• Memorial to the Victims of Fascism at Stara Gradiška
A memorial in the small village of Stara Gradiška honours the victims of the camp, which was operated in the village by the fascist Ustaša between 1941 and 1945. The Ustaša mainly incarcerated Serbs, Jews and Roma at this camp, murdering about 12,000 of them.
Image: Stara Gradiška, 1944, Exterior view of the camp, Hrvatski povijesni muzej
Stara Gradiška, 1944, Exterior view of the camp, Hrvatski povijesni muzej

Image: Stara Gradiška, 2007, Ruins of the former fortress, Stiftung Denkmal, Stefan Dietrich
Stara Gradiška, 2007, Ruins of the former fortress, Stiftung Denkmal, Stefan Dietrich
The small village of Stara Gradiška lies at the foot of a historical fortress on the river Save in the Slavonia region on the border to Bosnia. After the German invasion of Yugoslavia, the fascist Ustaša movement proclaimed the Independent State of Croatia (Croatian: Nezavisna Država Hrvatska, NDH), which also covered the area of present-day Bosnia-Herzegovina. The new regime set up numerous camps all over the country. The largest and most infamous of the camps was established in Jasenovac. In the summer of 1941, the Ustaša government set up a satellite camp of Jasenovac in Stara Gradiška, about 30 kilometres away: Jasenovac V. The old fortress in Stara Gradiška had served as a prison for political prisoners in Yugoslavia already since 1918. The Ustaša primarily deported Serbian, Croatian and Jewish women and children to this camp. Many prisoners came from the region of Kozara – partisans were very active there, and so the Ustaša arrested the population of entire villages and brought whole families to Jasenovac and Stara Gradiška. The children were taken to special children's camps. Many of the inmates died of abuse and torture. In 1945, partisans liberated the camp.
Image: Stara Gradiška, 1944, Exterior view of the camp, Hrvatski povijesni muzej
Stara Gradiška, 1944, Exterior view of the camp, Hrvatski povijesni muzej

Image: Stara Gradiška, 2007, Ruins of the former fortress, Stiftung Denkmal, Stefan Dietrich
Stara Gradiška, 2007, Ruins of the former fortress, Stiftung Denkmal, Stefan Dietrich
Most of the prisoners held at the Stara Gradiška camp were Serbian, Croatian and Jewish women and children. There were also male inmates, mostly political prisoners from Croatia and Serbia. Many of those incarcerated came from the region of Kozara, which today lies in Bosnia-Herzegovina. The Ustaša suspected them of cooperating with the partisans. It is not known precisely how many prisoners passed through the Stara Gradiška camp. According to the Jasonovac Camp Memorial, about 12,700 prisoners perished at Stara Gradiška or were murdered by members of the Ustaša.
Image: Stara Gradiška, undated, Women and children were held in the prison tower, Muzej Revolucije Narodnosti Jugoslavije
Stara Gradiška, undated, Women and children were held in the prison tower, Muzej Revolucije Narodnosti Jugoslavije

Image: Stara Gradiška, 2007, Former prison corridor, Vjeran Pavlaković
Stara Gradiška, 2007, Former prison corridor, Vjeran Pavlaković
In 1945, after the war, Tito partisans used the former camp as an internment camp for members of the Ustaša and rival partisan groups. In 1948, the camp was turned into a prison for political prisoners. During the protests of the so-called Croatian spring (Hrvatsko proljeće) of 1971, the Yugoslav Tito regime arrested many students, intellectuals and protesters and incarcerated them at Stara Gradiška. In 1990, the prison was shut down. During the Yugoslav wars, 1991 to 1995, the former prison was used by the Serbian side as a POW camp. Today, the premises are derelict and many buildings are in danger of collapsing. Much of the village has been abandoned. After the Second World War, survivors erected a memorial on the camp cemetery, but this too has become dilapidated.
Image: Stara Gradiška, 2007, The former prison, Vjeran Pavlaković
Stara Gradiška, 2007, The former prison, Vjeran Pavlaković

Image: Stara Gradiška, 2007, The derelict monument from the 1950s, Vjeran Pavlaković
Stara Gradiška, 2007, The derelict monument from the 1950s, Vjeran Pavlaković
Name
Spomenik Žrtvama Fašizma
Open
The memorial is always open to the public.