The "Štrand" Memorial Park, Novi Sad – a memorial to the victims of the Novi Sad raid (1,246 names), on the spot where the hole in the ice once was

The "Štrand" Memorial Park, Novi Sad

The "Štrand" Memorial Park – a memorial dedicated to the victims of the Novi Sad raid (21–23 January 1942).

Location: The bank of the Danube in Novi Sad – exactly on the spot where the hole in the ice once was (where the Hungarians threw the bodies of the executed Serbs and Jews).

Opened: 23 January 1971 (29 years after the massacre).

🏛️ Monuments in the Memorial Park

1. The memorial plaque with the names of the victims (1971)

• Description: A marble plaque bearing the names of the victims – 1,246 names engraved
• Material: A marble plaque (black marble)
• Inscription (at the top): "To the victims of the fascist terror – 21–23 January 1942. Novi Sad. We will never forget."
• Names: 1,246 names (Serbs, Jews, Roma) – arranged in alphabetical order

2. The monument "The Family" (1971)

• Author: Jovan Soldatović (Yugoslav sculptor)
• Description: A bronze sculpture – a family (father, mother, child) – symbolising the victims (an entire family executed)
• Height: 3 metres
• Material: Bronze
• Symbol: Many families were entirely destroyed in the raid (members of the same family executed together)

3. The monument "The Danube – a Grave" (1971)

• Description: A stone bearing an inscription – set on the bank of the Danube (near the place where the hole in the ice once was)
• Inscription: "To the Danube – the grave of our own. 1,000–2,000 Serbs and Jews thrown into the Danube. Many never found. WE WILL NEVER FORGET."
• Symbol: The Danube became a grave – many bodies were never found

📜 The memorial plaque with the names – 1,246 victims

The memorial plaque (1971) – a marble plaque bearing the names of the victims.

1,246 names engraved:

• Arranged in alphabetical order
• Beside each name: age, place (where known)

Examples of names (from the plaque):

These are only 5 of the 1,246 names engraved on the plaque.

Important: It is estimated that 3,000–4,000 people were killed in the Novi Sad raid, but only 1,246 names have been documented (the others were not identified or their bodies were never found).

🕊️ Every year – the commemoration on 23 January

23 January – the Day of Remembrance for the victims of the Novi Sad raid.

Every year (23 January) – citizens of Novi Sad come to the "Štrand" Memorial Park:

• Commemoration: Officials, families of the victims (descendants), citizens, representatives of the Jewish community
• Laying of flowers: On the memorial plaque and the monument "The Family"
• Reading of the names: 1,246 names read aloud (lasting ~2 hours)
• Minute of silence: At 12:00
• An address by a representative of the Jewish community – about the 700–1,000 Jews executed

Atmosphere:

• Thousands of people (3,000–5,000)
• The weeping of the victims' families (descendants of the executed)
• Flowers everywhere (the monuments covered in flowers)
• Silence (the minute of silence)
• Gazing towards the Danube – remembering the hole in the ice

🎓 Educational significance – pupils visit the Memorial Park

Every year – thousands of pupils from Novi Sad and Vojvodina come to the Memorial Park (school excursions):

• Tour: The memorial plaque, the monument "The Family", the monument "The Danube – a Grave"
• Reading of names: Pupils read the names of the executed
• Stories of the raid: Guides tell the stories of the victims
• Aim: Pupils must know what happened – lest it be forgotten

A pupil's testimony (Ana Petrović, 16 years old, Novi Sad):

"I came to the Memorial Park with my school. I saw the names on the plaque – 1,246 names. Many were young (20–30 years old). Our teacher told us: 'Here, on this spot, there was a hole in the ice. The Hungarians threw the bodies of the executed Serbs and Jews into the Danube.' I looked towards the Danube. I imagined what it must have been like – thousands of bodies thrown into the ice. I wept. I will never forget."

– Ana Petrović, pupil (16 years old, Novi Sad)

🇷🇸 The Serbian perspective – the Memorial Park = a symbol

For the people of Novi Sad, the "Štrand" Memorial Park = a symbol of Serbian and Jewish suffering:

• 21–23 January 1942 – the Hungarians executed 1,246–4,000 Serbs and Jews
• The Memorial Park – on the spot where the hole in the ice once was (where the bodies were thrown into the Danube)
• 1,246 names engraved on the plaque – every name, every story
• The monument "The Family" – symbolises entire families destroyed
• The monument "The Danube – a Grave" – symbolises the 1,000–2,000 bodies thrown into the Danube (many never found)
• Every year (23 January) – citizens come, lay flowers, do not forget
• Pupils come every year – learning about the raid (a new generation that will not forget)

"The 'Štrand' Memorial Park, Novi Sad – a memorial to the victims of the Novi Sad raid (21–23 January 1942). On the spot where the hole in the ice once was (the Danube). Opened in 1971 (29 years after the massacre). The memorial plaque: 1,246 names engraved (Serbs, Jews, Roma). The monument 'The Family' (Jovan Soldatović) – symbolises entire families destroyed. The monument 'The Danube – a Grave': 'To the Danube – the grave of our own. 1,000–2,000 thrown into the Danube. Many never found.' Every year (23 January) – commemoration: citizens come, lay flowers, read the names, a minute of silence. A new generation learns. The Memorial Park = a symbol of Serbian and Jewish suffering. WE WILL NEVER FORGET."