A monument to Slovenian linguist and Slavist Jernej Kopitar has been unveiled in Belgrade by Zoran Janković, mayor of Ljubljana, together with deputy mayor of Belgrade Goran Vesić.
Kopitar was a member of the Viennese court library and a censor of Slavic and modern Greek books. He helped Vuk Stefanović Karadžić in shaping the Serbian literary language. Thanks to Kopitar, ‘Novine Serbske’ was launched in Vienna in 1813.
“We have unveiled a monument to Jernej Kopitar in Belgrade, just as the monument to Vuk Stefanović Karadžić was unveiled in Ljubljana six years ago”, said Vesić. “As Kopitar and Karadžić worked together during their lives, this is a signpost for how Serbia and Slovenia should cooperate. Our peoples are brothers and small nations, we have problem-free relations and we should help each other. I am happy that Serbia and Slovenia are together today.”
Photo: beograd.rs