Most people wind down long before their nineties. Ante Bilopavlović is doing the opposite. The 99-year-old from Dubrovnik, a former police chief who retired roughly half a century ago, has signed up for the University of the Third Age programme at the University of Dubrovnik — making him the oldest student in this year's intake. His goal is refreshingly specific: he wants to sharpen his writing skills so he can finish a book about his family's history, especially the story of where his parents came from. Speaking to Dnevnik Nova TV, he framed it simply as gaining the knowledge he needs to get the book done.
His enrolment lands in the programme's second year, and the numbers show it has struck a nerve. The new cycle, which opened on 9 November, drew a record 381 participants, up from 244 who completed courses in year one. The curriculum has grown too — from 10 to 17 subjects, taught by 45 lecturers over 15 weeks.
What's on offer is broader than you might expect. Alongside Dubrovnik history, literature, language, English and Italian, there are practical classes in computer skills, media and financial literacy, psychology, and health in later life. Creative workshops cover painting, while hands-on options include olive growing, fruit cultivation and vegetable gardening. Nobody sits exams or earns a qualification; the point is lifelong learning, personal development and, as psychologist Vesna Raguž Staničić — whose idea started the programme — points out, the friendships that form along the way.
University rector Professor Nebojša Stojčić said the initiative has quickly become a place of learning, friendship and belonging, and that the curriculum was expanded based on first-year participants' suggestions. City and county officials, including Mayor Mato Franković and Prefect Blaž Pezo, have also backed it as recognition of what older generations contribute to the city.
For travellers, this is a different side of Dubrovnik than the postcard one. Beyond the city walls and cruise-ship crowds, it's a living university town where intergenerational learning is visibly thriving — and where a man born nearly a century ago is still adding chapters, quite literally, to his own story. If you're visiting in autumn, it's a nice reminder that the city's cultural life runs deep off-season, from lecture halls to neighbourhood classrooms. And Bilopavlović's project — preserving a family history for future generations — is a fitting nudge for any visitor to dig into the human stories behind the old town's polished stone.
Story reported by Croatia Week.
