Digitalized Diary of Lazar Jovančić Italian Captivity


Maja Nikolova




The Pedagogical Museum in Belgrade has been working on the digitization of its funds for many years. Bearing in mind the importance of digital copies, this year, a workplace called Operator of digital technology was established. In the coming period we will be able to procure equipment and adequate programs which will be provided the merging of all digitized funds, archival materials, photographs and books to date.Last year, 2018, the Ministry of Culture and Information of the Republic of Serbia passed the Rulebook on closer conditions for the digitization of cultural heritage which defines closer conditions, tasks, duty, standards and processes of digitization of movable and immovable and movable cultural heritage and property which had previous protection. To achieve this goal, the Pedagogical Museum decided to digitize, among other documents, the Diary of Lazar Jovancic, who led him in the Italian captivity during the Second World War. We believe the digitized materials obtained from writings old more than 75 years, will be useful for historical research and clarification of some invents happened in the Second World War. Lazar Jovancic led the diary from June 1941 to November 1943. In fact, his diary consists of his letters addressed to his wife BosiljkaBosaValic-Jovancic who spent the Second World War in Belgrade. Lazar was captured around Debra and sent to a camp for officers located in the north of Italy, in Corto Maggiore in the province of Piacenza, the province of Lombardy. Life in the camp was not easy. Prisoners were scarce in food, during the winter they did not have heating, they were often ill, and communication with Serbia was hampered. For Lazar the most difficult was his constant concern for the survival of his wife.