Emerik Blum

Emerik Blum (12 February 1911 – 24 June 1984) was a Bosnian Jewish businessman, philanthropist and the founder and first director of one of Eastern Europe's largest conglomerates, Energoinvest.

Emerik Blum
Blum in December 1979
26th Mayor of Sarajevo
In office 1981–1983
Preceded by	Anto Sučić
Succeeded by	Uglješa Uzelac
Personal details
Born	7 August 1911 Sarajevo, Condominium of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Austria-Hungary
Died	24 June 1984 (aged 72) Fojnica, SR Bosnia and Herzegovina, Yugoslavia
Nationality	Yugoslav
Political party	League of Communists of Bosnia and Herzegovina
Spouse(s)	Matusija Blum (until 1984, his death)
Alma mater	Czech Technical University in Prague

He also served as the 26th mayor of Sarajevo from 1981 until 1983.

Biography

He was born to immigrant Hungarian Jewish parents on 12 February 1911 in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, which was then a part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.[1] He received his Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Prague in 1939.

After graduating from college, he returned to Sarajevo with his wife Matusija. He was arrested on 23 June 1941 and sent to Ustasha-run concentration camps, including Jasenovac, from where he escaped in 1944.[2]

In 1951 he founded and was the first director of Energoinvest, the largest company in ex-Yugoslavia, which continues working and is headquartered in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. He was Mayor in Ministry of Industry and Mining of BiH, director of "Elektrobih" and "Elektrocentar", general engineer of General direction of Union electric power industry, general director of Directorate for electric power industry of SFRJ (Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia) Government, assistant Minister of electric power industry of SFRJ (Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia), president of Committee for electric power industry, and the mayor of Sarajevo for two years beginning in 1981.

He was a member of the Organizational Committee of the 1984 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XIV Olympic Winter Games, which were held in Sarajevo.[3]

There is a student association in the Czech Republic and a street in Sarajevo (former Beogradska) named after him.

Blum entered a hospital in Fojnica in May 1984, and died there on 24 June 1984, aged 73.

References

1. "SJEĆANJE: EMERIK BLUM". Sarajevo. 24 June 2013. Retrieved 13 January 2014.
2. "THE DIRECTOR OF SARAJEVO "ENERGOINVEST" WITNESS OF SLANA". Jadovno. 11 July 2010. Retrieved 13 January 2014.
3. "EMERIK BLUM: Financial Times ga je opisao kao "oličenje socijalističke poslovnosti"". Slobodna-Bosna. 25 June 2012. Retrieved 13 January 2014.