Sajmište — Death Camp on the Banks of the Sava
A death camp for Jews, Roma and Partisans — more than 47,000 perished.
Read articleWars and Suffering
Events from the periods of war and the suffering of the Serbian people
63 articlesThe Kragujevac Execution Site - Šumarice Grove
Part of the Šumarice Memorial Park - the grove where schoolchildren were shot.
Read article21 October 1941 - Kragujevac Massacre, 2,778-7,000 Serbian civilians shot by the Germans
21 October 1941 - the Germans shoot 2,778-7,000 Serbian civilians in Kragujevac (reprisal for partisan attacks on German soldiers). Among the victims: gymnasium pupils (aged 11-18), factory workers, farmers, the elderly. Shot in Šumarice. The worst massacre in occupied Europe (WW2). The Germans applied the "100 for 1 rule" - for every German soldier killed, 100 Serbs were shot. A war crime. The Germans NEVER answered for it.
Read articleKragujevac gymnasium pupils 1941 - 300+ boys (aged 11-18) shot, the youngest victims of the massacre
21 October 1941 - the Germans shoot 300+ pupils of the Kragujevac gymnasium and primary schools (boys aged 11-18). The Germans arrested pupils straight from the classroom (Professor Miloje Pavlović protested - he was shot together with the pupils). Youngest victim: 11 years old. Mothers found their children in Šumarice (shot with their school books in their hands). A symbol of innocence destroyed by war. Today: the Gymnasium "21 October" - a memorial to the pupils.
Read articleKragujevac 1941 - a German war crime, impunity (no one answered for the 2,778-7,000 Serbs shot)
The Kragujevac massacre (21 October 1941) - a German war crime documented at the Nuremberg Trials (1945-1946). The "100 for 1 rule" was a violation of the Hague Convention (collective punishment is prohibited). General Franz Böhme (responsible for the massacre) committed suicide in 1947 (before trial). NONE of the German officers who carried out the massacre were convicted. Impunity. A contrast with the ICTY (Hague Tribunal) - Serbs convicted for lesser crimes. Double standards of justice.
Read article"The Kragujevac October" – A Symbol of Serbian Suffering (Desanka Maksimović's poem, book, film, commemoration)
"The Kragujevac October" – a symbol of Serbian suffering in WWII (the massacre of 21 October 1941, when the Germans executed 2,778–7,000 Serbs). The poem "A Bloody Fairy Tale" (Desanka Maksimović, 1945) – dedicated to the grammar-school pupils. The book "A Diary about Čarnojević" (Mihailo Lalić). The film "The Kragujevac October" (1980). Every year (21 October) – the Day of Remembrance (citizens come to Šumarice, lay flowers). "The Kragujevac October" = a symbol: we will never forget.
Read articleŠumarice - the Kragujevac Memorial Park
The largest monument to a massacre of civilians in occupied Europe - 7,000 shot in October 1941.
Read article16-20 October 1941 - the Kraljevo massacre, 2,000-5,000 Serbian civilians shot by the Germans (the first major massacre)
16-20 October 1941 - the Germans shoot 2,000-5,000 Serbian civilians in Kraljevo (reprisal for a Partisan attack). The "100 for 1 rule" - for every German soldier killed, 100 Serbs shot. Kraljevo = the FIRST major massacre (3 weeks BEFORE Kragujevac). Shootings over 5 days. Among the victims: pupils, workers, peasants, priests. Youngest victim: 16. The Germans were NEVER held accountable. The second-worst massacre in occupied Serbia.
Read article"First Defenders" Kraljevo 1941-1942 - Workers of the "Prvi Partizan" factory shot (600+), resistance to the German occupation
"First Defenders" - workers of the "Prvi Partizan" factory in Kraljevo (an ammunition manufacturer). October 1941 - the Germans occupied the factory, arrested 600+ workers. 16-20 October 1941 - most of the workers shot in the massacre. "First Defenders" = a symbol of Serbian resistance (workers refused to work for the Germans). The factory today bears the name "Prvi Partizan" - in honor of the workers who were shot. A memorial plaque with 612 names of workers.
Read article"Crvena zora" (Red Dawn) Kraljevo - Symbol of the Massacre (poem, book, film), 16-20 October 1941
"Crvena zora" (Red Dawn) - a symbol of the Kraljevo massacre (16-20 October 1941). The poem "Crvena zora" (Desanka Maksimović, 1945) - dedicated to the victims. The book "Crvena zora nad Kraljevom" (Red Dawn over Kraljevo) (Miloš Minić, 1960). The film "Kraljevski voz" (The Royal Train) (1981) - depicts the massacre. Every year (16 October) - Day of remembrance. "Crvena zora" = a metaphor: the blood of the Serbs coloured the sky above Kraljevo.
Read articleStolice Memorial near Kraljevo
The execution site where the Germans shot more than 2,000 residents of Kraljevo in October 1941.
Read articleGeneral Paul Bader - Reprisal order in Kraljevo (1941), "special brutality needed to break Serbian resistance"
General Paul Bader (commander of German troops in Serbia, 1941) - ordered the massacre in Kraljevo (16-20 October 1941). Telegram: "Special brutality needed to break Serbian resistance." 2,000-5,000 Serbs shot. Bader also took part in the Kragujevac massacre (21 October). Nuremberg Trial - charged with war crimes. But: released in 1951 (served only 6 years). Died in 1959 - never fully held accountable. Impunity.
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