Memorial Museum '21st October'

Top choice in Serbia


Šumarice Memorial Park is home to a sombre museum that tells the harrowing story of the 1941 massacre of around 3000 Kragujevac civilians during the German occupation of Serbia. A 7km circular road leads through the 352-hectare park, past the locations of 30 mass graves and 10 memorials. A gallery of paintings by renowned Yugoslav artist Petar Lubarda is part of the permanent exhibition, as are the personal effects and heartbreaking farewell messages of those who were executed.

There are audio guides in five languages; the exhibition includes English translations.

One of the classrooms of the Kragujevac grammar school, from where the Nazis led about 300 students and teachers to their execution, is today also a memorial room. Each year on 21 October, a commemorative event called 'Veliki školski čas' (meaning 'the great school class') is held in the park, next to the Monument to Executed Students and Teachers.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Serbia attractions

1. Kragujevac National Museum

1.14 MILES

A complex of several modest buildings, the National Museum is centred around the former konak (residence) of Prince Miloš, built in 1860. The Oriental…

2. Old Foundry Museum

1.37 MILES

This fascinating museum is housed in the 1882 building of Kragujevac's old cannon factory (topolivnica). Part of the Prince's Arsenal industrial complex,…

3. Oplenac Royal Complex

18.73 MILES

Oplenac, in the town of Topola, is where Karađorđe plotted the Serbian insurrection against the Turks in 1804. One ticket grants access to all attractions…

4. Church of St George

18.77 MILES

Don't be misled by its austere exterior: inside this white-marble, five-domed church – part of the Oplenac Royal Complex in Topola – eye-smartingly…

5. Žiča Monastery

25.69 MILES

The blood-red Žiča (1208), established by Stefan Prvovenčani, belongs to the top echelon of Serbian monasteries – this is where all the kings from the…

6. Manasija Monastery

29.14 MILES

Hemmed in by mammoth walls with 11 towers, Manasija (1418) was a fortified hideout for artists and writers fleeing the Turkish invasion. Many consider its…

  • placement: superzone
  • path: Destinations/POIs/superzone
  • possible size: [970, 250], [970, 90], [728, 90], [1, 1],
  • targeting:
    {
      "url": "serbia/kragujevac/attractions/memorial-museum-21st-october/a/poi-sig/1604332/1342590",
      "destination": "Serbia",
      "continent": "Europe",
      "country": "Serbia",
      "position": "superzone"
    }