Đorđe S. Vlajković

A life devoted to the fatherland

Đorđe Vlajković, known among the people as Đoka, was one of those men whose life was marked by military honour and boundless love for his people. Born in Vojvodina, he crossed over to Serbia to serve as an officer.

He distinguished himself by his courage in the Serbian-Turkish Wars (1876–1878), in which, fighting for the freedom of Serbia, he lost a leg. That loss did not break him; on the contrary, it strengthened his resolve to help his country in another way. As a disabled man and a retired colonel, he withdrew to a quieter life, but continued to increase his property through trade and thrift.

A testament for the future

Đoka Vlajković had no descendants of his own. He died in 1883, and in his will he bequeathed all his property to the Ministry of Education to establish a fund from which poor and gifted pupils would be educated. His vision was clear: education must be available to everyone, not only to the rich.