Vraca Memorial Park

During the occupation of Sarajevo during WWII, the Vraca fort was turned into a prison camp and execution site, where many Sarajevans were killed. Victims who were killed within the fortress or outside its walls were buried around the structure and the captives were either killed on site or at police torture centers in town.

The fortress was abandoned for some time after the Second World War. However, as Vraca soon became a synonym for resistance and the struggle against fascism by ordinary citizens, it was decided that a memorial park should be made and the fortress should be turned into a museum.

The design of this facility was entrusted to Vladimir Dobrović, and the landscaping and sculptures were taken care of by Aleksandar Maltarić and Alija Kučukalić, respectively.

The Vraca Memorial Park was opened on BiH Independence Day on November 25, 1981 and houses a commemorative display in honor of the Sarajevans who were killed during the war, as well as for members of the city’s resistance movement and the Yugoslav Army who were from Sarajevo.

Fascist occupiers killed 9, 091 Sarajevans and 2, 057 fighters were killed during battles with occupying forces and quislings and 755 of these were members of the underground resistance movement, which was active throughout the occupation.

The Vraca Memorial Park was badly damaged during the last war and right after it came to an end.

The park was made a National Monument in 2005 by the Committee for the Preservation of National Monuments in BiH and, as such, is protected by the state.