Stay: Jasenovac Croatia- parking at memorial N45.2765 E16.9216
Visited: Ilok, Ovcara memorial, Vukovar cemetery, Dakovo, Jasenovac memorial
On the way out of Ilok we stopped to get some kuna’s from one of the numerous atms in the village and then went to have a closer look at the church and castle complex perched on the hill.
We also had a look at the winery and bought a bottle of red.
There was a strong smell of fermented wine in this shed!
Beautiful table set in a lovely room.
another bottle to taste ...
It’s harvest time...
Having read Our Bumble’s trip through this area we were inspired to travel a short distance to The Ovcara Memorial, which was a farm where 200 people of non-Serbian nationality were massacred on 20 November 1991.
At the entrance there were bullets set in the concrete floors.
Photos of the victims lined the walls of the building and there was a display of some of their personal possessions found in the mass grave.
In the middle of the room there was a candle and the victims names created a vortex.
The atrocities of war are difficult to comprehend. We then continued towards Vukovar and went to see the Memorial Cemetery of the Victims of Homeland War. This is the largest mass grave in Europe since WWII. There were 938 bodies exhumed and in their place 938 white crosses are placed.
In the centre of the cemetery there was 4m high bronze monument with the eternal flame in the middle. Once again the victims were mainly young men. Such a sad and tragic loss for their families...
There are many buildings in Vukovar that still bear the scares of war.
As we drove along the country roads to Dakovo our main observation was how clean and rubbish free Croatia was in comparison to all the countries we have travelled through since Hungary. The highlight of the town is the Cathedral basilica do St.Peter built in 1882 standing proudly in the main square with a pedestrian only street lined with restaurants.
Our last port of call for today was the site of the WWII Jasenovac Concentration Camp that was really an extermination camp established by the Independent State of Croatia (NDH). It was one of the largest in Europe where around 100,000 men, women and children (20,000) were killed, the majority being Serbian along with Roma, Jews, Croats and Bosnian Muslims. As there were no gas chambers it was notorious for it’s barbaric practices and murders. There was a museum that was free to visit and we spent time reading, looking and listening to the sad and tragic stories.
Names of victims
Too sad for words...
Feeling a little washed out by the horror of what humans are capable of doing to others, we had a break in Bluey. After dinner we walked out to the Stone Flower which was built as a memorial to the victims.
We pass a train and carriages and walk over a railway sleepers that symbolises the railway track that transported the prisoners to the camp.
In the surrounding field are mounds where the buildings once stood.
At the base of the Monument is a small lake where swans peacefully swim amongst the water lillies.
Quite a contrast of what used to be here but a fitting resting place for the victims. The sun sets and the thunder and lightning roll by and we settle in for the night.
Unfortunately that was not the end of our day...
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