Emerik Blum - Biography

Emerik Blum was born to immigrant Hungarian parents on August 7, 1911 in Sarajevo, Bosnia-Herzegovina which was then a part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and died on June 24, 1984 in Fojnica, Bosnia then a part of Yugoslavia. 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, but was soon arrested and sent to Ustasha run concentration camps, including Jasenovac, from where he escaped in 1944 demonstrating his great adaptability and extreme courage.

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-Herzegovina. He was a famous businessman and philanthropist in ex-Yugoslavia. He had responsible positions for almost his entire life. 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 from 1981-1983. He was a member of Organizational Committee of the 1984 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XIV Olympic Winter Games, which were held in Sarajevo.

There is a student association in Czech republic named by Emerik Blum.