European Culture(s) of Remembrance - Edition: “Croatia in Focus”

VENUES OF VICTIMS // VENUES OF PERPETRATORS

Event series on “European Culture(s) of Remembrance”

In 2018, the project "Venues of Victims // Venues of Perpetrators. Mapping, Decoding & Processing the Role of Historical civic education in (European) Youth Work" was successfully implemented by EJBW and its international partners from 12 European countries. Building on the experience of this initial edition, a second project edition, conducted from 2021 to 2023, focused on dictatorial regimes in Europe after 1945 as a central topic of historical civic education. In addition to addressing local histories of political violence, repression, and propaganda in the affected countries, both project phases paid special attention to how recent history is represented in local cultures of remembrance.

Drawing on these experiences, EJBW and its partners will implement six related international activities between 2025 and 2027. These activities will take the form of advanced seminars for multipliers working in the field of history and/or civic (youth) education. The program will provide a platform for dialogue between professionals from various areas of public history—bringing together representatives of museums, memorial sites, and public institutions, as well as history teachers, academics, and lecturers engaged in historical civic education—with youth workers, civic educators, trainers, and civil society actors active in the field of non-formal education.

The events will take place in six different European countries, starting with a seminar in Germany in March 2025, followed by the current call for participation in the Croatia event scheduled for September 2025. Each event will aim to interrelate four key dimensions: first, it will explore how major historical events are represented in local, regional, and national cultures of remembrance. Second, it will examine how past and present cultures of remembrance influence political and social dynamics in the respective countries. Third, it will provide insights into local practices of historical civic education. Fourth, it will create space for exchange, networking, and collaboration among participants on these and related topics.

When & where?

• 06.-12.09.2025 | Zagreb & Rijeka (Croatia)

Key themes & schedule

The second project event takes place under the title “European Culture(s) of Remembrance: Croatia in Focus.” The program offers insights into key historical narratives and related public controversies in the European Union’s youngest member state, while also creating space for exchange among participants.

The 20th-century history of present-day Croatia was shaped by three wars, each marked by heavy casualties, abrupt border changes, and intense ideological shifts. While traces of various periods from the first half of the century remain visible in the local architecture, Croatia’s culture of remembrance primarily centers on World War II, the era of communist Yugoslavia, and the Croatian War of Independence. These themes will be among the key topics discussed with local experts in the field of memory culture.

Planned visits to the Jasenovac Memorial and the Memorial Centre “Lipa pamti” will focus on the commemoration of atrocities committed by Croatian and German Axis forces during World War II. These visits will offer a chance to explore how local commemorative practices have evolved over the decades, as well as to examine the symbolic relevance of World War II in Croatia’s contemporary culture of remembrance.

The period of communist Yugoslavia will be addressed through a visit to the remains of the former political prison on Goli Otok in the northeastern Adriatic. This exploration will continue with the exhibition on the ship Galeb, scheduled to open in summer 2025.

The transformation of the former presidential yacht of Yugoslav leader Josip Broz Tito into a museum has sparked debate in Croatia, reflecting wider controversies over the evaluation of Tito’s legacy. In contrast, the remembrance of the Croatian War of Independence will be explored during a visit to the Museum of the Homeland War in Karlovac.

Additionally, monuments, political graffiti, and street names will offer further insights into the complexity of Croatia’s culture of remembrance and serve as a valuable starting point for group discussions on the concept of national memory culture.

Target group(s)

Youth workers, (civic) educators, teachers, trainers, staff of museums & remembrance places, researchers, representatives of civil society organisations etc. with interest and strong background in historic-civic (youth) education (18 years +) from Erasmus+ programme countries.