• Vraca Memorial Park
The »Vraca Memorial Park« has since the 1980s commemorated the victims of World War II in Sarajevo.
Image: Sarajevo, undated, Historic postcard of the city, Stiftung Denkmal
Sarajevo, undated, Historic postcard of the city, Stiftung Denkmal

Image: Sarajevo, 2009, Vraca Memorial, John Mulhouse
Sarajevo, 2009, Vraca Memorial, John Mulhouse
Until the end of the First World War, Bosnia-Herzegovina and its capital Sarajevo were part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. The Austro-Hungarian authorities constructed fortifications at strategically important sites, such as on the Trebević mountain in the south of Sarajevo. The fortress built on this site is called Vraca, like the neighbouring district of Sarajevo. When the German Wehrmacht invaded Yugoslavia in April 1941, the state was dismembered. Bosnia-Herzegovina was incorporated into the Independent State of Croatia (Croatian: Nezavisna Država Hrvatska, NDH), a fascist state ruled by the Ustaša movement and a close ally of the German Reich. During World War II, the Vraca fortress was used as a prison and execution site: Ustaša henchmen murdered thousands of people here, primarily Serbs, Muslims, Jews, communists and partisans. Many of the victims were buried close to the fortress.
Image: Sarajevo, undated, Historic postcard of the city, Stiftung Denkmal
Sarajevo, undated, Historic postcard of the city, Stiftung Denkmal

Image: Sarajevo, 2009, Vraca Memorial, John Mulhouse
Sarajevo, 2009, Vraca Memorial, John Mulhouse
More than 11,000 victims' names are listed on a memorial plaque in the Vraca Memorial Park. Thousands were executed by members of the Ustaša. The list of victims includes the names of over 7,000 Jews who perished in Ustaša camps. Many citizens of Sarajevo died in Wehrmacht air raids on the city in 1941. The Vraca Memorial Park also displays the names of more than 2,000 partisans from Sarajevo.
Image: Sarajevo, 2009, View from the fortress, John Mulhouse
Sarajevo, 2009, View from the fortress, John Mulhouse

Image: Sarajevo, 2009, Devastated interior of the fortress, John Mulhouse
Sarajevo, 2009, Devastated interior of the fortress, John Mulhouse
In 1981, the former Vraca fortifications were remodelled into a memorial park. There are several monuments in the park, including walls with victims' names, sculptures, and a fountain at the centre of the memorial complex. After the Bosnian War (1992-1995), Serbian troops destroyed the premises while retreating. The city of Sarajevo began restoring the fortress and memorial part in 2001, yet due to a lack of funds the restoration has not yet been completed. The memorial park was declared a national monument in 2005.
Image: Sarajevo, 2009, Vraca Memorial, John Mulhouse
Sarajevo, 2009, Vraca Memorial, John Mulhouse

Image: Sarajevo, 2009, Tito Memorial, John Mulhouse
Sarajevo, 2009, Tito Memorial, John Mulhouse
Name
Spomen-Park Vraca
Open
The memorial park is accessible at all times.