Рађање модерне Трепче: уговор о откупу концесије за експлоатацију руда између компаније Selection Trust LTD и Радомира Пашића из децембра 1925. године
The Birth of Modern Trepča: Contract about the Repurchase of Concession for Exploitation of Ores between the Company Selection Trust LTD and Radomir Pašić, December 1925

Summary/Abstract: It is well-known that the northern part of Kosovo and Metohija has always been rich with enormous deposits of ores, whose exploitation was carried out since the Roman era. However, the biggest mining activity in this area was recorded in the Middle Ages, during the Serbian dynasty of Nemanjić, whose state witnessed great economic prosperity due to mining. The mine and place of this oldest medieval mining area was Trepča. Trepča contains enormous quantities of lead and zinc ore. It covers the western, south-western and southern parts of Kopaonik and is one of the largest mines in Europe. The exploitation of its ore treasures started in the period of King Milutin (1282–1321), at the beginning of the 14th century and lasted until the Great Turkish War (1683–1699), after which it was abandoned, after over four centuries of constant work. For more than 200 years Trepča’s mines were deserted, with no miners and their tools. It was exposed to the ravages of time, until the liberation of these areas after the First Balkan War. The First World War did not allow for the examination of its layers of ores and a new start of its exploitation, but after the war, this issue was devoted serious attention. Several teams of experts were hired to examine the layers of ores in this area. One of these teams was hired by the concession owner’s son for the exploitation of Trepča, Radomir Pašić, along with Zagreb’s geologist Fran Tućan, for the sake of getting the estimates of the true value of concessions, which were owned by Pašić’s father. The research of this team confirmed that Trepča was rich with silver, gold, lead, zinc and copper ores. A well-known mining and metallurgical engineer Julius Draškoci drew attention about this to the British company Selection Trust LTD, which quickly reacted and sent to the field a group of experts with the mission to confirm the veracity of Draškoci’s information. Draškoci was telling the truth. The British decided to buy the concession from Radomir Pašić, sending him a lucrative offer, which he accepted. On 14 December 1925 a contract was officially signed in Belgrade about giving the rights to concession between Radomir Pašić on the one hand and John Archer Dune on the other, in the presence of British Vice-Consul Blakeney. The facsimile of this, so far unpublished document, was stored in the Yugoslav Archives, in the fund of legation of the Kingdom of SCS/Yugoslavia in London.

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