Prosvjeta

Prosvjeta was established on 18. November 1944 in the period of World War II in the town of Glina.[1] First president of Prosvjeta was professor Dane Medaković from Zagreb.[1] It was established as one among few Serb institutions, first of which was Serb MP's club of State Anti-fascist Council for the National Liberation of Croatia.[1] As it became expected that Allies of World War II will win in the war and Yugoslav Partisans together with them, Communist Party of Yugoslavia wanted to satisfy Prečani Serbs population in future Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.[1] Prečani Serbs firstly constituted majority, and towards the end of war huge part of Partisan forces, while in 1945 they constituted 45% of membership of Communist Party of Croatia.[1] Primary task of organization in initial phase was to fight illiteracy in rural areas.[1] Other ambitious plans included intention for establishment of Museum of Serbs of Croatia, library, student dormitory, and development cooperation with Croatian Writers' Association, Croatian Painters' Association, Music Association and Association for Cultural Cooperation with Soviet Union.[1]

In 1971, after Croatian Spring, organization work was suspended together with work of Matica hrvatska.[2] Initiative for reactivation of Prosvjeta work came in 1990, and it was implemented in 1993.[2]

Prosvjeta began its first library activities during World War II in Yugoslavia within Yugoslav Partisans. On January 4, 1948 Prosvjeta established its first central library in Zagreb as a capital of People's Republic of Croatia. At that time the library possessed 40,000 books and publications. In 1953 a decision was made to close the library. Its stock was deposited in Museum of Serbs of Croatia, National and University Library in Zagreb and Yugoslav Academy of Sciences and Arts.[4]

During the period of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia until the beginning of the Breakup of Yugoslavia there were no initiatives for special libraries for Serbs of Croatia since general libraries had an adequate number of titles from Serbian literature.[7] In the years before, during and after the Croatian War of Independence inter-ethnic relations in Croatia were significantly disrupted. This, among other things, resulted in the mass removal and destruction of literature that conflicting sides considered inappropriate or subversive.

In 1995 Prosvjeta as its main annual priority declared the establishment of the library,[3] which was opened the day before Saint Sava day, on 26. January 1996.[3] In its initial stock the library had 6,200 books, most of those from city libraries.[3] The initial idea of the Government Office for Minorities was to place the central library for Serbs of Croatia in the village of Gomirje where Gomirje Monastery was placed but since Prosvjeta took the initiative the library was finally placed in Zagreb.[3] In the following years the library took about 15,000 Serbian literature titles from city libraries in Zagreb and Zagreb County.[3] In this way, titles from that area were protected from recycling. Some of the titles were also sent to local committees and institutions like Gymnasium Vukovar.[3]

Drama Studio "EHO" was founded in 2002 and today operates under the supervision of actress Svetlana Patafta.[8][9]

Prosvjeta Publishing House has two bookstores in Zagreb, one of them at Petar Preradović Square.[10]