyrillic (bosančica) and that no bosančica moulded characters were available at the time. He travelled to Venice, carefully designing the characters with master craftsmen, eventually printing the masterpiece. He is widely considered to be the founder of Bosnia and Herzegovina literature.
Mehmedalija ‘Mak’ Dizdar (1917 - 1971)
A poet who was born in Stolac. His poetry combined influences from the Bosnian Christian culture, Islamic mysticism and cultural remains of medieval Bosnia, and especially the stećci (medieval tombstones). His works Kameni spavač (Stone Sleeper) and Modra rijeka (Blue River) are probably the most important Bosnian poetic achievements of the 20th century. Dizdar used the symbols and inscriptions on the stećci to give his poetry life. While he was an active poet, he also worked as the editor-in-chief of the daily newspaper Oslobođenje (Liberation). He served as head of a few publishing houses and eventually became a professional writer and the President of the Writers' Union of Bosnia and Herzegovina, a post he held until his death.
Anka Došen-Dobud (1920 - 2022)
Writer, pedagogue, expert in preschool education and a university professor. She is widely considered one of the greatest preschool education experts in the former Yugoslavia. Born near Bosanski Petrovac, she was educated in Zagreb, Koprivnica, Tuzla and Sarajevo. She taught in numerous schools in Bosnia and Croatia. She was the first to develop the concept of free activities for children in kindergarten, she actualized the idea of free choice of activities and thus opened the way to a more modern understanding of institutional preschool education. She is the author of a large number of books and articles from preschool pedagogy and methods of educational work.
Juraj Dragišić (Giorgio Benigno Salviati) (1444* - 1520)
Philosopher, theologian, teacher and writer. Born in Srebrenica, he is considered to be one of the most influential figures of the 15th and 16th century and one of the most respected European intellectuals of his time. He obtained excellent university education in Rome, Bologna, Florence, Padova, Ferrara, Paris (Sorbonne) and Oxford. He taught at numerous universities in Italy and becoming an educator and tutor of the children of the Toscan Archduke Lorenzo Medici (Including future Pope Leon X). He authored numerous important books on topics of logic, humanities, dialectic, ethics, philosophy and theology. This included arguments in favour of free will (a widely contested notion at the time). He was an envoy of the Pope at the court of Emperor Maximillian in Innsbruck. In 1514 he proposed the reform of the Julian calendar, later becoming known as the Gregorian calendar.
Kruna Dragojlović-Aćimović (1874 - 1956)
Educator, translator and first woman from Bosnia & Herzegovina to receive a university education. She was born near Bijeljina and at an early age fled due to war. She graduated from high school in Moscow in 1887, studying foreign languages before returning to enrol in the Philological and Historical Department of the Great School (1887-1891) in Belgrade. She became a professor and taught in Požarevac, Kragujevac and Belgrade. She opened the door for other women to attain university education. She was a contributor to the magazine Bosanska Vila and for her work she received the Order of St. Sava.
Jovan Dučić (1971 -1943)
Poet, academic and diplomat. He is widely considered one of the most influential lyricists and modernist poets in the former Yugoslavia. Born in Trebinje, he moved to Mostar for schooling and trained to become a teacher in Sombor. He worked as a teacher in several towns before returning to Mostar, where he co-founded with Svetozar Ćorović and poet Aleksa Šantić the literary magazine called Zora (Dawn). He studied in Geneva and Paris and was awarded a law degree by the University of Geneva. He bacame a great diplomat and served as ambassador of Yugoslavia in Bucharest, Istanbul, Sofia, Rome, Athens, Cairo, Madrid and Lisbon.
Petar ‘Pero’ Đurković (1908 - 1981)
Astronomer known for discovering two asteroids, 1605 Milankovitch and Zvezdara. Born in Donja Trnava near Biljeljina and finished high school in the first generation of graduates from Bijeljina in 1932. He graduated in mathematics at the Faculty of Philosophy, University of Belgrade. He discovered MIlankovitch at the Royal Observatory of Belgium in Uccle, Belgium. He was the founder and editor of the journal "Astronomy and meteorological announcements and editor of numerous others. He made big contributions to astronomy in Yugoslavia.
Zulfikar "Zuko" Džumhur (1920 – 1989)
Writer, painter and caricaturist. His bohemian nature, versatility of a polymath and extremely creative personality have made him a unique figure of the Yugoslav culture in the second half of the 20th century. Born in Konjic Džumhur attended classes at the Law Faculty, but soon left and later finished his studies at the Art academy. He published over 10,000 illustrations in the country's best selling newspapers and magazines, such as Politika, Borba, Oslobođenje, Jež, NIN, Danas and many others. He wrote numerous screenplays and books that were highly popular.
Mustafa Ejubović (1651 - 1707)
Historian, writer and Mufti. Born in Mostar, his father Jusuf was a distinguished islamic scholar. Young Mustafa taught maktab and madrasa in Mostar before departing for Constantinople to study in 1677. There he listened to lectures on philosophy, astronomy and mathematics. When he graduated, he got a teaching position at a lower madrasa in Constantinople, became famous for his lectures, and soon began to teach. Ejubović wrote 27 treatises on logic during his lifetime. In addition to his native Bosnian language, he also spoke Arabic, Turkish and Persian.
Svjetlana Fajfer (1954 - *)
Physicist and academic. World class high energy physicist who was born in Visoko. She attained her bachelor degree in Physics from University of Sarajevo and graduated with the golden badge as the highest achieving student in her generation. She attained her Ph.D. from the same institution in 1981. She was a Fulbright Postdoctoral Scholar, Northwestern University (USA) in 1982-83, Alexander von Humboldt fellow at Max-Planck Institut in 1987, Alexander von Humboldt fellow, Technische Universitat, Munchen in 1993 and 2005. She is a professor at University of Ljubljana, and head of the Department of Theoretical Physics (Head) at Institute ”Jozef Stefan”. Her work had over 8000 citations and a h-index of 50 in 2022. In 2007 she received the Zois award - the highest national awards for outstanding achievements in science. She is a member of the Bosnia & Herzegovina Academy of Arts and Science.
Josip Fleger (1896 - 1966)
Medical doctor, researcher & professor of Dermatovenerology. Born in Sarajevo, he would go on to be recognised as one of the leading dermatovenerologist of Yugoslavia. He graduated medicine from the University if Prague in 1921. In 1925 he becomes the head of Dermatovenerology Department General State Hospital in Sarajevo. In WW2 he led the Institute of Leprosy in Sarajevo. He became at academic in 1949 and besides dermatovenerology, in which he published scientific papers, several books and monographs, he was a botanist. He was contributor to the Yugoslav Medical Encyclopedia. He published the first Yugoslavian textbook on "Skin and sexually transmitted diseases”.
Pavle Fukarek (1912 - 1983)
A forest scientist , dendrologist , botanist , biogeographer and plant sociologist whose field of work includes general questions about forest vegetation on the Balkan Peninsula, particularly Bosnia and Herzegovina. Pavle Fukarek was from 1961 professor of the Sarajevo Forestry Faculty. He published over 300 scientific papers and is considered the most important dendrologist and one of the most important plant sociologists in the former Yugoslavia.
Ružica Drechsler-Bižić (1921 - 2008)
The first Bosnian born female archeologist and curator. She specialised in prehistoric archeology (Bronze and Iron Ages), necropolises and the culture of the pre-Slavonic peoples in Lika, the Iapods. She was born in Bosanska Dubica and graduated in 1950 at the Faculty of Philosophy in Belgrade. Until 1952 she worked at the National Museum in Sarajevo, then at the Archaeological Museum in Zagreb. Her work paved the way for other females in archeology.
Branislav ‘Branko’ Galeb (1911 - 1971)
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.
Jakob ‘Janša’ Gaon (1914 - 1995)
Medical doctor, professor and epidemiologist. Born in Travnik, he graduated with a medical degree from University of Belgrade in 1939. He specialized in epidemiology and became a full professor. He was an excellent researcher with over 300 publications. He is also the co-author of the books "General Epidemiology of Infectious Diseases" and "Special Epidemiology of Infectious Diseases". He was a polyglot and an excellent lecturer with extraordinary abilities to transfer knowledge to students and trainees. He is one of pioneer of modern epidemiology in Bosnia and Herzegovina, founder and member Association of Epidemiologists of BiH and Yugoslavia and a member of several foreign countries epidemiological associations. He has been a regular member of ANUBiH since 1974.
Luka Milovanov Georgijević (1784 - 1828)
Writer and philologist. In literature, he is considered the first children's poet of modern Serbian literature. He advised Vuk Karadžić on the production of grammars and the dictionary. He is considered the first children's poet of modern Yugoslav literature. He was born in Bosnia, near Srebrenica, in the region of Osat. In Vinkovci he went to grammar school, in Szeged he studied philosophy, and in Pest he completed his law studies and became a jurist. By removing some superfluous letters in his works, he is considered among the first reformers (alongside Venclović, Dositej, and Mrkalj) of the Serbian/Yugoslav alphabet.
Franjo Gracić (1740 - 1799)
A Franciscan monk in the 18th century who studied medicine in Italy and Austria. He was regarded as very successful physician and botanist who selflessly advised people and recommended them the use of herbal drugs for treatment. He authored the first medical book in Bosnia & Herzegovina, published in latin in Padua, Italy. Acting in the enlightened 18th century, he made great efforts to transfer part of his European experience to the difficult conditions of Ottoman Bosnia.
Božidar (Ljubović) Goraždanin (Unknown - 1527)
Together with his sons Đurađ and hieromonk Teodor, founded the Goražde printing house, the oldest printing house in Bosnia & Herzegovina and one of the earliest printing houses in the Balkans. In 1519 they printed priest’s service books using the Cyrillic alphabet, first in Venice and then in the Church of Saint George in Sopotnica (Goražde).
Zlata Grebo (1922 - 2019)
Professor of demography and sociology. Born in Trebinje, she became the first dean of the Faculty of Political Sciences and president of the University Council at the University of Sarajevo. She studied demographic policies and the role of women in the development of society, and participated in the preparation of methodology for the 1971 census. At the World Congress of Women in Helsinki in 1969 she was a member of the Yugoslav delegation. She published numerous research papers and authored the book “Wishes and fears of the Yugoslavian woman” (1965). She received the Veselin Masleša Award (1976) for her scientific achievements. She is widely credited for the emancipation of Bosnian society in the second half of the 20th century, especially women.
Ernest Grin (1899 - 1976)
Physician and professor. He was one of the world's most prominent experts on the issue of endemic treponematosis, so his method of eradicating endemic syphilis was adopted by the World Health Organization. He graduated from the Faculty of Medicine in 1926 in Vienna. He then worked in Zagreb , and in 1934, after specializing in the USA , he came to Sarajevo, in which he spent most of his life as a scientist and clinical worker, organizer and pedagogue. He organized the fight against endemic syphilis, which led to the eradication of the disease in BiH. He was professor emeritus of the Medical Faculty in Sarajevo and director of the Department of Skin and Venereal Diseases. He published over a hundred scientific papers and helped tackle health problems in over a dozen countries globally.
Jela Grujić-Vasić (1923 - 2009)
Professor, researcher, medical and pharmaceutical chemist. Born in Foča, she moved to Sarajevo at an early age. She completed her undergraduate studies in 1947 at the University of Zagreb before returning to Sarajevo to launch her career. She would go on to establish Department of Pharmacognosy and Drug Chemistry in Sarajevo and the first professor and head. She was also the dean of the Pharmacy faculty in the period from 1982 to 1988. She published nearly 200 scientific papers and is the author textbooks and manuals. She was visiting professor in Lyon, Paris, Bordeaux, Moscow, and Piatigorsk. At the time she was one of only a few women to be elected as full member of the Academy of Sciences and of Art of BiH (ANUBiH). She is the recipient of numerous awards including: Veselin Masleša” Award 1984 & “27th July Award” for achievements in the pharmaceutical field 1990.
Nedeljko Gvozdenović (1902 - 1988)
Painter and academic of world renown. He is considered to be the greatest representative of the Belgrade School of Painting. He was born in Mostar but left for Munich in 1922 and enrolled in the International School with Professor Hanz Hoffmann. After graduating in 1926 he returned to Belgrade serving as professor at the Academy of Fine Arts in Belgrade. He held major exhibitions in Paris (1937), Venice (1952), Tokyo (1957), and New York (1963). He was a member of the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts. He was the founder of the House of Legacies as a special cultural institution that takes care of the legacies donated to the Museum of the City of Belgrade.
Fadil Hadžić (1922 - 2011)
Film director and screenwriter, playwright, journalist, writer, publicist, painter and comedian. He is an unavoidable figure in the cultural world of Zagreb and Yugoslavia in the second half of the 20th century. Born in Bileća, he moved to Zagreb as a 20 year old to study fine arts and never looked back. He is the author of more than 50 theatrical comedies, making him the most performed contemporary Yugoslav comedian. He started and edited several newspapers (Kerempuh, Vjesnik u srijedu, Telegram, Oko), Kerempuh's Clear Theater (since 1951 Comedy), Satirical Theater Jazavac (today Kerempuh), and the Otter stage. He directed 17 feature films. He wrote and directed the first Croatian comedy TV series Sedma sila (1966) for Television Zagreb, and some of his plays were adapted for television.
Osman Nuri Hadžić (1869 - 1937)
Publicist, writer, editor, professor, intellectual and clerk. Born in Mostar, he finished his basic schooling in his hometown Mostar and the Sharia Judiciary School in Sarajevo. After that, he enrolled at the Faculty of Law of the University of Zagreb on October 24, 1893 , as the first Muslim from Bosnia and Herzegovina. He also studied in Vienna and graduated in 1899. He served in the District Court in Sarajevo. He worked simultaneously in both the Provincial Government and the Sharia Judicial School, as a professor and for a time as school principal. He published numerous important works and together with Safvet-beg Bašagić he founded the magazine Behar.
Salih Sidki Muvekkit Hadžihuseinović (1825 - 1888)
Historian who published one of the most significant works on the history of Bosnia & Herzegovina titled "Tarihi Diyari Bosna" written in Turkish. This very extensive book (in translation over 1,400 pages in larger B5 format) describes the history of Bosnia from the Turkish conquest onwards, until the Austrian occupation in 1878. He was born in Sarajevo after his parents moved from Čajniče. He was educated in Sarajevo and in 1859 he became the official muvekit (Mosque administrator) performed this service for 30 years. Since then, he began to make calendars with the calculation of the time for performing prayers. He was also preoccupied with geography and made beautiful globes that are today preserved in the Gazi Husrev-beg Library in Sarajevo.
Hajrudin Hadžiselimović (1914 - 1981)
Medical doctor, professor, founder of the Institute of Anatomy in Sarajevo and one of the most eminent European anatomists of his time. Born in Banja Luka, he completed his medical degree at the University of Belgrade. He became an academic early in his career and the head of the Institute and the Department of Anatomy of the Medical Faculty in Sarajevo from 1949. It was considered one of the best in Yugoslavia. He published over 100 research works and was dean of the medical faculty from 1964-65 & 1966-67. He was an honorary member of the New York Academy of Sciences, the Association of Anatomists of the USSR, the Austrian Medical Association, and the Association of American Medical Authors.
Razija Handžić (1902 - 1994)
Poet, publicist, researcher and founder of the Museum of Literature and theatrical arts of Bosnia & Herzegovina. She was born in Banja Luka, and grew up is in Zavidovići. She graduated in the early 1920’s from the Faculty of Philosophy, University of Belgrade, majoring in Yugoslav literature. She was the first female director of Radio Sarajevo and she worked as a curator in the National Museum of BiH, Museum of the City of Sarajevo and the Museum of the Revolution / History Museum.
Seid Huković (1925 - 2001)
Medical doctor, professor and pharmacologist. Born in Sarajevo, he attained a medical degree in Zagreb. He specialised at Oxford University in 1959 but also at Zagreb, Belgrade, Milan, Mainz, Cairo, Magdeburg, Budapest, Sofia and Berlin. Huković is best known for the development of new pharmacological test models, namely isolated organs with intact sympathetic nerves. Presynaptic receptors , for example , have thus been discovered. In detail it was: Auricles of rabbits, complete hearts of rabbits, Guinea pig vas deferens and Urinary bladders from rats. He was deputy chancellor of University of Sarajevo and president of numerous pharmacology societies.
Risto Jeremić (1869 - 1952)
Born in Foča, Risto Jeremić graduated from Medical school at the University of Graz in 1897. He was the first man from Foča to attain a university degree. He also became the first modern domestic surgeon in Bosnia and Herzegovina. He was the author of more than sixty scientific papers in various fields and made enormous contributions by researching the history of medicine in Yugoslav countries. He was one of the initiators and founders of the Serbian Educational and Cultural Society "Prosvjeta" in Sarajevo.
Ljubica Jokanović Becić (1887 - 1972)
First university educated female pharmacist in Bosnia & Herzegovina. She graduated pharmacy in 1914 from the University of Vienna. She returned to Sarajevo right after but realized that there was no prospect in Bosnia as a qualified pharmacist, in particular for women. She moved to Belgrade and then Bitola where she continued her work. During WW2 she saved numerous children from concentration camps and even adopted them.
Ivan Franjo Jukić (1818 - 1857)
Writer, educator and Franciscan friar who founded the first literary magazine “Bosanski prijatelj - Bosnian friend” in 1850. Jukić was educated in Zagreb and Veszprém and is widely recognised as the first to publicly advocate for equal rights of all ethnic and religious groups in Bosnia & Herzegovina, authoring the first ‘informal’ constitution of Bosnia & Herzegovina. In 1851 he also published the first book on the geography and history of Bosnia & Herzegovina. He founded numerous schools in the country and advocated for widespread education.
Mira Jurić (1916 - 1992)
Nuclear physicist, professor and pioneer. Jurić was born in Travnik and graduated from the University of Zagreb (Maths & Physics) in 1940. From 1946-1948 she was a postgarduate student at University of Leningrad and attained her Ph.D. in Physics at the University of Belgrade in 1956. She was the head of the Department of Physics at the Faculty of Natural Sciences and Mathematics in Belgrade and the Department of High Energy at the Institute of Physics. She has published a number of important works but her most significant contribution was in the discovery of the hypernucleus of helium 8. This discovery contributed to the development of the standard model of elementary particles that explains the action of fundamental forces in nature.
Gabrijel Jurkić (1886 - 1974)
Painter and artist. He was the first educated painter from Bosnia and Herzegovina to paint under the influence of Art Nouveau and Pointillism. Born in Livno, he studied in Sarajevo and completed his higher education at the Vienna Academy of Fine Arts. In Vienna he also studied the history of art in Bosnia & Herzegovina. His first exhibitions occurred in Sarajevo and Zagreb in 1911. Until his death in 1974, he produced thousands of piece of unique arts from portraits to landscapes in his native Bosnia. He is considered one of the most prolific artist in Bosnia & Herzegovina. He had a falling out with the central government and spent the later years of his career in a Franciscan monastery in Livno. Upon his death, all of his paintings were gifted to the museum in Gorica, part of the monastery.
Hasan Kaimija Zrinović (1650 - 1691)
Poet, author, activist and theologian. He received his primary education in Sarajevo and continued his education in Sofia where he became a dervish and a sheikh. Returning to his hometown, he became the elder (Sheikh) of Haji Sinan's tekke. In 1682 he put himself at the forefront of a rebellion of the Sarajevo poor who demanded the distribution of the grain of the rich, after people began to starve to death during that drought year, which brought him into conflict with the Sarajevo authorities for which he was expelled. He wrote two poetry collections (Divan and Wâridâta). One is in Ottoman Turkish and the other in Bosnian. Wâridâta is a chronology of events in Dalmatia in the seventeenth century, while the second collection is against tobacco smoking.
Tvrtko Kanaet (1900 - 1967)
Geographer & academic. Born and raised in Banja Luka, Kanaet graduated from the University of Zagreb and his Ph.D. from the University of Ljubljana with a thesis title “Podveležje and Podvelešci”. He was a high school teacher in Trebinje, Osijek, Mostar and Sarajevo over a period of over 20 years. Post WW2, he was chief of the Ministry of Education and from 1947 professor and director of the Higher Pedagogical School in Sarajevo. When the Faculty of Philosophy in Sarajevo was founded in 1950, he was elected professor of geography. He founded and headed the Department of Geography. He was the the dean of the Faculty of Philosophy in Sarajevo. He is one of the founders of the Geographical Society of Bosnia and Herzegovina (1947 ) and its president ( 1960 - 1964 ). He founded the Geographical Institute in Sarajevo (1962). He has published a number of scientific papers in the field of geography , including the first scientific studies on geographical regions in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Mehmed Kapetanović (1839 - 1902)
Writer and public official. Mehmed-beg Kapetanović Ljubušak was born near Ljubuški. During the late 19th century Kapetanović was active in collecting Bosniak folk treasures in Bosnia and Herzegovina and neighboring regions. He published several books, the most famous and considered one of the most important works of Bosnia & Herzegovina was Narodno blago (English: "The National Treasure") in 1887. He utilised questionnaires to public administrators throughout the country to gather evidence for his research, kickstarting modern research. In 1891, he founded the influential journal Bošnjak ("Bosniak") which gathered several intellectuals of its time. He was the mayor of Sarajevo on two occasions and was highly regarded by all ethnic groups. During his tenure, electricity was introduced.
Kemal Kapetanović (1921 - 1984)
Globally recognised metallurgy expert and visionary. He was engineer, university professor, expert to the UN and held dozens of important roles within the former Yugoslavia and European community. Kapetanovic graduated metallurgy in Leoben, Austria in 1944 within record time. He founded the Metallurgical Institute in Zenica in 1961 and grew the organisation to more than 300 employees. In 1965 he attained his Ph.D. from the University of Ljubljana. He was a member of the Committee for Casting and Crystallization of the Coal and Steel Community of the European Economic Community. On behalf of the UN, he conducted expert missions as advisers in Egypt, Turkey, Nigeria and Pakistan. He spoke numerous languages: German, English, French and Russian.
Hamdija Karamehmedović (1883 -1968)
He was born in Trebinje and completed his medical studies at University of Vienna in 1909 as the best student in his generation. In 1910 he began his medical career in Sarajevo, and quickly showed his leadership. In 1918 with the title of Chief physician, he established Department of Infectious Diseases. He spoke 7 languages which allowed him to follow cutting edge medical approaches. In 1914 he proposed the establishment of the Sarajevo School of Medicine, but WW1 prevent it from becoming a reality. He became Minister of Health of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia in 1921. He heavily advocated for the education of Muslim women and proposed to reform the Arabic script for the writing of the Bosnian language. He was also an active member of Gajret.
Boško Karanović (1924 - 2009)
Graphic artist and academic. Born in Bosanska Krupa, he became one of the founders of modern graphic design in Yugoslavia. He graduated in painting in 1948 from the Academy of Fine Arts, and specialized in graphics. For four decades he held a professorship at the Academy of Graphic Arts in Belgrade. He designed five public monuments with mosaics in Belgrade, Rudo, Bela Crkva, Bosanska Krupa and Cazin. His native collection of 110 graphics were in 2010 declared a National Monument of Bosnia and Herzegovina and a memorial bust to Boško Karanović was unveiled.
Vojislav “Đedo” Kecmanović (1881 - 1961)
Medical doctor, statesman and community leader. Born near Prijedor in 1881 he studied medicine from 1905 to 1911 in Prague. As one of the early medical doctors, he worked in Tuzla and from 1918 in Bijeljina where today he is considered one of the greatest, most deserving and most beloved citizens. He was a tireless cultural worker, whose contribution to the enlightenment of the people of this area is immeasurable. He was the president of the cultural and educational society, the initiator of the founding of the National Library "Filip Visnjic. He was the president of ZAVNOBiH and first president of People’s assembly of Bosnia & Herzegovina.
Petar Kočić (1877 - 1916)
Author, poet, activist and politician. Kočić was born in a village near Banja Luka, but studied in Sarajevo and Belgrade. He attended university in Vienna, where he studied philosophy. He worked briefly as a teacher and for Prosvjeta in Sarajevo. He was elected as a member of the Bosnian parliament, passionately fighting for agrarian reforms and the remnants of the feudal system. He was a poet of the Bosnian mountains and the strong life of his region and he was delighted with the simplicity of the folk language and folk life and became a poet of Krajina landscapes and Krajina life. Kocic wrote three collections of short stories entitled "From the Mountain and Under the Mountain". His work influenced many writers after his time, including Nobel prize winner, Ivo Andrić.
Zvonimir Kopač (1911 - 1965)
Medical doctor, professor and pathological anatomy expert. Born in Bosanski Brod, he completed a medical degree at the University of Zagreb in 1931. In 1951-52 years he was deputy-dean at the Medical Faculty in Zagreb, and in 1953, he was elected head of the Department of Pathological Anatomy at the Medical Faculty in Zagreb. As a teacher, scientist and researcher he published a large number of scientific and professional papers in domestic and foreign journals. He is the author of the manual “Pathological-Anatomical Section and Foundations carcass diagnostics”.
Erih Koš (Erich Kosch) (1913 - 2010)
Writer, translator and academic. He was born and schooled in Sarajevo and graduated from the University of Belgrade's Law School. He was active as a lawyer since 1935 and began writing in 1938. He was active resistance fighter during WW2 and post war he held numerous governmental roles; vice-president of the Committee for Culture, head of the Ministry of Culture and Education Council and Secretary General of the Yugoslav League for Peace, Independence and Equality of Peoples. He published dozens of books which were translated into more than ten languages. In 1967, he won prestigious NIN Prize for his novel Mreža (The Net). In 1978 he was inducted into the Serbian Academy of Arts and Science.
Antun Knežević (1834 - 1889)
Historian, writer and Franciscan friar. Born in modern day Mrkonjić Grad, he studied in Fojnica, Rome, and Siena and became friar on 26 April 1851. He was a big proponent of national unity in Bosnia & Herzegovina, a great writer and teacher. He also opened the first public school in Bosnia & Herzegovina within in his own house. He authored numerous books about Bosnian history and spent much of his time educating the poor.
Hamdija Kreševljaković (1888 - 1959)
Historian and academic. He was born in Sarajevo and became one one of the founders of the Scientific Society of BiH (a precursor to the BiH Academy of Science). He completed his teachers degree at the mere age of 16 and worked as a primary school teacher then later as a teacher in Sarajevo’s high schools, where he taught history, German, geography and pedagogy. He spoke numerous languages (German, Turkish, Arabic, Norwegian and Ladino). Kreševljaković wrote over 300 scientific papers. His entire body of work focused on the history of BiH and its culture, civilization, administration and trades, today it is considered the most significant historical material on BiH during the Ottoman period.
Bogdan Kršić (1932 - 2009)
Artist and academic. He is widely considered one of the greatest book illustrators and designers in the former Yugoslavia. Born in Sarajevo, he graduated from the Academy of Applied Arts (Belgrade) in 1957 and received his master's degree in 1959. He worked at the Academy, later the Faculty of Applied Arts, from 1962 to 1997. He has lectured at the Department of Applied Graphics, Graphics and Book Atelier, subject Graphic Book. In addition, he was vice-rector, c. d. dean, vice dean and head of the Department. He graphically designed the coat of arms of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. He received numerous national and international awards.
Herta Kuna (1922 - 2009)
One of the most eminent South Slavic philologists of the 20th century. Although she was born in Croatia, she spent her entire working life in Sarajevo and devoted her research career to better understanding medieval Bosnian literature and language. Thanks to her work, in 1986 a phototype and critical edition of one of the most important monuments of medieval Bosnia was published - “Zbornika krstjanina Hvala”. She left for Croatia to escape the war in Bosnia but her dying wish was for her ashes to be returned to Bosnia upon her death where she said she “belonged”. Her wish was granted in 2009.
Jovan "Jovo" Kurtović (Giovanni Curtovich) (1718 - 1809)
Entrepreneur and shipping magnate. Born in Začula (Herzegovina), Jovo became a prominent and educated merchant in Trebinje before he came to settle in Trieste in 1737. He is credited, together with Johann I. de Verpoorten, for establishing maritime trade with the United States of America, not long after the British surrender. He brought three of his brothers over from Herzegovina getting to set up a branches of the business in western Turkey at Smyrna, Amsterdam, Vienna, and Prague. He was one the most famous shipping tycoons of his time with a fleet of merchant ships which sailed the seven seas. he is also considered one of the founding father of commercial trade in Trieste.
Mehmed ‘Šakir’ Kurtćehajić (1844 - 1872)
Considered to be the first Bosniak journalist. He was born in Bijelo Polje, in the family of Mehmed Kurtćehajić, who served as a kadi in several Bosnian towns. He served first as a clerk at the headquarters of the Pljevlja kadiluk , then at the court of the Novi Pazar Sandzak , and then he was transferred to Sarajevo , to the vilayet service. In 1866, he began writing in the newspaper "Bosanski vjesnik", and then started the newspaper Sarajevski cvjetnik , which was published weekly, on four pages, bilingually, with a comparative text in Arabic in Turkish and Cyrillic. In 1869, he was appointed director of the Vilayet Printing House in Sarajevo. He died of tuberculosis at the mere age of 27, leaving behind a legacy of excellence and paving the way for modern journalism as a profession.
Husnija Kurtović (1926 - 2017)
Electrical engineer, academic, professor and renown expert for acoustics engineering. Born in Sarajevo, he was in the first generation of graduates from the newly formed Faculty of Electrical Engineering at the University of Belgrade. He became the first acoustics engineering expert in the former Yugoslavia and went on to publish over 100 scientific works and undertake nearly 200 projects for sound systems, studio systems and sound protection. He was a professor at the University Belgrade since the 1950’s and left a profound legacy during his long academic career.
Mihajlo "Mićo" Ljubibratić (1839 - 1889)
Orthodox priest, writer and translator that participated in the many uprisings in the Herzegovina region. He was the first person in the Balkans to translate the Quran into Serbian (local languages). He was relatively highly educated for the period, having completed the Italian Classic Gymnasium in Dubrovnik in approximately 1857.
Feodor Lukač (1892 - 1973)
Doctor, university professor, athlete, sports pioneer, medical and sports writer. Lukač is one of most intriguing and unique professionals to grace Bosnia & Herzegovina. From his birth town of Foča he would go on to study medicine in Vienna and Bern. Along the way he did incredible things: introduced football to Sarajevo in 1909, he won numerous athletics competitions in Austria and Switzerland, founded the Yugoslav Athletics Federation. He managed the surgical department of the State Hospital in Mostar (1923-1941), performing over 35,000 operations. He was the main surgeon in Sarajevo’s military hospital and also one of the founders of the the Faculty of Medicine where was a professor. His life is story for all ages.
Mihovil Mandić (1871 - 1948)
Historian and archaeologist and museum curator. Born in Travnik, he studied history & geography at the University of Vienna, graduating in 1896. He was a professor at the at the Banja Luka and Sarajevo Gymnasium. From 1919 he was employed at the National Museum in Sarajevo, where he was director from 1937–41 and editor of the Museum’s scientific publication “Glasnik”. He studied prehistoric archeology and archeology of the Roman era and archaeological topography and conducted a series of archaeological excavations at prehistoric sites throughout Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Zoran Mandlbaum (1946 – 2015)
An engineer, community leader and peace advocate. He studied at the University of Mostar's school of mechanical engineering, and later found a job as the technical director for the SOKO aircraft factory in Mostar. During the 1990’s war in Bosnia & Herzegovina, Mendlbaum played an important role in helping save many lives and helping negotiate between the waring sides. His work during the war to help civilians escape Bosnia and delivering humanitarian aid earned him the nickname "the Oskar Schindler of Bosnia-Herzegovina”.
Miloš Mandić (1843 - 1900)
Journalist and teacher. He was a great connoisseur of the Serbian language in Bosnia and Herzegovina and worked on its preservation. He was born in Bihać but received his education in Vinkovci, Sremski Karlovci and Belgrade. He also completed two years of law studies in Belgrade before teaching for several years in Serbia. He moved to Sarajevo to work as a journalist and publisher. He made great contributions to literature at that time. He was the first to prepare a Primer (Bukvar) for Serbian schools in Bosnia with new spelling, which were printed in the newspaper "Bosna" in 1868. In addition to the Primer, there was also the "Serbian Reader- Srpska čitanka", "Little Priestly History" and a booklet called "New Knowledge". In 1869 he authored a dictionary "Turkisms in Bosnia and Herzegovina" published by the provincial government in 1881.
Juraj Martinović (1936 - 2021)
Literary historian, translator, and a rare distinguished member of both the Academy of Sciences of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts. he was born and grew up in Sarajevo. He completed his studies in Sarajevo and his Ph.D. at the University of Ljubljana. He published a number of books, translations (from the Slovenian language) and about one hundred and fifty scientific and professional papers in relevant scientific journals, focusing on Slovene literature & comparative study of South Slavic literature, and Croatian and Bosnian literature .He was the director of the Institute of Language and Literature in Sarajevo, dean of Faculty of Philosophy at the University of Sarajevo and the mayor of Sarajevo (1989-91).
Rajka Merćep (1904 - 1963)
Sculptor , potter and painter . She was born in Herzegovina , in Bileća. Her sculptures were exhibited in large galleries in Paris , Belgrade and Sarajevo . She was an unusually gifted painter and sculptor who spoke six languages. She learned the basics of sculpture from the sculptor Iva Despić and the sculptor Ante Matković, and in 1927 she enrolled at the Academy of Fine Arts in Zagreb. After only two semesters she went to Paris, where she enrolled at the Académi e Colarossi, and later at the Académie de la Grande Chaumiere with the famous sculptor Émila Antoine-Bourdelle. She was one of the few female sculptors who broke the prejudice that a woman cannot engage in fine arts.
Ljubo Mihić (1929 - 1989)
Geographer, biologist, historian, economist and tourism expert. Born in Ljubinje (Hercegovina), his education was interrupted by world war 2. He joined the national liberation army as a 12 year old and at the end of the war continued his education. He went on to complete a bachelor, masters degree and two Ph.D.’s (one of the first in former Yugoslavia). He taught all over Bosnia & Herzegovina and conducted important research, connecting nature and tourism in a very scientifically driven way. His field research resulted in nearly 50 books of which all proceeds were donated to good causes.
Sima Milutinović (1899 – 1981)
Mechanical/Aviation engineer, professor and the most prolific Yugoslav aircraft constructor. Born in Mostar, he studied in Sarajevo and Belgrade before transferring to Berlin. He graduated from the Polytechnic School in Berlin in general mechanics, specializing in aviation. He spent several years honing his skills in German and French aircraft manufacturing facilities before returning to Yugoslavia to design dozens of aircraft. He was a professor of mechanical engineering and dean of the faculty at the University of Belgrade. He wrote numerous books and research papers and helped shape aviation education and industry in Yugoslavia.
Smilja Mučibabić (1912 - 2006)
A highly regarded biologist in Bosnia & Herzegovina and the former Yugoslavia. She became the first biological sciences Ph.D in Bosnia & Herzegovina, graduating from world famous Cambridge University in 1953. She founded and became the first head of the Department of Biology at the Faculty of Philosophy in Sarajevo as well as becoming the first dean of the Faculty of Science in Sarajevo. Furthermore, she authored the first ever university textbook of General Ecology in Bosnia & Herzegovina.
Stoja Kašiković (1865 - 1927)
Feminist, writer, editor and teacher. Born in Bosanski Novi (Novi Grad), Kašiković was orphaned as a child but would go on to pave the way for other women in public life. She was educated at Miss Irby's school in Sarajevo and also taught there in the latter part of the first decade of the 1900s. In 1891, after her husband fell ill, she became acting editor-in-chief of The Bosnian Nymph (Bosanska vila) magazine and continued to co-edit the journal after his recovery, occasionally contributing articles as well. With this, she became the first Bosnian born female editor and author.
Milivoje Kostić (1883 - 1974)
Medical doctor, surgeon and professor who is considered one of the most influential physicians in Bosnia & Herzegovina and the former Yugoslavia. Born and raised in Sarajevo, he graduated in 1906 at the University of Vienna. From 1913 to 1921 he was the leading surgeon in Sarajevo as well as the director of the Sarajevo Hospital. He performed the first ever heart surgery in Yugoslavia in 1926. In 1938 he established the Department of Neurosurgery (the first in Yugoslavia), only three years after the first neurosurgical department was established in Germany. He influenced the Federal Government in Belgrade with his authority in 1946 to to open the Faculty of Medicine in Sarajevo.
Filip Lastrić (Philippus de Occhievia) ( 1700 - 1783)
Writer and Franciscan friar who’s works include the first overview of the geography and history of Bosnia and Herzegovina. He was born near Vareš, studying in Kraljeva Sutjeska and then Narni (Italy). He authored an overview of the history of Bosna Srebrena, titled Epitome vetustatum Bosnensis provinciae (Pregled starina Bosanske provincije) and published in 1765. Lastrić also assisted foreigners in their writings about Bosnia, such as the Venetian Jesuit Daniele Farlati (Illyricum sacrum) and the Hungarian Piarist Elek Horanyi.
Nada Ler-Sofronić (1941 - 2020)
Professor of social psychology at the Faculty of Political Sciences in Sarajevo , a feminist and a fighter for freedom, equality and social justice. She was one of the first feminist theorists and activists from our region. She was born in Sarajevo to a prominent Jewish family, only barely escaping the slaughter of WW2. She would go on to earn a doctorate in In 1982 from the Faculty of Political Sciences in Belgrade with the dissertation " Marxism and the Liberation of Women", which is the first feminist thesis defended in the Yugoslavia. She lectured at numerous universities in Yugoslavia and founded a very important conference “Drug-ca Žena” for the empowerment of women. For the first time in the socialist world, the conference gathered representatives of women's movements in the East and the West and marked a turning point in the treatment of the "women's issue" in Yugoslav real socialism.
Krunoslav Ljolje (1928 - 2003)
Physicist and academic considered to the one of the greatest names in Physics from Bosnia & Herzegovina. Born in Jajce he attained his education in Sarajevo before his universities studies in Zagreb. He defended his doctorate at the University of Zagreb in 1954 and at the age of 26 became one of the youngest Ph.D. holders in the former Yugoslavia. The following year he became professor at the University of Sarajevo where he would be dean of Natural Sciences from 1981-84. He was a visiting professor and researcher at the University of Illinois (1960-62). He was an expert in quantum particle theory and condensed matter physics, quantum and classical field theory. He a member of the Academy of Sciences and Arts of Bosnia and Herzegovina (ANUBiH), as well as a member of its presidency, a member of the Croatian Society for Science and Arts. He left an immense impact on Physics in Bosnia & Herzegovina.
Dragomir Malić (1913 - 1979)
Engineer and thermodynamics expert. Born in Oštra Luka, he completed high school in 1936 in Banja Luka, and completed his graduate studies in 1941 at the Technical Faculty of the University of Belgrade. He defended his doctoral dissertation at the Vienna University of Technology in 1949. He was a professor at the Technical Faculty and Faculty of Mining and Geology in Belgrade. He was twice elected vice-rector of the University of Belgrade. He became the first rector of the University of Banja Luka in 1975 and remained in office until his death in 1979. He spent over three decades educating new experts and organizing higher education institutions in Belgrade, Sarajevo, Nis, Pristina and Banja Luka. He published 134 scientific papers and wrote several textbooks in the field of thermodynamics and cybernetic thermodynamics. He received dozens of awards and was a member of ANUBiH.
Ambroz Matić (1795 - 1849)
Poet, writer and the most recognisable latinist in Bosnia & Herzegovina in the 19th century who translated and adapted the first textbook intended for teaching arithmetic in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Born in Blaževac and graduated in philosophy and theology in Slavonska Požega. He taught Latin in Kraljeva Sutjeska and then devoted himself to pastoral work. He wrote poems, wrote a textbook in mathematics and Latin grammar. His collection of poems Isitrion (Welcome) is significant . He was called the master of versification. He often, like his contemporaries, wrote commemorations to prominent members of his order.
Jovan Marinović (1821 - 1893)
Born in Sarajevo, Marinović as a child moved to Serbia where he would become a politician and outstanding diplomat who eventually became Prime Minister of the Principality of Serbia. He was in the first generation of Western-educated intellectuals when in 1842 he was sent to Paris for advanced studies and diplomacy. His European education and integration enabled him to introduce modern elements into various aspects of the Serbian state including educational reform.
Luka Marjanović (1844 - 1920)
Born in the village Zavalje next to Bihać, Marjanović went on to become a professor of law and the first person from Bosnia & Herzegovina to become a rector at the University of Zagreb. He completed his law studies in Zagreb, and received his doctorate in 1872 in Vienna. From 1872 to 1874 he taught Austrian civil law at the Law Academy in Zagreb. He left the university in 1903 when he was appointed head of the Government’s Department of Justice. His ethnographic work is also valuable. He collected and studied Croatian folk songs and folk songs of Bosnian muslim singers.
Ante Markovic (1924 - 2011)
Statesman, businessman, manager and engineer. Born in Konjic, Markovic was educated in Dubrovnik and attained an electrical engineering degree at the University of Zagreb in 1954. Markovic was a great engineer and even better manager becoming the director of Rade Končar Industrial Works, a role he held from 1961 to 1984. At its peak, he oversaw 25,000 employees. In 1986 he became president of the Presidency of Socialist Republic of Croatia and in 1989 he became prime minister of Yugoslavia. He attempted to bring his engineering and business mindset to rescue toe Yugoslav economy prior to the breakup. He is remembered as one of the most liked personalities.
Nasuh Matrakčija Visočak (1480 - 1564)
A 16th-century Bosnian statesman of the Ottoman empire, polymath, mathematician, teacher, historian, geographer, cartographer, swordmaster, navigator, author, inventor, painter, farmer, and miniaturist. He spoke 5 languages and was highly regarded for his intellect. One of the most significant results displayed in his book was the lattice method, nearly 50 years before John Napier reintroduced the method to Europe. He is considered the first mathematician as well as the first in numerous other domains in Bosnia & Herzegovina. To many historians he is Bosnia’s Leonardo da Vinci.
Đoko Mazalić (1888 - 1975)
One of the first generation of artists to attend art schools. Born in Bosanska Kostajnica, he studied painting at the College of Fine Arts in Budapest (1910-1914). He exhibited in 1912 with Bijelić and Tiješić in Sarajevo. He worked as a professor of graphics in Sarajevo and Travnik, and at the Institute for the Protection of Cultural Monuments of Bosnia and Herzegovina. During his lifetime, he became accomplished as a professor, pedagogue, scholar, conservator, art historian and fine arts critic; his versatile work represents undisputed authority in the cultural life of Sarajevo almost throughout the third fourth decade of the 20th century.
Nikola ‘Kolja’ Mićević
Translator, poet, essayist and publicist. He worked as a lecturer of Serbo-Croatian language at Sorbonne University and served as a cultural advisor to the BiH Ambassador to France. He translated Dante's Divine Comedy into French and Serbian, the complete poetic opus of Edgar Allan Poe, almost all classics and other relevant French poets, several medieval novels in verse, sonnets by Franz Prechern, some works by Federico Garcia Lorca and many others translations. In addition to his translation work, he has written poetry in Serbian and French, essays, musicological works, articles, essays on translation and journalistic works. He was described by contemporaries as a ‘Renaissance man’. He was given the Gold Medal of the French Academy and was declared an honorary citizen of Banja Luka.
Đorđe Mihajlović (1875 - 1919)
Bosnia & Herzegovina’s first academic painter. He was born in Tuzla and educated in Bakar and Trieste, and the private painting school of Rista Vukanović in Belgrade, and later the Academy of Arts in Munich. He continued his studies in Italy and France, from where he returned to his native Tuzla. His painting marked the first two decades of the twentieth century, and his works represent the initial phase in the development of contemporary Bosnian-Herzegovinian fine art. He produced over 180 works in various techniques, which are kept in Tuzla (Museum of Eastern Bosnia), Sarajevo (Art Gallery of BiH, International Portrait Gallery) and Belgrade. A street in Tuzla bears his name.
Dimitrije Milaković (1805 - 1858)
A philologist, historian, researcher, educator and editor of the first Montenegrin magazine Grlica for its entire publishing period of (1835-1839). Milaković was born in Mostar and was schooled in Dubrovnik and Novi Sad. He graduated in philosophy in Pest (today: Budapest) and law in Vienna. He wrote the first school textbooks "Serbian Primer for Teaching Young People Ecclesiastical and Civic Reading" in 1836 and "Serbian Grammar Compiled for the Montenegrin Youth. Part One" in 1838. Compiling his long research work, he also published an important book titled “History of Montenegro” in 1856. He served as the personal secretary of Prince-Bishop Petar II Petrović-Njegoš from 1831 until his death in 1851.
Nada Miletić (1925 - 2002)
Archaeologist and art historian. Born in Prijedor, she went on to become one of the pioneers of modern archaeology in Bosnia and Herzegovina, formed during shortly after WW2. Her scientific field of focus was: issues surrounding medieval archelogy and medieval art in Bosnia and Herzegovina. She participated in the reconnaissance of several hundred new archaeological sites in Bosnia and Herzegovina, helping piece together an important part of history. Nada Miletić compiled in excess of 2200 items in various encyclopedias and lexicons. She spent her entire career with the National Museum in Sarajevo, rising to the highest rank, museum advisor towards the end of her career. She has authored hundreds of scientific works and books on the subject matter.
Ognjenka Milićević (1927 - 2008)
Director, acting professor, and theatre expert. Born in Banja Luka, she went on to make enormous contributions to theatre, TV, radio and education in the former Yugoslavia. She studied at the Leningrad State Institute of Theater Arts (LGTI) and the Faculty of Dramatic Arts in Belgrade, where she graduated in 1952 . She was a director at the National Theater in Sarajevo (1948-1950) and the National Theater in Belgrade (1950-1959). She was an professor at the FDA in Belgrade since 1950 and dean from 1967 to 1969 . She has been the vice - rector of the University of Arts in Belgrade 1970-72. She translated dozens of works from the Russian language, is the author of numerous essays , studies and professional papers and books in the field of theater, acting and directing.
Ismet Mujezinović (1907 - 1984)
One of the most recognisable names when it comes to art in Bosnia & Herzegovina. Born in Tuzla, he graduated from the academy of fine arts in Zagreb in 1929. He furthered his studies at Sorbonne University in Paris (1931-33) before returning home. He has been a participant in the National Liberation War since 1941. He was one of the founders of the School of Fine Arts, the group - { Collegium Artisticum } - and the Association of Fine Artists of Bosnia and Herzegovina (ULUBIH). Mujezinović produced over 2000 magnificent works which in 2013 was proclaimed a national monument.
Milena Mrazović (1863 - 1927)
Journalist, writer, and piano, composer. Mrazović is widely credited for introducing Bosnia and Herzegovina to the German-speaking public. She was the first female journalist in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the author of the first classical compositions on its soil but remains best known for the travel books she wrote during her long journeys. While horseback riding through remote mountain villages, Mrazović recorded Bosnian oral tradition and collected traditional costumes, building a valuable collection. She was one of the founders of the National Museum of Bosnia-Herzegovina. In 1889 Mrazović became the first woman to be accepted into the Anthropological Society in Vienna. In 1896, at the invitation of the Ethnographic Society, she gave the first lecture about Bosnia-Herzegovina in Vienna. Her entire ethnographic collection was donated to the National Museum in Sarajevo.
Muhamed Tajib Okić (1902 - 1977)
Scientist, Islamic theologian, historian, cultural history historian, philosopher, polyglot, translator, university professor of Arabic, Turkish, Persian language and literature, orientalist, Lawyer, Professor at the Faculty of Theology, Ankara University, High Islamic Institute in Konya, Ataturk University, Faculty of Islamic Sciences in Erzurum, one of the biggest intellectuals of Bosnia and Herzegovina. He was educated in Sarajevo, Zagreb, Belgrade and Paris (Sorbonne). He is considered the founder of the modern department of hadith and tafsir at Islamic faculties in Turkey. He wrote many significant works in literature, Islamic sciences, philosophy and history, and spoke fluently over 10 languages.
Isidor Papo (1913 - 1996)
Cardiac surgeon, lieutenant general of the medical service and chief surgeon of the JNA and academician of SANU. He was born in in Ljubuški and graduated from high school in Mostar. He studied medicine in Zagreb and distinguished himself as a surgeon during WW2. He trained with the best surgeons in Russia and the USA. He performed over 4000 open heart surgeries and was the first to install an artificial valve in Yugoslavia. He became a professor and published 217 papers, 13 of them in foreign journals. He was the editor of the textbook War Surgery. He was the head of the MMA Surgical Clinic for over 30 years. Widely recoginsed as one of the greatest surgeons in the history of Yugoslavia.
Roza Papo (1912 - 1984)
Bosnian Jewish doctor and general of the Yugoslav People's Army. She was the first woman to rise to the rank of general on the entire Balkan Peninsula. She studied at the School of Medicine in Zagreb and worked as physician in Sarajevo before WW2. Post war, she went on to specialise in infectology. She became the first head of the Military Medical Academy and formulated the first criteria for the selection of military physicians. Having published over 50 papers, she became a professor at the academy in 1965. She was also one of the first infectologists in Yugoslavia. She is credited with introducing new diagnostic methods, primarily liver biopsies, as well as the introduction of precise diagnosis of viral hepatitis and hyperbilirubinemia, as well as tuberculosis and purulent meningitis.
Muhamed Nakaš (1931 - 1990)
Medical doctor, researcher and professor of physiology & biochemistry. He was born in Sarajevo and attained his medical degree in 1957. He received a fellowship of the U.S. National Institutes of Health and from 1964 to 1966 resided at the Institute of Physiology at Columbia University in New York. He led numerous international research projects, publishing over 200 articles during his career. He has also co-authored eight textbooks on physiology and biochemistry. He left a big mark on physiology in Bosnia & Herzegovina as well Yugoslavia.
Joakim Perendija (1888 - 1847)
Veterinarian and the first Ph.D. in Veterinarian sciences in Bosnia & Herzegovina. He was one of the most active members of the Society for Public Education and Health "Filip Višnjić", as well as one of the founders of the Library "Filip Višnjić. He studied high school in Sarajevo and Sremski Karlovci, and veterinary sciences in Vienna and Bern. In 1911, he passed his doctorate in veterinary sciences in Vienna and returned to his hometown of Bosnia. He served in numerous towns but settled in Bijeljina where he remained for the rest of his life. Although he was offered a professors position numerous times, he continued to conduct research independently and to serve the rural communities by educating them.
Branislava Perović Nešković (1920 - 2008)
Physicist, researcher and professor. She is first & only female director of the Vinča Institute of Nuclear Sciences, Yugoslavia’s premier nuclear research institute. She was born and raised in Banja Luka before departing for Belgrade prior to WW2. She studied electrical engineering and physics at the University of Belgrade but graduated post WW2 due to her active involvement in the liberation movement. In 1951 she landed a job at Vinča and defended her Ph.D thesis in 1961. In 1976 when she became director of Vinča, it was the first time in the history of Yugoslavia that a woman took the highest leading position in a scientific research institution. She was involved in pioneering work in the field of ionized gas physics and atomic collisions.
Nedžat Pašalić (1939 - 1996)
Electrical engineer in the area of automation control, control technology and power electronics. He graduated from the Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computing (FER) in Zagreb and defended his PhD thesis at Alliance Francaise Paris. He was dean at FER Zagreb between 1984 and 1986. He was the coordinator of the scientific research project Automation and Complex Process Control (1981–86) and a federal expert on automatic control (1987–91). He received the "Nikola Tesla" award for scientific work in 1990. He was the first Bosnian to hold the title of Dean at FER.
Ljubomir Pavićević ‘Fis’ (1927 - 2015)
Pioneer of graphic and industrial design. Born in Višegrad, he would go on to become the most recognisable name in design in the former Yugoslavia. He has worked for numerous Yugoslav and foreign factories, companies and institutions, and his projects have been realized in hundreds of thousands of copies. Some of his notable designs include the emblem for the Unispace 82 United Nations Conference and Cockta. He won a large number of awards throughout his career and is a designer who contributed to the culture of visual communication and the formation of the global relationship between art and industry.
Đorđe Pejanović (1878 - 1962)
Intellectual, bibliographer, librarian and educator. Born in Mostar, his life was marked by numerous wars and disruptions. He was an extremally gifted young individual who was schooled in Mostar, Sarajevo, Zagreb & Vienna. He studied mathematics and philosophy at university graduating in 1902. He became a professor at the Serbian Gymnasium in Thessaloniki teaching mathematics and physics. In Yugoslavia he dedicated himself to intensive journalistic, scientific, editorial and editorial work, and he was constantly engaged in his pedagogical profession. Instead of school work, he gave priority to the general enlightenment of the people. Due to the huge number of illiterates, he approached practically the establishment of illiteracy courses, and theoretically in the articles he published. He was an initiator for the founding of the Association of Librarians of SR Bosnia and Herzegovina in 1949.
Drago Perović (1888 – 1968)
Medical doctor, anatomist and professor who was one founding members of the Faculty of Medicine at University of Zagreb. He founded the anatomical institute in Zagreb. Born in Trebinje, he completed high school studied in Mostar and studied medicine in Vienna, graduating 1913 with “Sub auspiciis Imperatoris" (highest achievement). As a researcher he focused on the inner ear, nasal cavity and paranasal sinuses where he made enormous contributions. He was the rector of the University of Zagreb 1925-26 and a member of numerous academies of arts and science.
Nevenka Petrić (1927 - 2015)
Writer, poet, educationalist, and expert in the fields of family planning and gender relations. Born in Maslovare (Kotor Varoš), she became a youth leader and then a head of Health and Social Policy in Yugoslavian local government. She was a member of the Yugoslav women's assembly, secretary of the Conference for Social Activity of Yugoslav Women (1961–69), and president of the Family Planning Council of Yugoslavia (1968–76). She represented Europe on the Central Council of the International Planned Parenthood Federation, and was president of that body's European committee for education. She assisted the United Nations Population Fund's research projects and also directed a UN course on gender relations and parenthood for students from developing countries. Petrić has written many published works on family planning and gender relations
Vladimir Vlada Petrić (1928 - 2019)
Theoretician, historian and aesthetician of film, Henry Luce chair of cinema at Harvard University from 1972 to 1997 at and co-founder of the Harvard Film Archive. Petrić is the first scientist to obtain the title of Doctor of Filmology in the USA at New York University. He directly and indirectly transformed the intellectual history of film in Boston and beyond. Born in Prnjavor, he completed all of his schooling in Bosnia before advanced studies in Belgrade. At the beginning of his creative career, he was involved in film, television and theatre directing, and later he focused on experimental film in various forms. A 1969 Fulbright scholarship changed his life forever, launching a pioneering career. He would become the first Harvard professor from Bosnia & Herzegovina / Yugoslavia.
Leo ‘Grgo’ Petrović (1883 - 1945)
Historian and Franciscan monk. Born near Ljubuški, he studied in Mostar but completed his education at the University of Fribourg in Switzerland in 1904. At the same institution, under the mentorship of Prince Maximilian of Saxony, he earned his Ph.D. on 31 January 1908, becoming one the first in Bosnia & Herzegovina. He researched the Bogumils, Church of Bosnia and its connection to the catholic church. One of his major works “Krstjani Crkve bosnanske - Christians of the Bosnian Church” was only published in 1953, after his death. During WW2, he was one of the few catholic priests who openly opposed the prosecution of non-Croats.
Atanasije Popović (1885 - 1948)
Artist born in Trebinje, who received his education at the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna, graduating in 1914. He stayed on as a teaching assistant for a further 5 years. He spent the majority of his life in Dubrovnik where he also worked as a professor of drawing and art history at the Dubrovnik Gymnasium. He became one of the first painters of social themes in Yugoslavia and painted some of the most life like portraits of families in Herzegovina and Dubrovnik. He was one of the first academic painters in Herzegovina.
Pero Popović (1881 – 1941)
Distiguished painter and among the first modern artists in Bosnia & Herzegovina. Born in Prijedor, graduating from high school in Sarajevo, he went to Vienna and completed three semesters of philosophy, and then went to the Academy of Fine Arts in Prague and studied painting. He was an art professor at the gymnasium in Banja Luka in 1908 and moved to Sarajevo in 1930. He painted portraits, landscapes, still lifes, compositions with scenes from everyday life, icons for an iconostasis for the church in Prijedor and mosaics for the church in Banja Luka.
Vladmir Prelog (1906 - 1998)
An organic chemist who received the 1975 Nobel Prize in chemistry for his research into the stereochemistry of organic molecules and reactions. Prelog was born and grew up in Sarajevo. His intelligence is demonstrated by the fact that as 16-year-old boy, his first scientific work was published in the German scientific journal Chemiker Zeitung.
Hasan Kafi Pruščak (1544 - 1615)
Hanafi scholar, philosopher, historian, writer, poet, Maturidi theologian, philologist and "qadi" (judge). He was born in Prušac and studied in Istanbul. From 1583 he was a judge of Prusac. He published 17 important work, the most important being “Basis of Wisdom on the Organization of the World” which deals with the key issues of the Ottoman Empire at the time. The study was meant to: "help the rulers, guide the viziers, be a role-model for the wise and support for the poor." It was translated into numerous European languages including German, Hungarian and, above all, French in 1732. He is considered one of the most significant figures in the area's scientific, cultural and intellectual life in the 16th and early 17th centuries, as well as one of the most important Bosnian intellectuals.
Moshe Rafajlović (1845 – 1916)
Scholar of the Islamic faith and of medieval Persian literature. Born in Sarajevo to a prominent Jewish family, he studied in Sarajevo and moved to Istanbul to perfect his studies on Islamic religion and culture. He returned to Sarajevo, where he joined the Ottoman civil service, working for the tax authorities. He remained in town as a financial advisor after the Austro-Hungarian takeover of the capital in 1878. He published in 1901 one of the most important texts "La historia de los judiós de Bosna" (History of the Bosnian Jews). In 1911, he toured the Balkans together with the renowned Spanish scholar of Sephardic balladry, Don Manuel Manrique de Lara, recording oral texts from the Sefardi culture of Bosnia-Herzegovina and Serbia.
Muhamed Riđanović (1930 - 1983)
Professor, researcher, expert violinist and pioneer of experimental fluid mechanics in Yugoslavia. Born in Čapljina, he was educated in Sarajevo before simultaneously studying at the Faculty of Civil Engineering and the Music Academy in Belgrade. He later studied at the University of Iowa, United States and obtained a master's degree in hydraulics (1960) and a doctorate in technical sciences (1963). He built his career at the University of Sarajevo but also taught for three years at the University of Khartoum (Sudan). He introduced practical experimental based learning and was the first in the territory of Yugoslavia to introduce the subject of Fluid Mechanics, a necessary basis for the study of hydrotechnical problems, as well as problems in mechanical engineering. His reputation far exceeded the borders of Yugoslavia.
Dragan Sakan (1950 - 2010)
Psychologist & advertising and marketing pioneer. Sakan was born in Goražde and went on to become to most recognisable name in marketing and advertising in Yugoslavia. His name was globally recognised. From 1975 to 1980, Sakan was a consumer behavior researcher, publishing many articles as well as being a guest lecturer at many European universities. He won the award for popularizing psychology as a science. He has was named Creative Person of the Year several times, as well as the winner of hundreds of local and international awards. He is a member of the AD Club, New York, Honorary Partner of Edward de Bon, World Museum of Innovation. He is the author of the bestseller, the book on advertising "Pretty Woman". The magazine Advertising Age, Washington described him as "almost a mythical figure.
Srebrenka Sekulić-Gvozdanović (1916 - 2002)
Architect, historian and professor emeritus at the Faculty of Architecture of the University of Zagreb. Born and raised in Banja Luka, she went on to become the first female assistant and professor at the Faculty of Architecture, the first dean, and professor emeritus, that is, the first woman to hold scientific titles at this faculty. She authored five books and around 250 research papers covering the fields of theory and history of architecture; protection of building heritage and history of park architecture. Holder of the Vladimir Nazor Life Achievement Award (1998) and Viktor Kovačić Life Achievement Award (1983).
Mehmed Sami Šerbić (1847 - 1918)
Considered the first Bosnian medical doctor. He was sent by Topal Osman Pasha, the Governor of the Bosnian province, to Vienna and Constantinople to study medicine and finished his studies in 1873. He returned to Bosnia and in 1874 established “Hastahana”, first hospital in Tuzla. When the Austro-Hungarian Empire annexed Bosnia & Herzegovina there were only 6 or 7 physicians in the country.
George Martin Škurla (1921 – 2001)
George’s parents emigrated from Trebinje to the USA where he was born. He graduated from University of Michigan in 1944 and was an aeronautical engineer with Grumman Corporation. He began his career as an apprentice engineer, rising through the ranks and in 1965 becoming Director of Operations at the Kennedy Space Center. He was responsible for overseeing the production of the Lunar Modules for the Apollo Program. In June 1973, he oversaw operations for the design and production of the F-14 Tomcat and A-6 Intruder aircraft. He was elected president of Grumman Corporation in 1985 and retired the next year after 42 years with Grumman Corporation.
Izet ‘Kiko’ Sarajlić (1930 - 2002)
Historian of philosophy , essayist, translator and poet. He is Bosnia and Herzegovina's best-known poet after World War II, and the former Yugoslavia's most widely translated poet. He published over 30 books of poetry, some of which have been translated into 15 foreign languages. Sarajlić was born in Doboj but spent his childhood in Trebinje and Dubrovnik before basing himself in Sarajevo. He graduated Philosophy at the University of Sarajevo, department of philosophy and comparative literature, with a doctorate in philosophical sciences. In 1962 he founded the international literary event " Sarajevo Poetry Days”. He received dozens of major recognitions including ZAVNOBiH Lifetime Achievement Award (1989), Alberto Moravia Award (2001) & honorary Citizen of the City of Salerno, (2002).
Nafija Sarajlić (1893-1970)
First female Bosnian prose writer, with 23 short stories published between 1912 and 1918. One of five daughters, her father Avdija Hadžikarić did not hesitate to educate his female children, an unusual act among Muslims in the 19th century. His five daughters were educated in Sarajevo to become teachers in difficult circumstances. Nafija’s father was discriminated against, not being able enter the Baščaršija for months without being confronted about it or having rocks thrown at him. Nafija worked for three years as an elementary school teacher. Her work covered multiple topics and social issues of the time: the displacement of Bosniaks during World War I, superstition, poverty, and social backwardness.
Mehmed ‘Meša’ Selimović (1910 - 1982)
Writer and novelist who is considered one of the most prominent authors in the literary world of Bosnia & Herzegovina and Yugoslavia. His novel “Death and the Dervish (Derviš i smrt)” is one of the most important literary works in post-World War II Yugoslavia. Besides his literary work, he was a great teacher at high school and university level. He was the artistic director of Bosna Film, drama director of the National Theater and editor-in-chief of the Svjetlost Publishing Company. He was a member of the Bosnian and Serbian Academy of Arts and Science.
Selman Selmanagić (1905 - 1986)
World renown architect and professor of construction and interior design at the Weißensee Academy of Art Berlin who worked extensively for the government of East Germany. Born in Srebrenica, he studied architecture in East Germany’s “Bauhaus”, graduating in 1932. He worked throughout Europe and the Middle-East before returning to East Germany post WW2. Appointed to prominent positions in GDR urban planning studios & academies, he was involved in the design and construction of numerous iconic buildings; Berlin Cathedral, Humbold University and Walter Ulbricht Stadium, the largest athletic and football stadium in the DDR.
Dr. Stanko Sielski (1891–1958)
Physician, scientist and humanist. He was born in Gračanica, attended high school in Travnik and completed his studies of medicine in Vienna in 1919. Throughout rural Bosnia, he made a significant contribution to treating the sick, preventing various diseases and the health education of the people. In the Second World War as the head of the Institute for Combating Endemic Syphilis. He published 20 papers: 16 from the realm of medicine, two from archaeology, and one each from the fields of ethnography and sociology. He researched the life and work of doctors from previous generations, the work of medical institutions, old medical manuscripts written in Arabic, Persian and Turkish, folk beliefs about the origins and treatment of a variety of illnesses, and the role of herbal medicine and amulets in treating the sick.
Midhat Šamić (1907 - 1990)
Novelist and translator. Born in Sarajevo, he would go on to defended two doctoral dissertations in comparative literature at the Sorbonne University in 1958 : Les Voyageurs français en Bosnie ... (main thesis) and Les Sources historiques de la Chronique de Travnik by Ivo Andrić (supplementary thesis). He also taught French literature and Serbo - Croatian language and Yugoslav literature at the Sorbonne. His scientific work focused on French literature and comparative literature. He wrote about writers of various epochs, from the 16th to the 20th century (Rabelais, Montaigne, Molière, etc.). He made enormous contributions to the problems of teaching methodology and techniques of learning living languages, as well as the methodology and techniques of scientific research. He was a long serving member of the Academy of Sciences of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Čedomil Šilić (1937 - 2010)
Botanist, biophil, scientific advisor, museum curator, researcher, artist/illustrator and educator. Šilić gained all of his education in Bosnia & Herzegovina but obtained his Ph.D. in Ljubljana in 1974. He was a lifelong advocate and protector of nature in Bosnia & Herzegovina. He conducted important research of flora and vegetation, mapping forest vegetation and was especially engaged in research of endemic and relict plant species. At the time of his death Šilić's private archive had about 40,000 slides of plants, their habitats, Dinaric landscapes and everything that has first-class natural value. He enormous portfolio includes scientific research papers, books, botanical atlases, museum displays and projects.
Vladislav Skarić (1869 -1943)
Historian and geographe who was born into a wealthy Sarajevo trading family and he was among the first in the country to receive a university education. He was schooled in Sarajevo in Sremski Karlovci. After graduating from high school he studied history and geography at the University of Graz. He worked as a teacher in high schools in Banja Luka and Sarajevo. He wrote for the magazine Bosanska vila, and was one of the founders of the Serbian Cultural and Educational Association Prosvjeta. From 1919 he became curator , and from 1926 to 1936 he was the director of the National Museum of Bosnia and Herzegovina. He published numerous important works on the history of Serbs in Sarajevo in great abundance and detail. He wrote a large number of works on the history of Serbs, Serbian customs, the origin of Serbs, the Serbian Orthodox Church and other similar topics. He was a member of SANU.
Marcel Šnajder (1900 - 1941)
Philosopher and mathematician, one of the first doctors of philosophy in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Born in Poland, he relocated with his family to Bosnia & Herzegovina at an early age. He completed his schooling in Mostar and Travnik. He studied philosophy for a year in Zagreb, and then in Vienna pure philosophy, mathematics and physics. He attained his Ph.D in 1925. He pubished over 40 original scientific works including a book of mathematics problems, which is used to teach even today. He was known as an excellent lecturer, of great general culture, and a good connoisseur of literature and art. He was publicly active and advocated equal rights and freedom of expression for which he was murdered in WW2.
Vera Šnajder (1904 - 1976)
The first female mathematician of Bosnia & Herzegovina and first female dean in the former Yugoslavia. Vera was an educational trailblazer who received a scholarship to spend time at the Institute Henri Poincaré in Paris only to return a few years later with a vision of empowering women and setting the foundation of mathematics in Bosnia & Herzegovina. For many, Vera is considered Bosnia’s Marie Curie.
Todor Švrakić (1882–1931)
He was one of the early 20th century pioneers of Bosnian painting within the European style and is considered one of the Western Balkans' most notable watercolor artists. Born in Prijedor, he studied art in Belgrade and Vienna privately and completed his formal studies at the Prague at the Academy of Fine Arts. He is widely considered among the first modern artists in Bosnia & Herzegovina. 1907, together with fellow countryman painters Popović, Radulović, Švrakić exhibited in one of the two exhibitions that year, the first ever in the country, marking the beginnings of the modern painting tradition in Bosnia &Herzegovina.
Staka Skenderova (1831 – 1891)
Teacher, social worker, writer and folklorist. She established Sarajevo's first school for girls on 19 October 1858 and also becoming the first female teacher in the country, where courses in mathematics, drawing, reading and learning old slavic language were taught. The following year, she became the first published female author in modern Bosnia & Herzegovina, authoring Ljetopis Bosne, 1825–1856 ("The Bosnian Chronicle, 1825–1856", 1859).
Iva Despić-Simonović (1891 - 1961)
Sculptur and artist. Despić-Simonović was Bosnia’s the first educated sculptor. Her fundamental education occured in Zagreb and she furthered specialised in Paris and Munich as a plaquette and medallion artist. Her first exhibition occurred in Paris in 1914, followed by solo exhibitions in London and Belgrade in 1927. She took part in collective exhibitions in London, Belgrade, Barcelona, Zagreb, Ljubljana, Prague, Brno and Bratislava. Her international success brought her fame in Yugoslavia to the point that she was appointed the royal court sculptor.
Mehmed Spaho (1883 – 1939)
Lawyer, statesman, intellectual and community leader who graduated from the Faculty of Law at the University of Vienna in 1906 becoming one of the earliest university educated leaders. At the end of 1907 he passed the doctoral exam and on 7 February 1908 became one of the first to hold a Ph.D title. He was strong propagator of equal rights, strongly advocating democracy, constitutionality, justice and harmony among the ethnic groups in Bosnia & Herzegovina as well Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes (later Kingdom of Yugoslavia).
Milena Šotra (1909 - 2003)
First female artist/painter from Hercegovina. She was born near Stolac and would go on to become a worldly figure. Due to the political climate, wars and revolutionary movement, her life was in a constant start and stop. She studied art at the University of Belgrade and lived for extended periods in the USA and France. She furthered her studies under scholarship at the Traphagen School in New York. During WW2 she was a big activist in the USA, uniting Yugoslavs against axis powers. After the war she returned home and worked in numerous government roles. In 1961, she retires and devotes her life completely to art, producing some of her finest work. During the recent war, she sold much of her art to support struggling citizens. Today much of her art can be found in the Museum of Hercegovina in Trebinje.
Sonja Šiljak-Yakovlev (1946 - *)
World class scientist in the field of plant evolutionary systematics, professor emeritus and scientific advisor of the National Center for Scientific Research of France (CNRS) Paris-Sud. She grew up and obtained her bachelor degree in Sarajevo prior to commencing her research career with a five-year engagement at the Biological Institute of the University of Sarajevo. She obtained her Ph.D at University of Paris-Sud where she would stay for her entire career. She has made enormous contributions to the study of chromosome evolution and genome organization , cytogenetics and plant evolution , biodiversity , endemism , and plant systematics and evolution. She has published over 200 research papers, led over 50 international projects and supervised over 20 Ph.D. students. She is widely considered one of Bosnia & Herzegovina’s greatest female scientists.
Zdravko Stipčević (1930 - 2005)
Phycists, academic and global expert in the study of symmetry groups in quantum theory and particle physics. Born in Sarajevo, he received a physics degree in 1958 at the University of Zagreb. As a graduate student he studied under Nobel Laureate Hideki Yukawa and received his Ph.D. in theoretical physics in 1965 in Japan. He taught at universities in Sarajevo, Khartoum, Heidelberg, Northwestern, Illinois and Delaware. He was a postdoctoral Fulbright Fellow at Stanford University in 1972-1973. He became Head of the Department of Physics and Director of the Institute of Physics in Sarajevo. In 1983 he became associated with the University of Mississippi physics faculty as a visiting professor while holding a position in Sarajevo. In 2005 he returned to Sarajevo where he died.
Sreten Stojanović (1898 - 1960)
Sculptor and art critic. Born in Prijedor, he became a sculptor after going to study, first in Vienna at the beginning of 1918, and later in Paris. In 1922 he moved to Belgrade establishing his first sculpture studio. He exhibited his works at soloist and group exhibitions, very actively participated in the art life, wrote artistic criticisms and published two books. He often appeared in public discussing professional or social problems at those times. He became one of the first professors at the Academy of Fine Arts in Belgrade and later the rector. One his most prominent works is the public monument to Karađorđe Petrović in front of The Temple of Saint Sava and the National Library in Belgrade. He left behind one of the most valuable sculpture opuses in Yugoslavian art of the 20th century.
Ilija Starčević (1794 - 1845)
A senior official of the Franciscan order, educator, pioneer, builder and promoter of education in the Bosnian Posavina region. He opened the first elementary school in Bosnia & Herzegovina in 1823 in Tolisa where he was also the first teacher. He thus laid the foundations of secular elementary schools in rural areas of BiH. He was also an excellent diplomat and held good relations with the Austrian and Ottoman rulers, often advocating for the rights of Catholics and education.
Jovan Surutka (1921 -2006)
Electrical engineer, professor and a pioneer who established the research and teaching of electromagnetics in Yugoslavia. Born in Banja Luka, Surutka attained his Ph.D. in 1957 from the University of Belgrade, focussing on theoretical and applied (numerical) magnetics, as well as to the theory and design of antenna systems. He researched propagation of radio waves in the natural environment and systems and networks for broadcasting and transmission of radio and television programs. As a result he is responsible for the design of a large number of antenna systems for various organizations and institutions both in Yugoslavia and abroad. He also contributed to the establishment of programs and the development of teaching at technical faculties all over Yugoslavia and authored more than 200 scientific works. His books were and are still in use in teaching.
Mihovil ‘Mijo’ Sučić (1820 – 1865)
Franciscan priest, physician and surgeon. As an educated priest, he had to obtain special consent study medicine and surgery in Padua (Italy), and completed the studies in 1850. Upon return to Bosnia, he became the official physician not only of the Franciscans, but also of the local people. He practised all over Bosnia and a part of Herzegovina. He is considered one of the first surgeons of Bosnia & Herzegovina.
Derviš Sušić (1925 - 1990)
Author, journalist and revolutionary. Sušić was born in Vlasenica. As a student of the Sarajevo Teachers' School, he left with a group of students in 1942 . years in the partisans, which had a significant impact on his literary world and thematic preoccupation. After the war, he taught in Srebrenica and Tuzla. He was was a journalist for "Oslobodjenje", "Zadrugar", occasionally a contributor to other newspapers, and the manager of the National Library in Tuzla and a socio-political worker in Sarajevo. Sušić published over two dozen literary works, some of the most authentic works depicting Bosnian history and life during these periods. He was uniquely talented and often compared to Selimović.
Aleksandar Švager (1931 - *)
Psychists, educator and philanthropist. A holocaust survivor who was born and raised in Sarajevo. After the war he tutored students who were struggling in math and science. He was part of the initial teaching staff at the newly formed Department of Phyics in Sarajevo (1958/59). He relocated to the USA in 1960 for advanced studies and became a professor at CSU in Ohio. He married one of the first black women with a Ph.D. in mathematics, Thyrsa Frazier, and together they built a long lasting legacy of teaching and support of underprivileged students. They set up numerous scholarship funds that to date have educated hundreds. He taught more than 20,000 students in the United States and Yugoslavia during his 59-year career. In retirement, he worked with the American Physics Society to start a new program that has helped thousands of African-American students earn graduate degrees in physics.
Ibrahim ‘Ibro’ Tabaković (1942 - *)
Chemical engineer, academic and industry expert. Tabaković is considered one of Bosnia & Herzegovina’s highest achieving chemist after Vladimir Prelog. He holds 32 US patents, 34 trade secrets and has published over 170 scientific publications. He was a professor at the University of Banja Luka and its president (1979-84). For over 15 years he was research Leader in electrodeposition at Seagate Technology, USA. At Seagate he was inducted into the technology hall of fame in 2012. His academic career enabled him to work at University of Southampton, University of Munster, University of Arhus, Queen Mary College and University of Minnesota. During his career he gave over 100 invited talks and was one of the most recognisable experts in electrodeposition around the world.
Ljiljana Molnar-Talajić (1938 -2007)
World class opera diva and soprano with one of the most powerful voices in the Balkans. From her birth town of Bosanski Brod, where she sang in the church choir, to the London Covent Garden and the Metropolitan Opera in New York City, she left a long lasting impression. She completed her solo singing studies at the Music Academy in Sarajevo in 1961 in the class of prof. Bruno Spiler, and in 1963 she completed her postgraduate studies at the same academy. She sang for 15 years at the Sarajevo Opera, 5 years in Zagreb before she transferred to the Academy of Music, as a professor of singing, and for the rest of her life she was engaged in pedagogical work.
Naza Tanović Miller (1938 - 2001)
One of the most recognisable female mathematicians from Bosnia & Herzegovina. Naza completed her Ph.D. in the USA and then turned down a job with NASA at the Johnson Space Center in Houston Texas in order to return home and become part of the core academic team at Faculty of Natural Sciences in Sarajevo. Her contributions to mathematics in her homeland live on.
Zlatko Tešanović (1956 – 2012)
World class theoretical condensed-matter physicist. He was widely recognised as one of the global experts on high temperature superconductors (HTS) and related materials. He received a B.Sci. in physics from the University of Sarajevo in 1979 and Fulbright Fellowship and attended the University of Minnesota, where he earned a Ph.D. in physics in 1985. He was a professor of physics at Johns Hopkins University (JHU) from 1987 until his death. He gave over 100 invited talks and published over 125 world class research articles. He was a fellow a fellow of the American Physical Society and a foreign member of the Royal Norwegian Society of Sciences and Letters. He was a great mentor demonstrated by the success of his Ph.D. students who are today professors at places like Stanford. He made enormous contributions to the Future Direction of High Magnetic Field Science in the United States.
Mica Todorović (1900 - 1981)
Artist and founding member of the Association of Fine Artists of Bosnia Herzegovina in 1945. Todorović was born in Sarajevo and completed her early studies there. In 1920 she enrolled at the Academy of Fine Arts in Zagreb, as the only female in her class. In 1926 and returned to Sarajevo only to travel to Italy a few years later to study Renaissance art. Her first exhibition was in England in 1930. During WW2 she survived a concentration camp and in 1945 she was the only artist to testify at the State Commission for the Establishment of War Crimes in Belgrade. Her series of drawings "The Last Victims of Jasenovac and Gradiška", depicting life in concentration camps, were used as evidence. She was the first woman to be a full member of the Bosnian Academy of Sciences & Arts, as a well as a member of the Serbian Academy of Sciences & Arts.
Anka Topić (1882 - 1956)
A poet and teacher who became the first woman to publish a collection of poetry in Bosnia and Herzegovina in 1908. She was born in Žepče but spent her childhood in Sarajevo where she graduated from the Teacher's School. As a teacher, she served in several places in Bosnia and Herzegovina (Kreševo, Šćit, Sarajevo, Humac and Stolac) as a teacher and educator. She was an enormous advocate for the emancipation of women.
Muhamed Hevaija Uskufija (1600 - 1651)
Poet and writer who authored the first Bosnian language dictionary, ‘Magbuli 'ari’ in 1631. The dictionary, written in verse (arabica), contains more than 300-word explanations and over 700 words translated between Bosnian and Turkish. He was born near modern day Tuzla and educated in Istanbul.
Fikret Vajzović (1928 - 2017)
Born in Konjic, Prof. Vajzovic is one of the most recognisable names in Bosnia & Herzegovina mathematics. He attained his Ph.D. from the University of Zagreb in 1965. He made an enormous contribution to the development of scientific research and the formation of pedagogical and scientific strength, as well as raising the quality and level of the mathematical education at the undergraduate and the postgraduate levels in Bosnia & Herzegovina.
Nikola Vasić (1896 - 1961)
Violin designer and crafter. He was born in Zvornik, he was schooled in Novi Sad and then departed for Prague to master his craft. Due to war he would end up in Russia, Japan and then Russia. He would end up in Baltimore (USA), where he open his violin manufacturing store and make global name for himself. The quality of his violins, according to many experts, reached the level of quality of the famous Stradivarius (Stradivarius) from the 18th century. He made violins for some of the biggest names of the 21st century, Misha Ellman, Jasha Heifetz, Fritz Kraisler and others.
Marko Vego (1907-1985)
Archaeologist, epigrapher, historian and teacher. Born in Čapljina, he went on to graduate from the Faculty of Theology at the University of Freiburg (Germany) and Faculty of Philosophy at the University of Zagreb and passed the pedagogy exam in Belgrade. He taught across numerous schools in BiH and Montenegro. From 1947 he worked as a professor at the Teacher College in Sarajevo. He was the director of the National Museum in Sarajevo for a long time. He was best known for his work in archaeology, numismatics, epigraphy and topographical history of medieval Bosnia, publishing over 300 scientific works during his career.
Olga Vidović (1921 - 2013)
Agricultural engineer, professor, genetics in agronomy and inventor of two new varieties of beans. She was the first female dean of the Faculty of Agriculture and among the first in the country. She was born and raised in Sarajevo She graduated from the Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry in Belgrade in 1950 , and in 1964 she defended her doctoral dissertation Expanding the Types of Beans in Bosnia in Their Selective Value. At the Faculty of Agriculture in Sarajevo, she became a professor and served as dean (1977-1979). From 1981 to 1985 she was also the vice-rector of the University of Sarajevo. She chaired the BiH Genetics Society for numerous years.
Filip Višnjić (1767–1834)
Poet and guslar. Višnjić is widely considered one of the greatest epic poets ever to have played the gusle. Born in a village near Ugljevik, he became blind at an early age after contracting smallpox. He lost his family early in life also, and began playing the gusle and reciting epic poetry around the age of 20. He spent years wandering the Balkans as a vagabond, and performed and begged for a living. His storytelling abilities attracted the attention of a number of influential figures. Višnjić is revered for his contributions to the oral tradition of the region. He has been dubbed as the Yugoslav version of Homer.
Sava Vladislavich (1669 – 1738)
A highly influential merchant-adventurer and diplomat. Born in the village of Jasenik near Gacko (Hercegovina), me moved with his family to Dubrovnik (Ragusa). He was sent abroad to the Republic of Venice to study Italian, Latin, philosophy, law, commerce and maritime science, then, to Spain and France where he took advanced courses in international law and commerce which became a great aid to his father's merchant business in Ragusa. He became an employ of Peter the Great of Russia and conducted important diplomatic negotiations in Constantinople, Rome and Beijing. He was an author numerous pamphlets, monographs, treaties and letters concerned with liberation of the lands of the Slavs.
Adela Ber (Jelena) Vukić (1888 - 1966)
The first female artist from Bosnia and Herzegovina to be educated at an art school and a pioneer of women's rights in her country. Ber was born in Tuzla and schooled in Sarajevo, with aspirations of being a teacher. She left for Vienna in 1908, first enrolling in a private art school, then, in 1910, in a private women's art school. During her studies in Vienna, she lived in dire circumstances, unable to get a scholarship because she was a woman, the state feeling that money spent on educating women was "thrown away". Owing to her great talent, a college professor at the Vienna school decided to provide her with a free education. In June 1914, she returned to Sarajevo but due to WWI her first solo art exhibit waited until 1919.
Dušan Vukotić (1927 - 1998)
Cartoonist, author, professor and director of animated films. He was born in Bileća, attended high school in Šibenik, Gospić and Bihać, and studied architecture in Zagreb. He taught film and animation theory at the Academy of Dramatic Arts, University of Zagreb. In 1953, Vukotić became one of the founding members of Zagreb Film. He worked there for over four decades and directed cartoons. He directed Surogat ("Ersatz"), which won an Oscar for best animated short in 1961,[2][3] becoming the first foreign film to do so.[4] Another of his films, Igra ("The Game"), was nominated for an Academy Award in 1964. Vukotic won 146 national and international awards for his films. He has been awarded at all major international film festivals.
Borsilav D. Zakić (1926 - 2003)
Civil engineer with an international reputation in structural engineering, specifically mechanics of wood and theoretical/ experimental analysis in building structures. Zakić was born in Banja Luka and studied civil engineering at the University of Belgrade where he also attained his Ph.D. He was a professor at the Faculty of Technical Sciences, University of Novi Sad. He was also the head was the head of Structures Department of the Institute for Materials and Construction Testing in Belgrade. He was also Research Associate of the Civil Engineering Department, University of California, Berkeley. His life and work are featured in a 2008 book about the most accomplished scientists in Serbia.
Hildegard ‘Hilde’ Zaloscer (1903 – 1999)
Art historian, Egyptologist, Coptologist, novelist and a prominent expert of Coptic history and art. Born in Tuzla, she completed most of her secondary education in Vienna and studied art history and prehistory at the Vienna University, completing her Ph.D. in 1926. From 1946 to 1968, she was a professor of art history at the University of Alexandria in Egypt. She would be on the move between Egypt, Canada and Austria, holding professorial positions. For her life’s work she received numerous awards: Theodor-Körner Prize (Austria), Adolf-Schärf Prize, The Golden Honorary Doctorate of the Vienna University, Goldenes Verdienstkreuz des Landes Wien & Kulturmedaille der Stadt Linz.
Ševala Zildžić-Iblizović (1903 - 1978)
The first female Bosniak doctor in former Yugoslavia who was born into a family of craft workers. She had to seek permission from the then-grand mufti, Džemaludin Čaušević, for official approval to continue her education beyond elementary school. She attended an all male high-school in order to study medicine at the University of Zagreb. She became a specialist of gynaecology and paediatrics and worked tirelessly to empower women and serve the community. The The New York Times wrote about her.
Nedo Zec (1899 - 1971)
Medical doctor (neuropsychiatry), founder and professor at the Medical Faculty in Sarajevo. Born in Mostar, he studied medicine at the University of Vienna and passed the specialist exam in 1934 at the Clinic for Mental Illness in Belgrade. He was the first post-war Minister of Health in the People's Republic of BiH . He is the founder and the first head of the Clinic for Nervous and Mental Diseases within the Medical Department of the University of Sarajevo, which once bore his name. He is the founder of psychiatric institutions in Jagomir (1948) and Sokolac - Sokolac (1958), as well as other health institutions in Bosnia and Herzegovina. He is the author of over 80 scientific and professional papers and was a member of the Academy of Sciences and Arts of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Bogdan Zimonjić (1899 -1966)
Medical doctor, internist and one of the founders of the medical faculty in Sarajevo. He studied medicine at the Medical Faculties in Vienna and Prague before returning to his hometown of Sarajevo. He founded the clinic where he worked and founded the first medical journal in the country. In 1923 he became the first to record an electrocardiogram in BiH. It is said that while he was dying, he invited his students to see what a dying heart looks like. After his death a scholarship bearing his name was set up and his wealth was left to setup a scholarship fund and awards bearing his name were given annually until 1992.
Milan Žerajić (1865 - 1935)
Doctor and medical brigadier general. Born in Nevesinje, Žerajić studied at the classical grammar school in Russia and in 1878, as an excellent student, he entered the Imperial Military Medical Academy in St. Petersburg. He further specialised in Vienna in 1893. He joined the Serbian army as a doctor. During war and peace he made enormous contributions, suppressing infectious diseases, operating on patients and managing hospitals. He was also a great researcher and author and published important textbooks for hospital teaching and service in the army, "Hospital service in war and peace", and in 1929 "Prophylaxis and therapy of infection and its consequences." He received numerous awards for his service.