Slobodan Bajić Paja (1916–1943)
) was a Yugoslav Partisan and recipient of the

People's Hero of Yugoslavia The Order of the People's Hero or the Order of the National Hero ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Orden narodnog heroja, Oрден народног хероја; sl, Red narodnega heroja, mk, Oрден на народен херој, Orden na ...

. He was an important leader of the Partisans in World War II in

Syrmia Syrmia ( sh, Srem/Срем or sh, Srijem/Сријем, label=none) is a region of the southern Pannonian Plain, which lies between the Danube and Sava rivers. It is divided between Serbia and Croatia. Most of the region is flat, with the ex ...

. He was killed in battle against the Nazis in Eastern Bosnia.

Early life

Slobodan Bajić Paja was born in the village of Banovci in

Croatia , image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg , anthem = "Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland") , image_map = , map_caption = , capit ...

where he lived until age six. He was the son of a local

Orthodox priest Presbyter is, in the Bible, a synonym for ''bishop'' (''episkopos''), referring to a leader in local church congregations. In modern Eastern Orthodox Church, Eastern Orthodox usage, it is distinct from ''bishop'' and synonymous with priest. Its li ...

in St. Petka's Church. From 1922, he lived in

Pećinci Pećinci (, ; hu, Pecsince) is a village and municipality located in the Srem District of the autonomous province of Vojvodina, Serbia. The village has a population of 2,581 (2011), while Pećinci municipality has 19,720 inhabitants. Name In ...

Serbia Serbia (, ; Serbian: , , ), officially the Republic of Serbia (Serbian: , , ), is a landlocked country in Southeastern and Central Europe, situated at the crossroads of the Pannonian Basin and the Balkans. It shares land borders with Hung ...

, where his father was transferred. He graduated from high school in

Sremski Karlovci Sremski Karlovci ( sr-cyrl, Сремски Карловци, ; hu, Karlóca; tr, Karlofça) is a town and municipality located in the South Bačka District of the autonomous province of Vojvodina, Serbia. It is situated on the banks of the Danu ...

. Slobodan started participating in the work of the

Communist Party of Yugoslavia The League of Communists of Yugoslavia, mk, Сојуз на комунистите на Југославија, Sojuz na komunistite na Jugoslavija known until 1952 as the Communist Party of Yugoslavia, sl, Komunistična partija Jugoslavije mk ...

while still in high school but he formally joined the party during his studies at the

University of Belgrade The University of Belgrade ( sr, / ) is a public university in Serbia. It is the oldest and largest modern university in Serbia. Founded in 1808 as the Belgrade Higher School in revolutionary Serbia, by 1838 it merged with the Kragujevac- ...

Faculty of Philosophy A faculty is a division within a university or college comprising one subject area or a group of related subject areas, possibly also delimited by level (e.g. undergraduate). In American usage such divisions are generally referred to as colleges ...

in 1938.

Legacy

Elementary Schools in Indija,

Novi Karlovci Novi Karlovci () is a village in Serbia. It is situated in the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina, in the region of Syrmia (Syrmia District), in Inđija municipality. In 2002, its population was 3,036, including 2,897 (95.42%) Serbs. Name The name ...

Brestač Brestač () is a village in Serbia. It is situated in the Pećinci municipality, in the Srem District, Vojvodina province. The village has a Serb ethnic majority and its population numbering 1,066 people (2002 census). Features Brestač contains ...

Donji Tovarnik Donji Tovarnik () is a village in Serbia. It is situated in the Pećinci municipality, in the Srem District, Vojvodina province. The village has a Serb ethnic majority and its population numbering 1,016 people (2002 census). See also *List of ...

, and

Sremska Mitrovica Sremska Mitrovica (; sr-Cyrl, Сремска Митровица, hu, Szávaszentdemeter, la, Sirmium) is a city and the administrative center of the Srem District in the autonomous province of Vojvodina, Serbia. It is situated on the left ban ...

bear his name. He also has a city library named after him in

Ruma Ruma (; hu, Árpatarló) is a town and municipality in the Srem District of the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina, Serbia. As of 2011, the town has a population of 30,076, while the municipality has a population of 54,339. History Traces of orga ...

. Before the

Croatian War of Independence The Croatian War of Independence was fought from 1991 to 1995 between Croat forces loyal to the Government of Croatia—which had declared independence from the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (SFRY)—and the Serb-controlled Yu ...

, the school in

Šidski Banovci , sr, Mala Švicarska, en, Small Switzerland (Historical nickname) , native_name = , other_name = Šidski Banovci , image_map = Banovci.png , settlement_type = Village ( Selo) , image_skyline ...

also bore his name but the Croatian government decided to rename it afterwards. However, the bust of Slobodan Bajic Paja in front of the school remains, and one of the streets in the village still bears his name. Unfortunately, at the same time a monument to Slobodan Bajic Paji together with mausoleum of 33 anti-fascist partisans in

Kalesija Kalesija ( sr-cyrl, Калесија) is a town and municipality located in Tuzla Canton of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, an entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is located in northeastern Bosnia and Herzegovina, east of Tuzla. As of ...

was destroyed and the bones were then confiscated and lost by local

Bosniaks The Bosniaks ( bs, Bošnjaci, Cyrillic: Бошњаци, ; , ) are a South Slavic ethnic group native to the Southeast European historical region of Bosnia, which is today part of Bosnia and Herzegovina, who share a common Bosnian ancestry, ...

authorities four months after the end of the war in Bosnia. Although the Public Television of Bosnia and Herzegovina subsequently attempted to investigate the matter, competent investigative institutions in

Tuzla Tuzla (, ) is the third-largest city of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the administrative center of Tuzla Canton of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. As of 2013, it has a population of 110,979 inhabitants. Tuzla is the economic, cultural, ed ...

refused to open a formal investigation.

Honorific eponyms

* : Slobodan Bajić Paja Street, Banovci * : Slobodan Bajić Paja Street,

* : ''Elementary School Slobodan Bajić Paja'' in

Manđelos Manđelos () is a village located in the Sremska Mitrovica municipality, in the Syrmia District of Vojvodina, Serbia. The village has a Serb ethnic majority and its population numbering 1,533 people (2002 census). Name In Serbian, the village ...

* : ''Elementary School Slobodan Bajić Paja'' in

* : ''Public Library Slobodan Bajić Paja'' in

References

Bibliography

*Narodni heroji Jugoslavije(eng-People's Hero of Yugoslavia), "Mladost",

Beograd Belgrade ( , ;, ; names in other languages) is the capital and largest city in Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers and the crossroads of the Pannonian Plain and the Balkan Peninsula. Nearly 1,166,763 millio ...

1975. godina {{DEFAULTSORT:Bajic Paja, Slobodan 1916 births 1943 deaths Yugoslav Partisans members Serbs of Croatia University of Belgrade Faculty of Philosophy alumni Recipients of the Order of the People's Hero