Zasavica Memorial Park - Memorial to the victims of the shootings in Šabac (3,254 names), on the site where the Germans shot hostages

Zasavica Memorial Park - a memorial to the victims

Zasavica - a marsh 10 km from Šabac.

October 1941 - the site where the Germans shot 2,000-2,500 Serbian hostages.

Today: Memorial Park - a memorial to the victims of the shootings.

Opened: 5 October 1981 (40 years after the first shooting).

🏛️ Memorial Park - what does it contain?

1. Memorial plaque with the names of the victims (1981)

• Description: A marble plaque with the names of the victims - 3,254 names engraved
• Material: Black marble
• Inscription: "To the victims of fascist terror - October 1941. Šabac. We will never forget."
• Names: 3,254 names (those shot in Šabac + surroundings) - arranged in alphabetical order

2. The monument "The Hostage" (1981)

• Author: Nebojša Mitrić (Serbian sculptor)
• Description: A bronze sculpture - a man (hands bound, head bowed) - symbolizing a Serbian hostage
• Height: 4 metres
• Material: Bronze
• Symbol: The dignity of the Serbian hostages (even in the face of death - they did not surrender)

3. Mass graves (discovered in the 1960s)

• 1960s: Archaeologists exhume mass graves in Zasavica
• Found: 2,000+ bodies (Serbs shot in October 1941)
• Identification: Most were not identified (bodies in decay)
• Burial: The bodies were reinterred in the Memorial Park (1981)

📜 Memorial plaque with names - 3,254 victims

The memorial plaque (1981) - a marble plaque with the names of the victims.

3,254 names engraved:

• Names arranged in alphabetical order
• Beside each name: age, place (if known)

Examples of names (from the plaque):

These are only 5 names out of the 3,254 engraved on the plaque.

🕊️ Every year - commemoration on 5 October

5 October - the day of remembrance for the victims of the shootings in Šabac (the first day of the shootings, 1941).

Every year (5 October) - the citizens of Šabac come to Zasavica:

• Commemoration: Officials, families of the victims (descendants), citizens
• Laying of flowers: At the memorial plaque and the monument "The Hostage"
• Reading of names: 3,254 names read aloud (lasting ~2.5 hours)
• A minute of silence: At 14:00 (the time when the first shooting began in 1941)

Atmosphere:

• Thousands of people (1,000-2,000)
• The weeping of the victims' families
• Flowers everywhere (the monuments covered in flowers)
• Silence (a minute of silence)

🇷🇸 The Serbian perspective - Zasavica = a symbol

For the people of Šabac, Zasavica = a symbol of Serbian suffering:

• October 1941 - 3,500-5,000 Serbs shot in Šabac (most of them at Zasavica)
• Memorial Park - on the site where they were shot
• 3,254 names engraved on the plaque - every name, every story
• The monument "The Hostage" - symbolizes the dignity of the Serbs (even in the face of death)
• Mass graves - 2,000+ bodies found (1960s)
• Every year (5 October) - the citizens come, they do not forget
• Zasavica = where it all began - the first shooting under the "100 for 1 rule"

"Zasavica Memorial Park (near Šabac) - a memorial to the victims of the shootings (October 1941). On the site where the Germans shot Serbian hostages. Opened in 1981 (40 years later). Memorial plaque: 3,254 names engraved. The monument 'The Hostage' (Nebojša Mitrić) - symbolizes the dignity of the Serbs. Mass graves discovered in the 1960s (2,000+ bodies). Every year (5 October) - a commemoration: the citizens of Šabac come, lay flowers, read the names (3,254), a minute of silence. Zasavica = where it all began (5 October 1941 - the first shooting under the '100 for 1 rule'). WE WILL NEVER FORGET."