Slavonia Sights

Shopping Nightlife Performing Arts

1. Mjesto Sjećanja–Vukovar Bolnica

You'll want to bring a steady set of nerves with you to this site: during the siege of Vukovar, the top four floors of the hospital were destroyed by consistent bombing, despite being designated an official safe zone; still, staff continued to work in the basement and bomb shelter, helping civilians and soldiers, operating even without running water. After Vukovar fell in 1991, and despite an agreement that the hospital must be safely evacuated, more than 200 people were removed from the hospital by a Serbian militia and brought to Ovčara farm, where they were beaten, tortured, and eventually executed. Others were sent to prisons or to refugee camps. Today, the structure has been rebuilt and functions as a regular hospital again, but the areas used during that time have been converted into a chilling multimedia museum-memorial. Opening hours are very sporadic, but in theory it is open from 8 am to 1 pm. Reach the memorial through the main gate of the hospital (under the Bolnica sign); ask at the small guard station on your right if it's open. You'll then find the memorial down the ramp to the right; the entrance is marked by a giant red cross, full of holes.