Jasenovac: Memorial Site, River Landscape and Cultural Heritage

Jasenovac lies in Lonjsko Polje Nature Park on the left bank of the Sava, opposite the mouth of the Una. The townscape combines a riverside landscape with a significant memorial site and other traces of the town’s history. The memorial site, Memorial Museum and Education Centre each focus on different aspects of remembrance: the former camp, individual life stories and confronting violence.

Memorial Site and Museum

In the wider destination of Općina Jasenovac, the Flower Monument, designed by Bogdan Bogdanović, dominates the memorial area. It was built in 1966 on the site of the former Camp III Brickworks. The earthen mounds and hollows are also part of the memorial landscape: they mark former camp structures and execution sites. Other features include a path by the lake, a memorial train on the former camp railway, the Memorial Museum and the Education Centre. Together, these places and features point to the site’s former use and its commemorative purpose.

The Memorial Museum was built right beside the inner area of the former Camp III Ciglana Jasenovac and opened on 4 July 1968. Its permanent exhibition places individual life stories in the context of mass atrocities. The museum also preserves and displays materials related to the Jasenovac camp and its prisoners.

The Education Centre opened on 27 November 2006. Young people learn there to recognize, prevent and stop forms of violence, as well as to protect potential victims. The centre also encourages visitors to reflect on victims, the causes and perpetrators of crimes, resistance to crimes and their own attitudes towards crime.

Local History and Cycling Routes

The town’s architectural heritage also extends beyond the memorial area. At its centre is the parish church of the Assumption of Mary and St Nicholas, Bishop, built in 1829. Buildings belonging to the former Kožara labour group have also been preserved in Jasenovac. The church dating from 1829 and the Kožara buildings represent different historical associations within the town.

Jasenovac is also connected to two cycling routes with different itineraries. The 77.8-kilometre National Sava Cycling Route passes through Jasenovac to Drenov Bok and continues towards Novska. The SMŽ 1 continues from Jasenovac at the confluence of the Una and Sava, running along settlements on the left bank of the Una. The routes therefore differ mainly in direction: onward towards Novska or along the Una’s left bank. If you are planning a stage, check local route conditions before cycling.

Cultural Heritage in the Wider Destination of Općina Jasenovac

Krapje is a village of architectural heritage and a rural ensemble of international importance; its traditional folk architecture is listed in the Register of Cultural Monuments. The Palaić family’s ethnological collection in Krapje comprises more than 170 objects, mainly textiles, wood and ceramics. It illustrates the way of life, clothing, livelihoods, knowledge and skills of a typical family in Krapje. Most of the objects are housed in a traditional two-storey wooden house in the Posavina architectural style.

Discover more destinations: Uštica, Krapje

View the wider travel guide: Općina Jasenovac.