Vladimir Ćorović | Origin of Street Names

Vladimir Ćorović (1885 - 1941) was one of the most respected Serbian historians, philosophers, and philologists. He was a long-time professor at the Faculty of Philosophy, rector of the University of Belgrade, and ultimately an academician of the Serbian Royal Academy.

He was born in Mostar, where he received his primary and secondary education. Influenced by his older brother, Aleksa Šantić, and the intellectual circles of Mostar at that time, he became nationally conscious and inspired by the ideas of freedom at a very young age.

While studying Slavic and Germanic studies in the capital of Austria, he distinguished himself as one of the best students at the University of Vienna, where he also obtained his doctorate. As a result, he was awarded a golden ring traditionally given by Austrian Emperor Franz Joseph I. In protest against the annexation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, which occurred the same year (1908), Ćorović declined this award, thus consciously accepting the label of a state enemy, which would cause him many problems in the following years.

He continued his specialized studies in history in Munich before returning to Bosnia and being employed as a curator at the Sarajevo National Museum.

The Sarajevo assassination, orchestrated by Gavrilo Princip, led to the arrest of a large number of young people associated with revolutionary and national organizations such as Young Bosnia, Prosvjeta, and others. Vladimir Ćorović found himself among them and was sentenced to eight years of hard labor in a rigged trial. He was granted amnesty after a little over three years.

World War I had not yet ended when Vladimir Ćorović became engaged in research on the suffering and hardships of the Serbian people in Bosnia and Herzegovina during the same period. These research efforts resulted in the Black Book, which would turn out to be one of his most significant works. Vladimir Ćorović's scientific research was largely focused on studying the history of Serbs in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

From 1919, when he was appointed as a professor at the Faculty of Philosophy, the life and work of Vladimir Ćorović were tied to Belgrade. Through his work over the years, Ćorović rose to the top ranks of the intellectual elite of the Kingdom of SHS, and his family ties to one of the most respected Belgraders of that time, Jovan Skerlić (he was married to Skerlić's sister), also contributed to this.

Vladimir Ćorović's scientific career is reflected in the extensive material he collected and published during his lifetime, with the curiosity that his most significant works actually became known long after his death. One such work is the comprehensive History of the Serbs, first published in 1989. This work is perhaps the most relevant synthesis of historical facts about the Serbian people to this day.

Vladimir Ćorović tragically lost his life at the age of 56 in an airplane crash during the evacuation from occupied Kingdom of Yugoslavia in 1941.

Symbolically, numerous streets today bear the name of Vladimir Ćorović in cities across Serbia.