With over 140,000 casualties and countless cities and towns left in ruins, Serbia bore a heavy toll during World War II. In an effort to come to terms with this national trauma, post-war Yugoslavia commissioned numerous monuments across the country, collectively known as spomeniks. Among them, deep within the forested outskirts of Niš, stands Bubanj Memorial Park — a solemn tribute to the thousands who perished in the war.
By: Omri Westmark
Date: 19:59 01.03.25
Last Update: 19:59 01.03.25
At the height of the Second World War, Serbia faced profound hardships as Axis forces occupied its territory, leaving a trail of death and destruction in their wake. It was during this time (in April 1941) that Nazi troops swiftly invaded and took control of Niš, subjecting its residents to severe oppression. Perhaps the era’s darkest chapter was the establishment of Crveni Krst (Red Cross), the city’s concentration camp, which served as a detention center for Jews, Roma, political dissidents, and other “undesirable” groups.
From February 1942 to September 1944, thousands of prisoners were transported from this camp to the nearby Bubanj forest, where they faced mass executions. Estimates suggest that over 10,000 individuals were systematically murdered in these tragic events. As the Red Army advanced in 1944, efforts were made to conceal these atrocities by exhuming and then burning the bodies.
To honor the victims and resistors, Bubanj Memorial Park was inaugurated in 1963 on the very grounds where these tragic events unfolded, about three kilometers from downtown Niš. Croatian sculptor Ivan Sabolić’s design was chosen after three competitions, and soon thereafter, the monument that now defines the park was erected. Its centerpiece, the “Three Fists” sculpture, comprises three concrete structures of varying heights and represents the fists of men, women, and children in a gesture of resistance.
The park also features a 23-meter-long marble relief composed of five panels. These panels narrate the progression from oppression to liberation, depicting scenes of execution, resistance, and ultimate victory over the oppressors. A memorial trail, roughly half a mile long, weaves through the nearby wooded area and invites visitors to reflect on the past amid the surrounding nature.
A glass and metal chapel, designed by architect Alexander Buđevac, was introduced to the site in 2004. Its unconventional form, however, resembles an oversized, colorless Rubik’s Cube rather than a traditional Christian place of worship. In 2009, the entire memorial hill also underwent extensive restoration to safeguard its historical significance.
Today, the park stands as a tribute to those who lost their lives in history’s deadliest conflict as well as a testament to the local spirit of resistance against oppression. Visitors who come here can reflect upon this bleak moment in time as they acknowledge the courage of those who stood against tyranny.
photography by: Omri Westmark
photography by: Omri Westmark
The iconic relief
photography by: Omri Westmark
photography by: Omri Westmark
photography by: Omri Westmark
