Vladislav F. Ribnikar
Vladislav F. Ribnikar (Serbian Cyrillic: Владислав Ф. Рибникар; 13 November 1871 – 1 September 1914) was a Serbian journalist, known for founding Politika, the oldest Serbian daily. He led the newspaper from the day it was founded in 1904 until his death in combat in 1914.[1]
Vladislav F. Ribnikar | |
|---|---|
 Vladislav Ribnikar | |
| Born | 13 November 1871 Trstenik, Principality of Serbia |
| Died | 1 September 1914 (aged 42) Sokolska planina, Carina, Kingdom of Serbia |
| Resting place | Dormition of the Most Holy Mother of God Serbian Orthodox Church, Pecka |
| Occupation | Journalist, editor |
| Nationality | Serbian |
| Alma mater | University of Belgrade Faculty of Philosophy |
| Notable works | Founder of Politika |
| Spouse | Milica Čolak-Antić |
| Children | Danica Nana Ribnikar Jovanka Vesa Ribnikar |
| Relatives | Darko F. Ribnikar (brother) |
Biography
Vladislav F. Ribnikar was born in Trstenik, Serbia in 1871, the oldest of three sons of a Slovene doctor, Franjo Ribnikar from Carniola and his Serbian wife Milica Srnić from Kostajnica.[2]
Vladislav went to school in Jagodina and Belgrade. He studied history of philosophy at the University of Belgrade Faculty of Philosophy from 1888 to 1892. After graduation he continued his education in France where he received his master's degree from the Sorbonne in Paris then Berlin to study at the Humboldt University on a state scholarship.[2] The coup d'état in May 1903 which saw the end of the Obrenović dynasty in Serbia stopped him from finishing his PhD The arrival of the Karadjordjevic dynasty to the throne brought democracy and the freedom of the press for the first time in Serbia.[3]
The idea to create an independent newspaper, without links to any of the political parties, was a novel idea in Serbia. No one thought that an independent newspaper could survive without help from a political party as there were already eleven daily party-oriented newspapers at the time.[2] Fortunately, Ribnikar's wife, Milica "Milka" Čolak-Antić, daughter of war hero Lt Colonel Lazar Čolak-Antić and descendant of renowned Vojvoda from the First Serbian Uprising Čolak-Anta Simeonović, also believed in the need for an independent newspaper and was ready to invest her personal fortune into the endeavor. Vladislav F. Ribnikar influenced by his experience in France and Germany decided to launch the first independent Serbian newspaper.[2]
The first issue of "Politika" appeared on 25 January 1904. 2,450 copies of "Politika" appeared on the streets of Belgrade at the time when there were already twelve daily newspapers.[4] In only a few years it managed to become the most important daily in Serbia, Vladislav stayed at the helm of Politika until his death in 1914.[5]
His younger brother Darko (1878-1914) joined him at Politika, after studying in his native Svilajnac and Belgrade, and graduating in Germany at the universities in Jena and Berlin.[6]
As a reserve officer of the Royal Serbian Army Vladislav participated in the 1912–13 Balkan Wars. After the outbreak of the First World War he was once again called back to active duty. He was killed in action on 1 September 1914 on the front in western Serbia, in the Sokolska planina mountain, one day after his youngest brother Darko F. Ribnikar, reserve captain and editor-in-chief of Politika, was killed by an enemy shell.[7]
The next day Politika announced the death of its founder with a large banner headline.[7]
After the death of the Ribnikar brothers in 1914, Vladislav's wife, Milica "Milka" Čolak-Antić Ribnikar, became the pillar of Politika and sold the family jewelry to revive the newspaper. In order to raise more money, she sold the family estate in Dedinje, Belgrade, to Regent Aleksandar Karadjordjević, it would be the place where the Serbian royal residence, the White Palace, was later built.[8]
Legacy
On the occasion of the death of the Ribnikar brothers, Isidora Sekulić wrote a poem published in Politika of September 1914.[7] In Trstenik a "Ribnikar Day" (Ribnikrevi dani) is organized in his honor.[9] Vladislav Ribnikar has a street named after him in Trstenik [10]
References
- Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts (7 February 1905). "Ribnikar, Franc (1840–1905)". Slovenian biography (in Slovenian).
- Serbian Studies (in German). North American Society for Serbian Studies. 2002. p. 151.
- Norris, D.A. (2008). Belgrade: A Cultural History. Cityscapes (Hardcover). Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-537608-1.
- Milivojević, D. (1984). Politika - a witness of our time (in Serbian). Narodna knjiga. p. 15.
- Stoković, Ž.K. (1975). Press in SFRY: 1945-1973: material for the history of the press (in Serbian). Jugoslovenski institut za novinarstvo. p. 78.
- Avramović, M.; Bjelica, M. (1992). Two Centuries of Serbian Journalism (in Serbian). Institut za novinarstvo. p. 75. ISBN 9788681371046.
- Bukvić, Bukvić (30 July 2018). "Brothers Vladislav and Darko Ribnikar, founders of Politika killed". Politika Online (in Serbian).
- Universität, Graz. "The Balkans. 1860-1950". Austrian Centre for Digital Humanities.
- Stanković, Р. (20 November 2014). "Ribnikar's mountaineering days". Politika Online (in Serbian).
- "Trstenik cherishes the memory of Vladislav Ribnikar". Politika Online (in Serbian).
