S. Magazinović Endowment

For free books

Stevan Magazinović, a distinguished Serbian politician, minister and state councillor of the 19th century, was a man who deeply believed in the power of the written word. By his will of 1873, he bequeathed all his property for educational purposes.

The aim of his endowment was noble and clear: the printing and free distribution of textbooks and books to poor pupils throughout Serbia. He understood that poverty is the greatest obstacle to education and wished every child, regardless of financial circumstances, to have the opportunity to learn.

A legacy in real estate

The fund consisted of valuable real estate in Belgrade, including houses in what are today Kralja Milana and Kneza Miloša streets. The Endowment officially began work at the beginning of the 20th century, and for decades the income from renting these buildings made it possible to print books and to support “Serbian literature and poor youth”.