"Blindsman Academy"

In cultural past in Irig significant part had musical ˝blindsman academy˝, which mentions back in 1770. Although there is only few data’s about establishing, lasting, organization and manner of work of ˝blindsman academy˝, it is certain that it worked in Small Greece. Some data’s show that it lasted it until terrible plague in Srem 1795/96 and according to some claims it was active until 1848. Back in 1877, Kuhac noted names of two players of gusle from Srem that came from ˝school from Irig˝. Blindman Pantelia, ˝aligner of blindsman academy from Irig˝ is one of characters in Sacurice and fur hat wrote by Okruglic, which action took place in 1827. He was blinding for 40 years.

It is not know the fact for long lasted teaching in ˝academy in Irig˝. Players of gusle, pupils of these academy song national heroic poems in surrounding villages and in that way spread patriotic feelings in population. After academy stopped with working for several more years, tradition of singing with gusle maintained. Last blind player of gusle from Irig was Pera Dimitrov. He started loosing his sight when he was 15 years old but he successfully finished Elementary School and start learning singing with gusle. For a while, he lived in Petrovci and Slankamen but soon he returned to Irig where he sang national heroic poems with gusle. His gusle made out from walnut, made in 1888 were afterwards remade to two chords and after his death kept in library of Irig.

After ˝blindsman academy˝ Irig was named as ˝first Serbian academic city˝.