Šabac - "City of Hostages" (a symbol of the hostage system in WW2), 3,500-5,000 Serbs shot as hostages (October 1941)

Šabac - the "City of Hostages"

Šabac - a city in western Serbia (~50,000 inhabitants today).

After WW2 - Šabac was given the name "City of Hostages".

The reason: October 1941 - 3,500-5,000 residents of Šabac shot as hostages (the highest proportion of a population shot as hostages in occupied Serbia).

"City of Hostages" = a symbol - a symbol of Serbian resistance to the German occupation, a symbol of the hostage system as a war crime.

📊 Statistics - why the "City of Hostages"?

Before WW2 (1940) - Šabac had ~40,000 inhabitants.

October 1941 - 3,500-5,000 residents of Šabac shot as hostages.

Proportion: 8.75-12.5% of the population shot (nearly 1 in 10 residents of Šabac killed).

Comparison with other cities:

Conclusion: Šabac, Kraljevo, Kragujevac - all three cities lost 8-20% of their population as hostages (October 1941).

🏙️ "City of Hostages" - how did the name come about?

1945 (after the liberation) - the citizens of Šabac commemorate the victims:

• They erect temporary memorial plaques
• They organize the first commemorations (5 October)

1950s - historians document the massacre:

• They collect testimonies of survivors
• They document 3,254 names of victims
• Conclusion: Šabac = the city with the greatest number of hostages shot (relative to its size)

1960s - the name "City of Hostages" comes into use:

• Journalists write: "Šabac - the city of hostages"
• The name is adopted in public discourse

1981 - official recognition:

• Zasavica Memorial Park opened
• Inscription on the monument: "Šabac - City of Hostages. We will never forget."

🕊️ "Day of the City of Hostages" - 5 October (every year)

5 October - the "Day of the City of Hostages" (an official holiday in Šabac).

Every year (5 October) - Šabac commemorates:

• The City of Šabac declares a NON-WORKING DAY (schools and institutions closed)
• Commemoration at Zasavica Memorial Park (the citizens come)
• Reading of names (3,254 names)
• Laying of flowers
• A minute of silence
• Speech by the mayor: "We are the city of hostages. We will never forget."

Atmosphere:

• Thousands of residents of Šabac come
• Weeping, silence
• A sense of pride (the people of Šabac did not surrender)
• A sense of grief (so many victims)

🇷🇸 The Serbian perspective - "City of Hostages" = a symbol of resistance

For the Serbian people, the name "City of Hostages" = a symbol of Serbian resistance:

• October 1941 - 3,500-5,000 residents of Šabac shot as hostages
• 8.75-12.5% of the population killed (nearly 1 in 10)
• The FIRST application of the "100 for 1 rule" (5 October 1941)
• The people of Šabac did not surrender - even after the massacre, the resistance continued
• "City of Hostages" = a name the people of Šabac bear with pride (it shows they were strong enough to stand up to the Germans)
• Every year (5 October) - commemoration, they do not forget
• Even today: the people of Šabac say "We are the city of hostages"

Testimony of a woman from Šabac (Milica Petrović, 75 years old):

"I was born after the war (1948). But my grandfather (Jovan Petrović, 52 years old) was shot in Zasavica (October 1941). I never met him. But I grew up with stories about him. My mother would tell me: 'Your grandfather was a hostage. The Germans took him away - he never returned.' Every year (5 October) - we go to Zasavica. We lay flowers. We read my grandfather's name (on the memorial plaque). We weep. We are the city of hostages. That is not a disgrace. It is a source of pride. It shows that we were strong enough to stand up to the Germans. We will never forget."

- Milica Petrović, a woman from Šabac (75 years old)

📌 The hostage system = a war crime

The Hague Convention (1907):

"Collective punishment for the acts of individuals for which the population cannot be held collectively responsible is prohibited."

The hostage system = collective punishment:

• Arresting civilians as hostages
• Shooting them in reprisal for Partisan attacks
• This is a war crime

Šabac = a symbol of the hostage system as a war crime:

• 3,500-5,000 Serbs shot as hostages
• The Germans were NEVER held accountable
• "City of Hostages" = a reminder that the hostage system is not merely history - it is a war crime that must not be repeated

"Šabac - the 'City of Hostages' (a name given after WW2). October 1941: 3,500-5,000 residents of Šabac shot as hostages (reprisal for Partisan attacks). 8.75-12.5% of the population killed (nearly 1 in 10). The FIRST application of the '100 for 1 rule' (5 October 1941). The hostage system = a war crime (the Hague Convention). Every year (5 October) - the 'Day of the City of Hostages': Šabac declares a non-working day, commemoration at Zasavica, reading of names (3,254), laying of flowers. 'City of Hostages' = a symbol of Serbian resistance. The people of Šabac bear the name with pride. Even today: 'We are the city of hostages - we will never forget.' WE WILL NEVER FORGET."