Mitar Pitzek

Life is change

Mitar grew up in his grandparents’ garden in the suburbs of Belgrade, in what was then Yugoslavia. At 16, he became a founding member of Taff Staff Crew, Belgrade’s first breakdance group. He also loved building airplane models and began and completed his 4 years training as an airplane mechanic, believing his path was set. But his life took an unexpected turn when a friend introduced him to German literature. Encouraged to read Siddharta by Hermann Hesse and a collection of poems by Rainer Maria Rilke, Mitar was captivated by Hesse’s journey of self-discovery and Rilke’s emotional depth. The very next day, he bought German in 100 Lessons, though he didn’t speak a word of German. That was when Mitar started “walking on hands” — embracing life from a fresh, unsteady perspective, much like Miroslav Antić’s vision of seeing the world upside down. Mitar found himself on an unexpected path balancing  on the edge of dreams, immersing himself in the German language and a new worldview.

Why Mitar Pitzek learnt German: from passion to profession

Fascination began with Hesse’s and Rilke’s books. He decided then that he wanted to read them in their original language and at the age of 18 began learning German on his own.

Serious about studying

Just a year after Mitar started learning German, he was accepted to study German Literature and Linguistics at the University of Belgrade. This is when he fell in love with the beauty of the German language. In 1991, Mitar moved to Berlin for an exchange semester and stayed for six years. He finished his studies in 1996. As a result of his passion for studying, he holds a Master’s degree and Dr. phil. in German Linguistics, Serbo-Croat Language and Literature, and German as a Foreign Language (DaF) from the Humboldt University, Berlin.

Starting out

Back in Belgrade, Mitar taught in the German Department at the University of Belgrade. After the final collapse of Yugoslavia, he had to leave Belgrade in 1999. Next stop: Vienna. There he completed a two-year trainee program with a well-known fast-food restaurant (which today is one of his clients) and received Austrian citizenship in 2002. Eventually Mitar started working for the International Office of Vienna University of Technology. He continued to teach technical German for international students at the Vienna University of Technology and soon became chief editor of ‘Fachsprache’ – an International Journal of Specialized Communications.

Take off!

In 2004 Mitar started his own German language school. In 2012, INNES Institute Vienna (International Network for Educational Support in Higher Education) was born as a high-quality educational platform. That year, Mitar also became President of Ge4 – Global Education: Exchanges for Engineers and Entrepreneurs Network: an international university network for higher education institutions. Thanks to his continuous effort and motivation, in 2022 Mitar acquired ActiLingua Academy, ActiLingua Sprachreisen and Online Language Courses, which opens a new exciting chapter for all the sister companies.

What Mitar lives for

He’s passionate about sailing, reading Alan Ford, traveling, and growth. He loves the music of Goran Bregović and Van Morrison—and, as a true Trekkie, admires Jean-Luc Picard. But what Mitar loves most is sharing his enthusiasm for the German language with his students, inspiring them to “walk on hands” and see the world from their own perspectives.