Istorijat i značaj Vojne bolnice u Kragujevcu
Authors: Milenović Bojana 
Published: January 2024

he Military Hospital in Kragujevac, with its turbulent history and rich military medical documentation, represents one of the most important institutions of the 19th and 20th centuries. Throughout its history, it has been home to a whole array of excellent nurses, doctors, and surgeons who, through their dedication, contributed to the hospital's reputation in the city and the country. From the moment in the 1830s when the idea of its formation began to emerge, only a few could have foreseen that it would become one of the most significant military hospitals in the country. The first military hospitals in Kragujevac, which were predecessors to the Šumadija Permanent Military Hospital, were quickly closed, often due to a lack of doctors and hospital equipment. Furthermore, the 1830s and 1840s were still marked by folk medicine, primitivism, and charlatans (soothsayers, fortune-tellers, quacks, and the like). It was only with the Law on the Organization of the Ministry of War in 1864 that the establishment of the Permanent Military Hospital in Kragujevac was foreseen. This undoubtedly marked a turning point in the establishment of the Military Hospital because immediately after the enactment of this law, the project for constructing a modern building with all the necessary hospital furniture and medical equipment for treating soldiers began. The construction of the hospital building lasted for three years, and as soon as it opened, it started treating and caring for patients (both military and civilian). The hospital was staffed by significant surgeons and doctors (Leonard Lontki- jevic, Đorđe Đoka Vladisavljevic, Lazar Gencic, Roman Sondermajer, Moša Eli, Milorad Glišić, and many others). Throughout its existence, the hospital underwent several reorganizations and professional expansions (which significantly influenced its reputation). It treated soldiers from the front lines of the Serbian-Turkish War, which took place from 1876 to 1878, as well as soldiers and wounded from the Balkan Wars and both World Wars. As one of the four most important military hospitals (the other three were in Belgrade, Niš, and Požarevac), the hospital collaborated with various humanitarian organizations and actively participated in the treatment and rescue of soldiers. When the Second World War ended in 1945 with the Allied victory, the Military Hospital in Kragujevac continued its operations (surgery was very advanced), and Kragujevac became a modern industrial and university city. The hospital continued its active work until its closure in 1957 when the construction of a new hospital building began, following the idea of Đorđe Vulkan, the hospital's director during the Second World War. Today, the Kragujevac Military Hospital represents an important part of national and local history with special historical significance. Besides its architectural value (it was one of the most beautiful buildings in the city at the end of the 19th century), the Military Hospital was a key medical center for military and civilian patients during the Balkan Wars and especially in World War I. From the perspective of the development of the medical profession, a host of significant Serbian doctors originated from the Military Hospital, including Dr. Mosa Eli, a Jew after whom Clinic 4 is named today. At one point, it was also a significant center for Serbian surgery, where excellent surgeons trained abroad practiced. Its doctors participated in the First Congress of Serbian Physicians and Naturalists in Belgrade, which was an important step in its local and regional reputation. All of this has given the Military Library in Kragujevac a distinctive silhouette of a military-medical institution with great historical, architectural, and cultural significance. As an institution with a rich history, the Kragujevac Military Hospital deserves attention and respect from both us and future generations. From its inception to the present day, it has gone through a long and challenging journey through several wars fought by the Serbian people. Alongside it, healthcare and healthcare institutions in the Šumadija region and the entire region have started and gradually developed. The Kragujevac Military Hospital has had a significant impact in the fields of military and civilian medicine. Through the provision of healthcare to soldiers, the advancement of medical practice, humanitarian work, and serving as a symbol of remembrance, the hospital has played a crucial role in Serbia's healthcare system and society.