1842–1893.

Milan Kujundžić Aberdar

Poet, philosopher and academician

Life and bequest

Milan Kujundžić Aberdar (1842–1893), poet, philosopher, professor, minister of education, president of the National Assembly of Serbia, diplomat, academician and benefactor, decided in 1891, owing to poor health, to write his will. He bequeathed to the Serbian Royal Academy the summer residence “Zvezda” in Topčider, and a sum of 1500 ducats for its maintenance, with the obligation to establish the Milan Kujundžić Aberdar Endowment. The fund was also intended for rewarding published works of that scientific institution.

“I ask my dearest Serbian Royal Academy to accept as its property, in the old custom of the wise, my summer residence Zvezda on Topčider Hill.”

The lawsuit and the fate of “Zvezda”

The Endowment only began work in 1931, because his more distant relatives, who laid claim to the inheritance, brought a lawsuit against the Serbian Royal Academy in order to contest the will, and the dispute dragged on for decades. The Academy managed to end the dispute only in 1907, in its own favour, but unfortunately the bequeathed summer residence had in the meantime been completely destroyed through neglect and natural disasters. The request for the sale of the summer residence, addressed to the Ministry of Education in 1910, was approved by the State Council of the Kingdom of Serbia only on 3 May 1913.

Significance of the fund

The material value of the Endowment was then 779,000 dinars in silver, with an annual income of 45,000 dinars. From 1931 to 1940, the Serbian Royal Academy awarded an annual prize from this fund for scholarly work, and the Endowment’s funds also helped in publishing 117 books of the “Special Editions” library.