President Milanović at Opening of “Vlado Gotovac” Library in Sisak: Once Great, the Influence of Books is Fading

“Books were once far more powerful, stronger, and more subversive than they are today. Their influence was great, but unfortunately, that has changed – it is fading. Both you and we who are here today, along with you who continue to offer the last shots of resistance, are legionaries in one of the final battles,” President Zoran Milanović said today to the numerous residents of Sisak gathered for the ceremonial opening of the new “Vlado Gotovac” Public Library building.

In his address, President Milanović reflected on the influence books once had, noting that this influence will never again be what it once was. “We read a lot, we read all sorts of things, we read poorer quality texts, and we don’t think about what we read. Books once changed the world. And I wonder which is better,” he said.

Since the complete renovation of the “Vlado Gotovac” Public Library building, valued at 5.7 million euros, was financed by the European Union Solidarity Fund and the National Recovery and Resilience Plan, President Milanović remarked: “European funds were used for this beautiful space, and it’s good that they were used; otherwise, they would have gone unspent. Use these funds, and let’s make use of them while we can and while they are available, because although the money is fictitious, its materialization is very real.”

“This is real and tangible, because the books are here, and children will come into the library. However, I fear that this era is slowly passing. That is why this is even more valuable – because something inherently noble, good, and right is being preserved. And this cannot be done without efforts that at times seem Promethean, perhaps even futile,” said President Milanović, congratulating everyone who attended the opening of the renovated library.

The “Vlado Gotovac” Public Library building was renovated after being damaged in the December 2020 earthquake. With its reopening, Sisak now has, for the first time since the library’s founding, a unique space where all generations of Sisak residents can come together for various library-related activities.

In addition to President Milanović, the opening ceremony featured speeches by the Mayor of Sisak, Kristina Ikić Baniček, and the State Secretary from the Ministry of Culture and Media of Croatia, the minister’s delegate, Dražen Vrsaljko.

After the opening, President Milanović, accompanied by his hosts, toured the premises of the “Vlado Gotovac” Public Library and met with Sisak writers, including Iva Dužić, Branka Kalauz, Nikola Tadić, Dino Pešut, and Patrik Gregurec, as well as the director of the Striegl Town Gallery, Alma Trauber, and the director of the “Kristalna kocka vedrine” (Crystal Cube of Serenity) Cultural Center, Iva Mihelić.

President Milanović was accompanied by Melita Mulić, Adviser to the President of the Republic for Human Rights and Civil Society, and Jadranka Žarković, Adviser to the President of the Republic for Education.

PHOTO: Office of the President of the Republic of Croatia / Filip Glas