The natives, who I have met here, are travelers like us (…) Their goal is the Kwilu river, where my journey leads me as well.
DRAGUTIN LERMAN
Dragutin Lerman (1863–1918) was born in Požega, Croatia, into a family of sixteen children. After completing his education, he briefly worked as a shop assistant. In 1882, he joined the expedition of explorer Henry Morton Stanley. The expedition, commissioned by Belgian King Leopold II, was to explore the Congo River region, make treaties with local chiefs to acquire land rights, and establish administrative and trading stations. One of Lerman’s responsibilities was to secure control over the lower course of the Kwilu River.
Lerman returned to the Congo three more times, serving the Congo Free State in various roles, including station chief and district commissioner in the upper Congo River area, and as the general commissioner of the Eastern Kwango district. For his service, he received two honors. In 1896, he returned to Požega, married Hedviga Reiner, the daughter of a wealthy landowner, and attempted to improve the local economy. However, after facing financial collapse in 1912, he relocated to Bosnia and Herzegovina, where he founded coal mines. He passed away and was buried in Kreševo.
During his time in the Congo, Lerman wrote letters to his friend Julije Kempf, a teacher and historian from Požega, who published them in the late 19th century. He also kept diaries, which were published in 1989 by Aleksandra Lazarević, a curator at the Ethnographic Museum. His collection, comprising 495 items from the Congo, has been continuously exhibited at the Ethnographic Museum since 1923.
