Nezir Škaljić
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Nezir Škaljić (23 February 1844 – 10 March 1905) was a
Bosnian Muslim Islam is the most widespread religion in Bosnia and Herzegovina. It was introduced to the local population in the 15th and 16th centuries as a result of the Ottoman conquest of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Muslims make the largest religious co ...
politician who served as the third Mayor of Sarajevo (1899–1905) Škaljić was a
jurist A jurist is a person with expert knowledge of law; someone who analyzes and comments on law. This person is usually a specialist legal scholar, mostly (but not always) with a formal education in law (a law degree) and often a Lawyer, legal prac ...
, previously serving as judge of
Bosnia Bosnia and Herzegovina, sometimes known as Bosnia-Herzegovina and informally as Bosnia, is a country in Southeast Europe. Situated on the Balkans, Balkan Peninsula, it borders Serbia to the east, Montenegro to the southeast, and Croatia to th ...
's Supreme Court and President of the Commercial Court. His governance coincided with
Austro-Hungarian Austria-Hungary, also referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Dual Monarchy or the Habsburg Monarchy, was a multi-national constitutional monarchy in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. A military and diplomatic alliance, it consist ...
rule of Bosnia. Škaljić was recipient of a first class 'Grand Cross' Imperial Austrian
Order of Franz Joseph The Imperial Austrian Order of Franz Joseph () was founded by Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria on 2 December 1849, on the first anniversary of his accession to the imperial throne. Classes The order was originally awarded in three classes: ''G ...
. As jurist and judge, Nezir Škaljić’s work left a mark on the South Slavic, Czech and Russian legal systems. Škaljić was a member of a three-member Commission that was preparing the reform of the judicial system in
Habsburg The House of Habsburg (; ), also known as the House of Austria, was one of the most powerful dynasties in the history of Europe and Western civilization. They were best known for their inbreeding and for ruling vast realms throughout Europe d ...
occupied Bosnia and Herzegovina. From the autumn of 1881 to the middle of 1882, he lived and worked in Vienna. Other members of the Commission included: Baron von Krauss (Jurist),
Kajetan von Mérey Kajetan Mérey von Kapos-Mére () (16 January 1861 – 2 February 1931), was an Austro-Hungarian diplomat of Hungarian origin serving as ambassador at Rome at the outbreak of World War I. Life Kajetan von Mérey was born in Vienna on 16 Janua ...
, Hauptmann-Auditor Spaczil, and later dr. Karl Krall, the Hungarian representative August Gottel and Eduard Eichler. Škaljić was considered an expert in Islamic and commercial law, having previously served as the President of the Commercial Court and Judge of Bosnia's Supreme Court in Sarajevo. He thus had a great influence on the transformation of the courts in Bosnia and Herzegovina - these were newly two-tiered (several Khotari courts and one chief in Sarajevo) and acquired jurisdiction only for family and inheritance law. He himself participated in a partial translation of the Ottoman Civil Code, Mecelle, into the Bosnian language. These solutions were later adopted by other countries and jurisdictions. As Mayor of Sarajevo, Škaljić initiated important modernization works in Sarajevo. This includes the development of asphalt, first surrounding Sacred Heart Cathedral and later throughout the city, as well as the modern sewage and waterworks system. He opened the People's Spa Bentbaša (bos. narodna banja Bentbaša), on 20 July 1902. The spa is still in operation. Also during Škaljić's term in office, the Ashkenazi synagogue in Sarajevo was finally completed (1902). Škaljić held office in the newly constructed Sarajevo City Hall (bos.
Vijećnica Sarajevo City Hall ( Bosnian, Croatian and Serbian: Gradska vijećnica Sarajevo / Градска вијећница Сарајево), known as Vijećnica (Вијећница), is located in the city of Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. It was d ...
), then the largest and most representative building of the Austro-Hungarian period in
Sarajevo Sarajevo ( ), ; ''see Names of European cities in different languages (Q–T)#S, names in other languages'' is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Bosnia and Herzegovina, largest city of Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a population of 2 ...
, which served as the
town hall In local government, a city hall, town hall, civic centre (in the UK or Australia), guildhall, or municipal hall (in the Philippines) is the chief administrative building of a city, town, or other municipality. It usually houses the city o ...
.


Early life

Škaljić was born and educated in the eastern Bosnian town of Rogatica. He became a local
judge A judge is a person who wiktionary:preside, presides over court proceedings, either alone or as a part of a judicial panel. In an adversarial system, the judge hears all the witnesses and any other Evidence (law), evidence presented by the barris ...
in his birth-town as well as the towns of
Fojnica Fojnica ( sr-cyrl, Фојница) is a town and municipality located in Central Bosnia Canton of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, an entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is located west of the capital Sarajevo, in the valley of the Foj ...
and
Srebrenica Srebrenica ( sr-cyrl, Сребреница, ) is a town and municipality in Republika Srpska, Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is a small mountain town, with its main industry being salt mining and a nearby spa. During the Bosnian War in 1995, Srebr ...
. He was married to Vasvija Selmanagić. The pair had three sons.


Political career

Škaljić was one of the four founding fathers of the independent 'Islamic Community in Bosnia and
Herzegovina Herzegovina ( or ; sh-Latn-Cyrl, Hercegovina, separator=" / ", Херцеговина, ) is the southern and smaller of two main geographical Regions of Bosnia and Herzegovina, regions of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the other being Bosnia (reg ...
' (Bosnian: ''Rijaset Islamske Zajednice BiH''). Its creation enabled
Bosniak The Bosniaks (, Cyrillic script, Cyrillic: Бошњаци, ; , ) are a South Slavs, South Slavic ethnic group native to the Southeast European historical region of Bosnia (region), Bosnia, today part of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and who sha ...
religious and political emancipation from the Ottoman Empire. In 1899, Škaljić took over as mayor of Sarajevo when Mehmed Kapetanović was forced to step down due to ill health.


Family history

The Škaljić family emigrated to
Sarajevo Sarajevo ( ), ; ''see Names of European cities in different languages (Q–T)#S, names in other languages'' is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Bosnia and Herzegovina, largest city of Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a population of 2 ...
from Škaljari, their settlement in the
Bay of Kotor The Bay of Kotor ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, Boka kotorska, Бока которска, separator=" / ", ), also known as the Boka ( sh-Cyrl, Бока), is a winding bay of the Adriatic Sea in southwestern Montenegro and the region of Montenegro concentrated a ...
during the
Battle of Perast The Battle of Perast () was a battle for control over Venetian Republic, Venetian held Perast (modern day Montenegro) fought in 1654 between defending forces of Venetian Republic from Perast accompanied by hajduks and attacking forces of Ottoman ...
(1654) fought between the Venetian Republic and the Ottoman Empire. From the 14th century,
Kotor Kotor (Cyrillic script, Cyrillic: Котор, ), historically known as Cattaro (from Italian language, Italian: ), is a town in Coastal Montenegro, Coastal region of Montenegro. It is located in a secluded part of the Bay of Kotor. The city has ...
existed as an independent republic known as ''Republic of Cattaro'', occasionally falling under protectorate regimes of the Croats, Bosnians or Hungarians. The Venetians ruled the area for the longest period of time, almost four centuries starting in 1420. Their legacy is the most enduring and it's what won Kotor and Perast their place in the UNESCO World Heritage sites list. Once in Sarajevo, the Škaljić's bought large portions of land "stretching from the outskirts of Sarajevo to Rogatica in eastern Bosnia". They excelled in trade. According to 18th century chronicler Mula Mustafa Bašeskija, the Škaljić's were known as ''merchants of the German-speaking world''. Other Škaljić's were political leaders, religious and legal scholars. One of Sarajevo's streets still bears the family name–'Škaljića sokak'. Nezir Škaljić's great-grandson is modern-day Bosnian politician Fehim Škaljić. Other Škaljić family members include Abdulah Škaljić, the Balkan linguist and author of the book ''Turcisms in Serbo-Croatian language'' (bos. Turcizmi u srpsko-hrvatskom jeziku), first published in 1966. The book has since been published in ten editions, and is still considered "a unique and irreplaceable" source for the study of
South Slavic language The South Slavic languages are one of three branches of the Slavic languages. There are approximately 30 million speakers, mainly in the Balkans. These are separated geographically from speakers of the other two Slavic branches (West Slavic la ...
and culture.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Škaljić, Nezir 1844 births 1905 deaths People from Rogatica Bosniaks of Bosnia and Herzegovina Politicians from Austria-Hungary Bosnia and Herzegovina Muslims Mayors of Sarajevo Bosnia and Herzegovina politicians