History of Rotary Club Sarajevo

1930: Founding of RC Sarajevo

A photograph from 1930 accidentally discovered in Sarajevo confirmed that club establishment activities began much earlier than when the application for club recognition was submitted. Rotary Club Sarajevo was founded in 1930, and the chartering ceremony was held on March 20, 1931.

The historic photograph contains portraits of all club members who represented the very top of the cultural, scientific, and business elite not only of Sarajevo but of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The first club president was Dr. Velimir Popović. Dr. Dušan Jeftanović was elected secretary, a prominent businessman and member of the family that built and operated Hotel Europe. The club's executive secretaries during this period were city council members Kosta Mandić and Uroš Dučić, brother of the famous poet Jovan Dučić, later director of the American-Serbian Bank. Also from the same cultural circle and active in the club were Atanasije Šola, politician and historian, Vasilj Grđić, editor of the gazette "Prosvjeta", Radmilo Grđić, editor of the political newspaper "Jugoslavenska Pošta", also known for the discussion "Conversations in Bosnia", which he published in 1959 in the "Glasnik kanadskih Srba". Club members included archaeologist Vladislav Skarić, director of the National Museum in Sarajevo, Dr. Vojislav Besarović, member and later director of the Chamber of Commerce, Asim-beg Mutevelić, mayor of Sarajevo, bankers Nikola Berković, Dr. Susan Davidović and Vaso Ristić, as well as businessmen eng. Jovo Papović, Stevo Prnjantović, Vlado Đurić, Dr. Ivan Pairčić, Dr. Aes Babić, Stevo Brakus, Veselin Sekulović, and Dr. Milan Jojkić.

The quality of work in the clubs was also testified by the then Director of Rotary International T. C. Thomsen, who in 1931 was visiting clubs in Yugoslavia, Romania, and Hungary, according to a report he sent to RI Secretary Ches Perry and the office in Zürich. T. C. Thomsen visited clubs in Zagreb, Belgrade, and Novi Sad, was in Maribor and Ljubljana (March 14), then at the charter of RC Sušak (March 18).

Rotarians represented an elite group of the most prominent figures in business, science, culture, and public life in general. One member was recruited from each significant profession in a city. In this regard, the club in Sarajevo was no exception. Club members were the most prominent members of society from different ethnic and cultural backgrounds. Most of those who were members from the beginning remained active in the club until its closure before World War II. In the meantime, many more distinguished citizens joined the club based on invitations.

Following the principles of Rotarianism, members of RC Sarajevo actively participated in the most significant segments of city life and the kingdom. Club members from Sarajevo held significant positions in ministries. At least two club members were ministers or senators in the kingdom's government (Atanasije Šola, president of the First People's Government for BiH and later minister, and Velimir Popović, Minister of Internal Affairs from 1934 to 1935). Ban Dušan Davidović of the Drina Banovina was a member of RC Sarajevo. Active club members also included Asim-Beg Mutevelić, mayor of Sarajevo from 1929 to 1935, and Muhamed Zlatar, mayor from 1939 to 1941.

1940: Closure and Cessation of RC Sarajevo Activities

As World War II approached, Rotarians operated under increasingly unfavorable and sometimes difficult circumstances. In the years immediately before the war, with the advance of fascism in some parts of Europe, especially in Germany, Austria, and Italy, there was a growing aversion to this movement.

Under these conditions, Rotary clubs in Yugoslavia entered 1939 and the beginning of the global conflict. The feeling of powerlessness to change anything and to stop the war that was inexorably spreading caused Rotary clubs to begin stagnating and slowly dying out.

In early March 1941, just before the start of World War II in Yugoslavia, all official activities of Rotary clubs completely ceased. After World War II, in the countries of real socialism and in Yugoslavia, the work of Rotary clubs was not renewed. Only six decades later, in the late nineties, activities began to revive the Rotary movement in the newly formed countries of the former Yugoslavia.

1999: Revival of RC Sarajevo After Six Decades

In the late nineties, activities were initiated to restart Rotary clubs in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Once again, distinguished citizens of Sarajevo were pioneers in launching Rotarian activities. In 1999, the Rotarian wheel began turning again in Sarajevo.

Rotary Club Sarajevo carries out activities in the five avenues of Rotarian service, which serve as both philosophical and practical frameworks for work. First and foremost, these are club service so that it functions successfully and vocational service, guided by Rotary principles. Then community service to improve the quality of life for citizens, international service through activities promoting international understanding, especially in projects undertaken to help people in other countries. And finally, service to young generations through supporting projects of Rotaract and Interact members, to develop their leadership and humanitarian capabilities. About thirty members of Rotary Sarajevo are part of a large international family of over a million members, meeting at Hotel Bosnia every Tuesday. Meetings are mandatory once weekly.

Over the past fifteen years, RC Sarajevo, together with its friends and in cooperation with clubs from around the world, has realized a record number of projects, including assistance projects for people with special needs in Goražde, distribution of wheelchairs, assistance with medical equipment to the county hospital "Dr. Fra Mihovil Sučić" in Livno and Konjic General Hospital, training of unemployed adults for the labor market, a concert of the Intercultural Youth Choir from Visoko and Koblenz in cooperation with the Franciscan High School in Visoko, and demining projects in the Goražde region, cleaning the bed of the Miljacka River which also included young Rotarians, and many others.

Post-War Presidents of Rotary Club Sarajevo