TIME TRAVEL THROUGH 160 YEARS OF EDUCATION: A UNIQUE EXHIBITION OF ARCHIVAL DOCUMENTS OPENS IN GACKO

The story of education in Gacko is not merely a story of classrooms, books, and teachers. It is a story of generations who grew up on the Herzegovinian stone, of people who built the future through knowledge, and of schools that for decades served as the heart of every village.

PHOTO: Opština Gacko

PHOTO: Opština Gacko

PHOTO: Opština Gacko

For this reason, the Gallery of the Cultural and Sports Center Gacko officially opened the exhibition of archival documents From the History of Education in Gacko, created by historian Milan Nikčević

The exhibition takes visitors on a journey through nearly a century and a half of education in this Herzegovinian municipality.

Schools as Guardians of Identity

Opening the exhibition, Cultural and Sports Center Gacko director

Srđa Bjelogrlić

emphasized that projects like this have significance far beyond historical research itself.

“The work Milan invests in researching and preserving history is not merely a scientific contribution. It is a genuine patriotic and cultural achievement. When a historian decides to rescue from oblivion the stories of our schools, teachers, and first pupils, he gives us a mirror in which we can clearly see who we are, where we come from, and the foundations on which we stand.”

The exhibition was organized as part of the celebration of the patron saint’s day of the Municipality of Gacko and the Holy Trinity Church, but its importance extends beyond local boundaries because it speaks about one of the most important pillars of any society — education.

From the First School in Dražljevo to Today’s Classrooms

Author Milan Nikčević reminded visitors that next year marks 160 years of schooling in Gacko, which inspired him to bring the region’s rich educational tradition closer to the public.

“One of the motives behind this exhibition was to remember the dozens of deserving people who taught our generations, the generations of our fathers and grandfathers. I believed it was our duty to remember our schools and their importance.”

The beginnings of organized education in Gacko date back to 1867, when schooling for children began in the village of Dražljevo thanks to the initiative of teacher Anđelopolje.