Alija Sirotanović was born on the 14th of August, 1914, in Trtorići, a small village near Breza, central Bosnia. In 1949, he became a legend in Yugoslavia for his world record in coal mining, defeating the famous Stakhanov. Tito awarded him with te big honour of the Hero of the socialist labor (Orden junaka socijalističkog rada).
His face was in the 20.000 dinars note.
On the 14th of August, Breza celebrated the 100 years anniversary from Sirotanovic’s birth with a march from the mine to his house in Trtorići, a competition between the new miners in the central square of Breza and a celebration in the Breza’s library.
The following pictures are from Trtorići, the small village in central Bosnia where Sirotanović spent his all life.
The celebration