Uštica lies between the Sava and Una rivers, opposite Jasenovac. The town offers a clear thematic focus for travelers who wish to engage with remembrance of Roma victims of the Second World War. The Roma Memorial Center and the adjacent cemetery are at its heart.

Remembrance in Uštica

From 1942 to 1945, Ustaše operated a camp for Roma in Uštica; it was part of the Jasenovac camp system. At the camp site near the Roma cemetery in Uštica, at least 17,000 Roma were deported, tortured, and murdered during the Second World War. The Roma Memorial Center Uštica is a memorial to the Roma victims of the genocide during the Second World War.

The Roma cemetery, with 21 mass graves, is directly next to the center. A black marble memorial plaque marks the cemetery; its inscription names 21 graves. The Jasenovac Memorial Site maintains the cemetery in Uštica. The center serves education and information, as well as further research into the fate of the Roma.

The “House of Wails” in Uštica is also identified as a place of detention for Roma women and children. In the park behind the center stands a monument to Hajrija Imeri Mihaljić. Both sites add further specific points of remembrance alongside the cemetery and Memorial Center.

Plan your visit and memorial dates

The route from Jasenovac to the Roma cemetery crosses the bridge over the Sava, follows the embankment along the Una, and continues toward the Orthodox cemetery on Tratinska Street. Check route and access conditions before traveling; road conditions and access rules may change.

On August 2, 2024, a Samudaripen remembrance ceremony was held at the Roma cemetery in Uštica. If a memorial event is important to your trip, check the latest event details in advance.

Uštica within the wider destination of Općina Jasenovac

Uštica is one of ten settlements in Općina Jasenovac. Almost the entire area of Općina Jasenovac lies within Lonjsko polje Nature Park. In the wider destination of Općina Jasenovac, Jasenovac is also a distinct historical point of reference: the permanent exhibition at the Jasenovac Memorial Museum places individual life stories in the context of mass atrocities and preserves and presents materials about the Jasenovac camp and its prisoners. The Flower Memorial in Jasenovac was designed by Bogdan Bogdanović; in 1966, it was built on the site of the former Camp III Brickworks.

Another cultural highlight in the wider destination of Općina Jasenovac is Krapje. The village is a village of architectural heritage and a rural ensemble of international importance; its traditional vernacular architecture is listed in the Register of Cultural Monuments. Since receiving the designation in 1995, it has traditionally hosted Architectural Heritage Day every September.

Krapje’s architectural and cultural tradition offers another, quite different option in the wider destination of Općina Jasenovac. Choose your accommodation base according to the places you plan to include in your stay.

Discover more destinations: Krapje, Jasenovac.

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