The "First Lady of the Bar" has been standing upright for a hundred years

Barska Gimanzija, whose story has traveled around the region and Europe for the past few years, celebrated its hundred years of existence last night. Over the course of a century, it overcame several substandard buildings, poverty and a great earthquake, but despite that, it remained an academic pillar of the Bar.

Gymasia "Niko Rolović" began its work in 1921 in Stari Bar, and last night its jubilee was marked with a ceremony in the House of Culture Bar, during which a documentary film about its journey over the course of a century was shown.

In the film, former and current students, principals and professors spoke about the Gymnasium. The representatives of the first generation of Bar High School graduates, Špiro Niković, Žarko Ivanović, Ph.D., Ruždi Hasanaga, Vladimir Vlado Lukšić, also had a place in it. They recalled their school days and memories of the 1956/57 generation.

Maksim Lutovac, the former director of the Gymnasium who was at its head for almost 30 years, said in the film that the first victory of the Gymnasium was when they provided it with electrical connections, and immediately after that they continued to overcome other obstacles. He also remembered the work in tents after the earthquake and the students and professors who worked together to rebuild the Bar.

"I have memories of generations of students, heavenly stars, generations of pedagogues to whom I can only bow today and express my gratitude that I was lucky enough to cooperate with them," said Lutovac.

The gymnasium is the backbone that contributed to the development of the city and the youth, and as such, as Lutovac said, it will remain the port of the city, as befits its first lady.

Lutovac told "Vijesti" that one film cannot testify to everything that the Gymnasium was and is, but that it is certainly a good way to bring its history closer to young people. As he said, the film brought him back to some strange but also beautiful times, so it's hard to tell if it's a memory or a fantasy.

He said that during his work and life in this school, he remembers the times after the earthquake and after the bombing the most, and arriving at the new school building after dilapidated warehouses at the old intersection. Barani consider Lutovac one of the most deserving of the reputation that the Gymnasium enjoys today, which they showed with applause when he entered the cinema hall of the Cultural Center.

One painting jacket

Representatives of the first generation of high school graduates said that they remember strict but fair professors, friendships and discipline the most.

The group photo of this generation is in the school hallway, and in the film it is revealed that each of the boys wears the same jacket. The reason for this, as Ivanović and Lukšić explained, is the poverty and modesty experienced by their generation. According to them, other values ​​reigned at that time and a jacket was a symbol of unity.

They also remembered an interesting excursion where they took a bucket of marmalade and a bucket of cheese for breakfast, and bought bread along the way.

Spiro Niković, a retired JNA general and one of the first graduates, said that he remembers the professors by their expressions, behavior and gait. "The gymnasium is a temple of knowledge, and whoever starts schooling in such an institution is first of all happy that he will learn so much that he will give birth upright throughout his life," he said.

This year's high school graduate who opened the program, Amina Bahović, told "Vijesta" that she will especially remember the initiatives and actions of the Student Parliament and all the wonderful people who shared with her the desire for change and progress and their department. "The gymnasium is a symbol of Bar and young people are its spirit, and I am proud that I had the opportunity to be a part of it," said Bahović.

From history to the cypress revolution

The film also talked about the cutting down of decades-old cypress trees and the demolition of circles in the Gymnasium yard in 2019, which resulted in the biggest civil protests in Bar until then. The circles were built after the earthquake that hit Bar in 1979 by the joint efforts of professors, students and young people from Novi Sad who came to help.

The story of the cypresses is told through footage of past and present and pictures of students who are fighting to preserve their yard.

The narrator, Milan Vujović, says in the film that in January of that year Gimazi was hit by a second earthquake. Against the inexorable clerical apparatus and the muffled noise of chainsaws stood the free-minded youth of the Gymnasium, its former and current students, its professors and the citizens of Bar, Vujović narrated.

"Today, on the centenary of its existence, the Gymnasium is a school without a yard. While those responsible remain silent and do nothing, she stands tall. Vertikal, established way back in 1921, is still as real as cypress today," is one part of the story about the "cypress revolution" in the film.

Lutovac told the "News" that the circles and the large amphitheater were built during his work at the school and that he was the initiator of the rehabilitation of the yard after the earthquake. He said that he was proud of the spirit that the students showed then and that he saw in them the values ​​that he tried to convey to his Gymnasium at the time.

In the introductory address of the school's director, Marija Đonović, she explained why they chose to mark the centenary with a film in order to create something that is permanent and in line with time. She said that the jubilee is just an opportunity to look back and see its importance and the place they had in its duration, which continues today.

The film introduces viewers to the story of the very beginning of the Gymnasium, and first mentions Mitar Iličković, a "great patron of Bar education" who devotedly fought for the Bar Gymnasium to start working, so on September 3, 1921, a lower four-year gymnasium was opened in Stari Bar. There were 87 students enrolled, and there were only two teachers and Dr. Jovo Šundić, director.

In 1929, 29 junior high schools were abolished in the Kingdom of Yugoslavia, among which was the bar school. Director Suđić called this an unforgivable national sin in a letter to the Ministry of Education. Two years later, the Gymnasium in Bar was reopened with 136 students.

Before the screening of the film, the principal of the school awarded prizes and awards to the best and outstanding students for their achievements during this school year and the entire school year.

The ceremony on the occasion of the centenary of Bar Gymnasium was attended by Minister of Sports and Youth Vasilije Lalošević, President of Bar Municipality Dušan Raičević, President of Bar Municipality Assembly Milena Božović, MP Midorag Lekić and numerous other Barans.

The authors of the film are director Marija Đonović and pedagogue Slavica Vujović. The author of the narrative text is professor Vesna Pavićević. The film was financially supported by the Municipality of Bar, Hemosan, Otrant Star and the Port of Bar. Dejan Senić signs the production.