Lotika Zellermeier
Encyclopedia
Lotika Zellermeier (1860, Kraków
, Poland
– 1938, Višegrad
, Yugoslavia
) was the inspiration for the main character from the 1961 Nobel Prize winner Ivo Andrić
’s novel The Bridge on the Drina
. She is the oldest of three sisters Zellermeier who moved, at the end of the 19th century, to Bosnia from Kraków, Poland.
Even she was widowed at such an early age, Lotika never married again and had no descendants.
A bit more is known about Lotika’s life after she moved to Bosnia. In Višegrad she worked as a manager of the Zur Brucke hotel, commonly known as Lotika’s Hotel among the locals. The owner of the hotel was husband of her sister Debora, Adolf Zaller.
While she was managing the hotel, one of the regulars was Ivo Andrić. The two of them built a close relationship over the years.
. They lived in Montreal
, Canada
, for the rest of their lives.
The youngest sister, Adelaide, married Lavoslav Sperling, a businessman from Višegrad. They had five children, sons Samuel, a banker killed by Nazis in Vienna
in 1941, Benjamin, a leather factory owner in Leipzig
, also killed at the beginning of the Second World War, Ferdinand who was killed at the Sajmište concentration camp
in Belgrade, Yugoslavia, and daughters Ana, who died of tuberculosis at an early age, and Serafina, the only child to survive the war. It is assumed today that the reason for her survival was the fact that she married Anton Škarda, a Jew with the Czech surname.
Descendants of Serafina and Anton, Oto, Adela, Vladimir and Helena are the only members of the Višegrad branch of the Zellermeier family tree. Their children and grandchildren currently live both in Serbia
and Western Europe.
owns a traditional Serbian coffee shop Lotika on the grounds of the Mokra Gora National Park in Serbia. His business enterprise also bears Lotika’s name (Lotika d.o.o). Belgrade TV station B92 has kept those facts in the focus of the Serbian public.
As a beneficiary of the funds granted by the Serbian Ministry of Culture, Kusturica is working on the opera The Bridge on the Drina.
Kraków
Kraków also Krakow, or Cracow , is the second largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in the Lesser Poland region, the city dates back to the 7th century. Kraków has traditionally been one of the leading centres of Polish academic, cultural, and artistic life...
, Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
– 1938, Višegrad
Višegrad
Višegrad is a town and municipality in Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is part of the Republika Srpska entity. It is on the river Drina, located on the road from Goražde and Ustiprača towards Užice, Serbia.-History:...
, Yugoslavia
Kingdom of Yugoslavia
The Kingdom of Yugoslavia was a state stretching from the Western Balkans to Central Europe which existed during the often-tumultuous interwar era of 1918–1941...
) was the inspiration for the main character from the 1961 Nobel Prize winner Ivo Andrić
Ivo Andric
Ivan "Ivo" Andrić was a Yugoslav novelist, short story writer, and the 1961 winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature. His writings dealt mainly with life in his native Bosnia under the Ottoman Empire...
’s novel The Bridge on the Drina
The Bridge on the Drina
The Bridge on the Drina , sometimes restyled as The Bridge Over the Drina, is a novel by Yugoslav writer Ivo Andrić. Andrić wrote the novel while living quietly in Belgrade during World War II, publishing it in 1945...
. She is the oldest of three sisters Zellermeier who moved, at the end of the 19th century, to Bosnia from Kraków, Poland.
Biography
Little is known about Lotika’s childhood and early adulthood. She was married to a doctor in Kraków but his identity is not known today. He died when Lotika was 19 years old. Soon after her husband’s death, Lotika moved with her sisters to Višegrad, Bosnia, then Austrian Hungarian Empire. At the same time two other Jewish families, Zaller and Apfelmeier, moved from Kraków to Višegrad. Their destinies will inseparably entwine in the coming years.Even she was widowed at such an early age, Lotika never married again and had no descendants.
A bit more is known about Lotika’s life after she moved to Bosnia. In Višegrad she worked as a manager of the Zur Brucke hotel, commonly known as Lotika’s Hotel among the locals. The owner of the hotel was husband of her sister Debora, Adolf Zaller.
While she was managing the hotel, one of the regulars was Ivo Andrić. The two of them built a close relationship over the years.
Lotika and Ivo Andrić
Ivo Andrić has spent his childhood, youth and early adulthood in Višegrad and he enjoyed spending time in Lotika’s Hotel . Having established a close relationship with Lotika, he used her and her family as a basis for many of the characters in his novel The Bridge on the Drina. When he won Nobel Prize for literature in 1961, 23 years after Lotika’s death, her nieces Ina and Helena congratulated him in a letter. He kindly responded thanking them.Family
Lotika’s sister Debora was married to Adolph Zaller, also mentioned in Andrić’s novel. Their daughter Ina married Drago Maras, a doctor from ZagrebZagreb
Zagreb is the capital and the largest city of the Republic of Croatia. It is in the northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the Medvednica mountain. Zagreb lies at an elevation of approximately above sea level. According to the last official census, Zagreb's city...
. They lived in Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, for the rest of their lives.
The youngest sister, Adelaide, married Lavoslav Sperling, a businessman from Višegrad. They had five children, sons Samuel, a banker killed by Nazis in Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
in 1941, Benjamin, a leather factory owner in Leipzig
Leipzig
Leipzig Leipzig has always been a trade city, situated during the time of the Holy Roman Empire at the intersection of the Via Regia and Via Imperii, two important trade routes. At one time, Leipzig was one of the major European centres of learning and culture in fields such as music and publishing...
, also killed at the beginning of the Second World War, Ferdinand who was killed at the Sajmište concentration camp
Sajmište concentration camp
Sajmište concentration camp was a German run Nazi concentration camp located on the outskirts of Belgrade whilst part of NDH . It was established in December 1941 and shut down in September 1944...
in Belgrade, Yugoslavia, and daughters Ana, who died of tuberculosis at an early age, and Serafina, the only child to survive the war. It is assumed today that the reason for her survival was the fact that she married Anton Škarda, a Jew with the Czech surname.
Descendants of Serafina and Anton, Oto, Adela, Vladimir and Helena are the only members of the Višegrad branch of the Zellermeier family tree. Their children and grandchildren currently live both in Serbia
Serbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
and Western Europe.
Lotika today
Bosnian film director Emir KusturicaEmir Kusturica
Emir Nemanja Kusturica , is a Serbian filmmaker, actor and musician, recognized for several internationally acclaimed feature films...
owns a traditional Serbian coffee shop Lotika on the grounds of the Mokra Gora National Park in Serbia. His business enterprise also bears Lotika’s name (Lotika d.o.o). Belgrade TV station B92 has kept those facts in the focus of the Serbian public.
As a beneficiary of the funds granted by the Serbian Ministry of Culture, Kusturica is working on the opera The Bridge on the Drina.