The Family
A journey through the history of our family; from their origin of the clan in Zabljak, and especially as from the life of the Vuckovic Brother´s, the founders of the Riviera Factory.
19th Century
The clan
The Vuckovic Family, has their origins in Montenegro, Zabljak, an area in the mountains, where the Durmitor massif stands out. The clan, was originated in the 19 century. They moved to Krusevac (Southern Serbia).
The grandfather Andrija, died young, then his wife, grandmother Darinka decided to go to the coast, looking for better opportunities. She arrives in the city of Kotor, Montenegro, in her wagon, with her five children, Ljubisav, Aleksandar, Dragutin, Milutin, and Radmila, in this moment, Darinka was 30 years old. Their previous employement in the soap factory Merima, and the establishment of the family barrack ( of grain storage), will allow them the beggining of the factory production in Kotor.
The Clan.
1907 | 1928
Ljubisav, Aleksandar, Dragutin, Milutin and Radmila
In the period of 1907 and 1928, Ljubisav, the oldest of the brothers, was twice elected mayor of Kotor, and he was also a founding member of the Montenegrin Chamber of Commerce. He had studied commerce in Viena, Austria, and learned his trade by working there.
Aleksandar studied chemical engineering in Prague, Czech Republic. He was chemical engineer, and a reserve soldier in the Serbian Kingdom of Aleksander Karadordevic.
Radmila studied lyrical singing in Prague, as well, and she was the only one of the five sibblings who was no connected to the factory, as she got married young, and went to live in Belgrade, capital of the then Kingdom of the Serbs, Croats and Slovens.
Before the First World War, Milutin Vuckovic emigrates to the United Estates, and there, he enlistes in the US Army.
He becomes an US citizen, and fights in France, agains the Kaiser. After the war, surviving the mustar gas, and also seven bullets splinters, remaining in his body, he returns to the US, and continues his life there.
Between 1918 and1928, Milutin lives in the US, and then he returns to Kotor, called by his brothers, to work with them at the Riviera.
1943 | 1944
German occupation of Montenegro
During the German occupation of Kotor, the ground floor of the Villa Maria, was taking over a high ranking German army regiment. They also took control a the production of the factory, wich led to the family being branded as a public and class enemies.
It is noteworthy that in the Second World War, Milutin helped seventeen American pilots, hidding Peter Peterson (there are documents and testimonies of what happened there), in the attic of their house, in the large villa, where the families of the four brothers that ran the factory lived there. The villa was located next to the Riviera Factory.
1945 | 1949
After The Second World War
In the 1945/1946, Aleksandar Vuckovic, was murdered, and his body disappears.
In August 1945, the factory and properties of Ljubisav, Dragutin, Milutin and Aleksandar’s family in and around Kotor, Tivat, everything they owned, not only their properties, were confiscated and expropiated.
In December 1945, the properties of Ljubisav and Aleksandar in Serbia and Silbas, were also confiscated.
In 1946, part of Ljubisav family, fled to Trieste, Italy as war refugees. Ljubisav, remained hidden, in Silbas, in a hemp plantation that supplied the Riviera Factory, waiting for the person who would took him into exile to Italy.
In 1945/46, Milutin vas imprisioned by the new communist regime, as a capitalist. He was not sentenced to death, because he was an American citizen and a veteran soldier.
He was protected By the American Embassy. Meanwhile, his sons, Andrija and Lazar, were subjected to forced labours in concentretation camps. When their close family were released (by the help of de US Embassy), they were repatriated to the U. S.
There, the claims for restitution begin, with the help os the U. S. Embassy and the support of the American state.
Ljubisav’s hideout in Silbas, once declared a public enemy.
In 1948, Dragutin dies in Kotor, after three years of having been exempted from punishmentes, for not being the formal owner of the factory, and having maintained a politicaly inactive life, living in a redoubt where he was granted permission by the new formed state.
In 1948, Milutin obtains, by the help of the United States, a financial compensation of approximately 85,000 USD, plus 15,000 interest, fot the confiscation of his part of the property, by the Yugoslavian State (through the embassy claim).
Meanwile, Ljubisav with his family, and his son in law (except his son Branko) emigrated to Buenos Aires Argentina.
In 1949, Branko Vuckovic dies ( Ljubisav and Mara’s Vuckovic son). His body, was found in the Hudson River, in New York, his death, in strange circunstances. The family, was notified by a telegram from the FBI. After requesting information on Branko’s wherabouts, from the Christian Ortodox Church, of wich he was a member.
Milutin and Mileva’s family gave him a holy burial.
He was educated in Zurich, Switzeland, and also was chemical engineer, graduated of the University of Padova, Italy. the reason for this one way to the US, instead of following his family to Buenos Aires, were for seeking support through the US Embassy, triying to obtain some kind of economical compensation, for the confiscations, of the family. His death, happened in strange circunstances was never clarified, wheter it was morder or suicide.
Dragutin’s funeral procession.
Branko with his younger brothers. On the right, the eldest son of Ljubisav.
1950 | 2025
Second half of the 20th century to the present.
The new generations of the Vuckovic’s family branches of their family tree, lives in Canada, USA, Paraguay and Argentina. Mostly of them return every year to Montenegro, where they spend several months of the year.