Keeping Serbian bookbinding alive

• • Aleksandar inherited his bookbinding workshop from his grandfather
• • He learned the craft from his family members and on his own
• • The bookbinding business he runs was set up in 1905

Aleksandar Petrović is one of the last remaining artisanal bookbinders in the capital of Serbia, Belgrade. Knowing that his craft is in danger, he gives himself fully to everything he does. "You can count the number of artisanal bookbinders in Serbia on one hand," says Aleksandar. His work is precise, meticulous, and clean, just like the work of his father, uncle, and grandfather, from whom he learned the craft and inherited the family business. The bookbinding company of the Petrović family was founded in 1905 and later grew into a chain of workshops in the Serbian capital. Now, however, there is only one small workshop left where Aleksandar works. In it, you can see old fashioned machines and tools that are still in use, as if you have travelled back in time.