ZDRAVKO ČOLIĆ 100% HERZEGOVINIAN

Singer Zdravko Čolić has always proudly emphasized that he is from Sarajevo, but he has only been to his father's ancestral village, Vlahovići, once.

PHOTO: Trebinje Live

The entire Balkans know that Zdravko was born in Sarajevo and everyone considers him a Bosnian, but in fact, he is a pure Herzegovinian – both his mother and father are from Herzegovina. Čola himself rarely spoke about his family, only mentioning Trebinje and Stolac, his mother’s birthplace Trebinjske šume, a few times, but never Vlahovići. The Čolić family hails from Vlahovići, one of the larger villages, 15 kilometers from Ljubinje, according to Scena.

The village once had thousands of residents, a school, and a church, but now it is home to only two elderly people and Milivoje Čolić, one of the few who returned to live in the village, right next to the large stone house where Zdravko’s father Vlado and grandfather Dušan were born.

"Here, this is the house. This is where Vlado was born. As you can see, it’s Turkish construction. The head of the village lived in this house. Čola is from that family, from the last village head; the Čolićs were village heads (they managed the village). The heads were here during the Turkish rule. You would enter from the upper side; the livestock were below, and the people slept above. Šćepan was the last head of the Čolić family, Zdravko’s great-grandfather. Čola wasn’t born here; he came once, about ten years ago with his brother. His grandfather moved to Topolovac, and Vlado, his father, was a policeman in Sarajevo. I’m not even sure Zdravko believes he is from here," Milivoje recounted.

"From this house, where the head ruled, all our Čolićs fled, as did many others from the village, escaping from the Turks to Montenegro. When they returned, we had doors on the 'polača' (as they traditionally called the house). They recognized them in Bitulji Donji; the Turks had taken them. These are Muslim villages near Stolac. They went there, took the doors down, and brought them back," Milivoje explained, proud of his Čolić heritage.

It’s worth noting that the famous music star Zdravko Čolić, according to media reports, decided to sell his family house in Košutnjak for a sum exceeding one million euros. Although the news was quickly disseminated by the media, the exact location where Čola will continue his life is currently unknown. This decision has sparked much debate, and the reason for selling the house remains unclear.

According to the American website "Celebritynetworth," Čolić is one of the wealthiest singers in the Balkans. His wealth was estimated at 25 million euros in 2021.

"Čola is the Serbian Tom Jones. He has been releasing albums for decades and is one of the most expensive singers in the Balkans. He filled the ‘Marakana’ stadium and ‘Ušće,’ and in 2019, he set an absolute record with six consecutive concerts in the Belgrade Arena, attended by 110,000 people," it was reported then.

Despite being one of the richest names in the music industry, Čolić is known for his modesty. This is also evident in his choice of watch, as he often wears a “TAG Heuer Carrera” watch, which costs "only" 2,000 euros. According to the Instagram profile “Sat na ruci,” it is a model with a steel case and chronograph function, reports Dnevno.hr.