Gospić printing and bookkeeping activities from the demilitarisation of the Military Frontier to the Second World War

Abstract

The paper presents the chronological development of organized printing and bookkeeping activities during the period from the middle of the second half of the 19th century until the Second World War i.e., the discontinuation of the operation of privately owned Gospić printing houses. Activities began with the arrival of the bookbinding craftsman Juraj Krmpotić from Primorje to Gospić and the opening of the first bookstore along with the provision of bookbinding services as a part of it. A whole decade would pass before the appearance of the first printmaker, Marijan Župan from Senj. His arrival soon opened the way for others, so for a period of more than half a century in Gospić there would always be at least two, and at certain points three well-organized printing houses with trained typographers, as well as capable and fast stackers. In addition to printing, printing houses bound books, and there were also separate bookstores. At the beginning of the 20th century the newcomer Matej Maksimović introduced a novelty on the market by creating a company that combined all the aforementioned services, thus beating his competition. All Gospić printing houses survived the First World War and preserved their printing houses and continued to work in the newly created state of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes, in which they were joined by the new printing house Kolačević. Thanks to the role of Gospić in the interwar period as the administrative centre of the Lika area, with its steady gradual development, there was enough work for all printing houses and bookstores. Unfortunately, unlike the First World War, the consequences of the Second World War led to the collapse of the printing and book business in Gospić in the form in which it had existed continuously for more than sixty years.