Vojin Đuričić

Lore & Background

Đuričić's involvement with astronomy began when, as director of the State Mortgage Bank, he approved a large loan to the Academic Astronomical Society for a new observatory. Because of this and his passion for astronomy, Đorđe Nikolić, the Society's first president, proposed Đuričić for honorary membership at the Society's founding assembly. He was later selected to replace Nikolić as president in 1936, a position he held until 1941.

Beyond astronomy, Đuričić was deeply involved in aviation and gliding. He led the Aeronautical Gliding Group 'Deveti' (meaning 'Ninth', a reference to the nine people required to launch a glider at the time), being chosen as president at its founding in 1933. This aeroclub was the first such organization in Yugoslavia and functioned as a national team. He also represented Yugoslavia at a 1925 FAI conference in Prague alongside Tadija Sondermajer, and was one of the founders of Aeroput, whose founding assembly was held in the State Mortgage Bank in 1926.

Đuričić initiated the publishing of a monograph titled 'Beograd' dedicated to Belgrade for its centennial, which came out in 1940. The book drew criticism from the German ambassador in Belgrade because of its depiction of Austro-Hungarian war crimes in Serbia during World War I, and was attacked by the Vienna edition of Völkischer Beobachter. The book was eventually ordered to be destroyed, though a few copies survived, and it was published again in 2004.

Reader's Guide

Đuričić's significance in amateur astronomy stems from his leadership of the Ruđer Bošković Astronomical Society during a formative period, and his financial support for a new observatory through the State Mortgage Bank. His presidency from 1936 to 1941 helped sustain the society's activities. His broader legacy includes his role as mayor of Belgrade, where public transport was expanded and the Belgrade Central Cemetery was opened, and his work as Yugoslav Minister of Finance, where he signed a loan agreement with Germany for weapons and aircraft. The controversy over the Belgrade monograph he initiated may have contributed to his early retirement in 1940. His death in 1944 followed an arrest by SS officers and subsequent health deterioration, with uremia listed as the cause. He was buried at the New Cemetery in Belgrade.

Did You Know?

• Đuričić was an honorary member of the Academic Astronomical Society and served as its president from 1936 to 1941.
• He led the first aeroclub in Yugoslavia, the Aeronautical Gliding Group 'Deveti', founded in 1933.
• The monograph 'Beograd' he initiated was ordered destroyed after criticism from the German ambassador.