SERBS IN GREAT EASTERN CRISIS EXHIBITION OPENED

BIJELJINA, FEBRUARY 18 /SRNA/ – The exhibition “Serbs in the Great Eastern Crisis /1875–1878/ – 150 years since the beginning of the wars for liberation and unification” was opened this evening at the Semberija Museum in Bijeljina.

The exhibition is the central component of a project aimed at presenting this complex topic in a modern, engaging, and visually striking way, not only to narrow professional circles but also to the wider public.

The authors of the exhibition are Borivoje Milošević and Radovan Subić, members of the Association of Republika Srpska Historians “Milorad Ekmečić” and lecturers at the Department of History of the Faculty of Philosophy in Banja Luka.

Subić emphasized that, in addition to consulting relevant foreign and local literature, the exhibition was based on a series of sources of various origins and features highly striking graphics.

“Such rich material enabled the designer to create an appealing visual solution across 20 chronologically and thematically designed panels,” Subić said.

Milošević recalled that the Serbian uprising in Herzegovina triggered the beginning of the Great Eastern Crisis /1875–1878/, which, besides Serbia and Montenegro, involved the great powers, primarily the Ottoman Empire, Russia, and the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy.

According to him, the crisis began with the uprising first in Herzegovina, then in Bosnia, and within less than a year led to unrest in Bulgaria and wars between the Serb principalities of Serbia and Montenegro against Turkey, culminating in the Russo-Turkish War.

“The fundamental cause of the uprising, both in Herzegovina and Bosnia, lay in strained socio-economic relations. Soon, social demands gave way to political goals of national liberation, which, due to unfavorable circumstances and the imperial policies of the great powers, was not achieved,” Milošević told the press.

He added that, a century and a half after the beginning of the uprising, members of the Association of Republika Srpska Historians “Milorad Ekmečić” and lecturers from the Department of History at the Faculty of Philosophy in Banja Luka marked this major anniversary through the project “Serbs in the Great Eastern Crisis /1875–1878/ – 150 years since the beginning of the wars for liberation and unification”.

As part of this project, a large number of activities have been planned and carried out.