The most famous WORKER Yugoslavia: we all thought it IS WALLETS ALI Sirotanović, but here who actually

The famous wallets former Yugoslavia for which many think is on her photo also famous miners Ali Sirotanovic not only he, but not rudarArif Heralić marked during the climb and hope in post-war Yugoslavia, and Ali Sirotanović during dusk welfare that anticipated bloody nineties.

The tragedy of tragedy

Heralić was moulder, a worker at the blast furnace, whose life followed a series of tragedies. In Zenica came from Maglaj, where during World War II Ustasha killed fifty members of his family, and his father and brothers in his presence. In Zenica village Churches lived modestly and there today does not live no one from his family. Of the twelve children who got to school age survived only seven. The hard life and many tragedies have led him to alcoholism and later in severe poverty. He died in 1971.

His character, who was first in the banknote of 1,000 Yugoslav dinars, and later because of the denomination and redesign of the banknote of 10 dinars, recorded Nikola Bibic, photographer Belgrade "Borba" in 1954. The popular "catfish" is supposed to symbolize a happy and satisfied workers at a young Yugoslav industry, all that unhappy Arif Heralić never was.

Ali Sirotanović, a miner in the coal mine Kreka, was part of the mining Udarnička campaign that broke out in the Communist states after the Second World War. Digging in one shift 17 tons of coal, reportedly surpassed Russians Alexei ŠTAHAN, which is more than 1935 in force for the unattainable mining model. While this informal mining competition was current at the time of the most intense conflict between Tito and Stalin, Alia's character ended up on the wallets of 20,000 dinars only in 1987, and kept it very short, because the bill was withdrawn from use in the monetary reforms of Ante Markovic.

Legend of the shovel

Arif Heralić figure was far better known, but the anecdotes from the life and biography of Ali Sirotanovic were much brighter and more appropriate for the purpose of political propaganda, so that we can find one of the causes of frequent mixing of the two workers. The most famous anecdote is when, allegedly, during Tito's visit to the mine Ali "regretted" marshal on duty saying, "I need a bigger shovel to better radio." Although Alia's main tool was a pneumatic drill, not a shovel, legend has it that Ali himself forged shovel twice as higher than others in the mine and so continued breaking records in coal mining.

He refused offered a flat in Breza and uploaded it to those who did not have accommodation provided, and when of Tito as a gift received "car of your choice," selected "Fica". About him today gladly tell his descendants. "When he died, Tito, grandfather wept three days," said his grandson in an interview with Zagreb's "Arena".

All seven brothers Sirotanović and most of their children were miners. Ahmed Arif nephew, son of his brother who died in a mining accident, founded in memory of a sacrificial miners association Sirotanović Ali and his Chamber. Today a street in Breza bears the name of the drummer, and within the mine stands his bust. He died in 1990, again symbolically, at the time he disappeared and the State in whose fairy tale was one of the most famous heroes.

• 2 May, 2017
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