Nina Valjalo

BIOGRAPHY

Valjalo was born in the village of Vodovađa, Dubrovnik-Neretva County, Croatia (then Austria-Hungary), on 6 July 1908, to parents Luko Fiorović (1856–1911) and Marija Brajević (1876–1961). She attended her first school in Pločice and later continued her education in Herceg Novi (in present-day Montenegro). Her mother was originally from Mikulići, making it more convenient for her to travel from Mikulići to Pločice for school rather than from Vodovađa, where her family home was located. She spent the first and second grades living with her maternal grandmother in Mikulići. Her family was relatively well-off, and during World War I, they owned a house in Debeli Brijeg that served as a shelter and lodging house. Nearby, there was also a gendarme station, mills, stables, and a grocery store. Their family home in Vodovađa was spacious, housing multiple branches of the family—more than twenty people lived there together. Her father installed running water and even built a well within the house.

In May 1931, at the age of 22, she married Miho Valjalo (1890–1949), who owned a company in Dubrovnik called Auto Excursion. The business operated buses and three luxury cars, offering trips to destinations like Mostar, Cetinje, and other locations starting around 1933. The couple had two children, a son named Miho and a daughter named Pavica. However, their marriage lasted only 18 years before his passing in 1949. In the years leading up to World War II, they traveled and enjoyed a comfortable life, though they remained modest in all things.

Before World War II, her husband purchased a house with three apartments and shops on Zeljarica Street in Dubrovnik, providing them with a steady income that allowed them to live comfortably. However, during the war, their company and the shops in the Zeljarica house were confiscated. After many years, she succeeded in reclaiming the shops, selling them, and rebuilding her life. However, the 1979 earthquake caused severe damage to her house. She lived in one apartment, while her son occupied another, which also housed his law office. Her son passed away in 1993.

Her granddaughter, Nina Obuljen Koržinek, is a Croatian violinist and political scientist serving as Minister of Culture and Media since 2016.

Nina Valjalo passed away in Dubrovnik, on 29 October 2018, at the age of 110 years, 115 days.

RECOGNITION

On 13 September 2014, following the passing of 107-year-old Izolda Krmpotić, she became the oldest (known) living person in Croatia, at the age of 106 years, 69 days. She held the title until her own passing in October 2018, when she was succeeded by Anđa Perić (13 October 1910 – 7 February 2019).

On 25 November 2017, at the age of 109 years, 142 days, she surpassed the final age of Ruža Sertić (16 May 1893 – 4 October 2002), becoming the nation’s oldest resident ever. However, she was neither the first nor the only supercentenarian born in Croatia; several emigrants from Croatia lived longer than she did.

Her age was validated by the European Supercentenarian Organisation (ESO) on 19 August 2021.

ATTRIBUTION

* Nike Valjalo (Fiorović) – Geni

* “NAJSTARIJA DUBROVKINJA NINA VALJALO Kako sam doživjela 108 ljeta!” – DuList, 26 July 2016

* “Baka ministrice Obuljen uskoro slavi 110. rođendan” – Moje Vrijeme, 25 February 2018

* “Adio, tete Nina! Napustila nas je najstarija Dubrovkinja” – DuList, 2 November 2018

GALLERY

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