The Jastrebarsko children's camp held
Serb
The Serbs ( sr-Cyr, Срби, Srbi, ) are the most numerous South Slavic ethnic group native to the Balkans in Southeastern Europe, who share a common Serbian ancestry, culture, history and language.
The majority of Serbs live in their na ...
children who had been brought there from various areas of the
Axis
An axis (plural ''axes'') is an imaginary line around which an object rotates or is symmetrical. Axis may also refer to:
Mathematics
* Axis of rotation: see rotation around a fixed axis
*Axis (mathematics), a designator for a Cartesian-coordinate ...
puppet state
A puppet state, puppet régime, puppet government or dummy government, is a State (polity), state that is ''de jure'' independent but ''de facto'' completely dependent upon an outside Power (international relations), power and subject to its o ...
, the
Independent State of Croatia
The Independent State of Croatia ( sh, Nezavisna Država Hrvatska, NDH; german: Unabhängiger Staat Kroatien; it, Stato indipendente di Croazia) was a World War II-era puppet state of Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy (1922–1943), Fascist It ...
( hr, Nezavisna Država Hrvatska, NDH), during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
. The children had been captured as a result of massacres and
counter-insurgency
Counterinsurgency (COIN) is "the totality of actions aimed at defeating irregular forces". The Oxford English Dictionary defines counterinsurgency as any "military or political action taken against the activities of guerrillas or revolutionar ...
operations conducted by the genocidal
Ustaše
The Ustaše (), also known by anglicised versions Ustasha or Ustashe, was a Croats, Croatian Fascism, fascist and ultranationalism, ultranationalist organization active, as one organization, between 1929 and 1945, formally known as the Ustaš ...
-led government, its Axis allies and other
collaborators since the Axis
invasion of Yugoslavia
The invasion of Yugoslavia, also known as the April War or Operation 25, or ''Projekt 25'' was a German-led attack on the Kingdom of Yugoslavia by the Axis powers which began on 6 April 1941 during World War II. The order for the invasion was p ...
and establishment of the NDH in April 1941. The camp was located in the town of
Jastrebarsko
Jastrebarsko (; hu, Jaska), colloquially known as Jaska, is a town in Zagreb County, Croatia.
History
Antiquity
In 1865, remnants of a Roman settlement were uncovered in Repišće, Klinča Sela, a village in Jastrebarsko metropolitan area ...
, about southwest of the NDH capital,
Zagreb
Zagreb ( , , , ) is the capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Croatia#List of cities and towns, largest city of Croatia. It is in the Northern Croatia, northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slop ...
, and operated from 12 July until October 1942. Camp administration was provided by nuns of the
Daughters of Charity of Saint Vincent de Paul
The Company of the Daughters of Charity of Saint Vincent de Paul ( la, Societas Filiarum Caritatis a Sancto Vincentio de Paulo), commonly called the Daughters of Charity or Sisters of Charity of Saint Vincent De Paul, is a Society of Apostoli ...
order, with Ustaše guards.
Children arrived in an emaciated and weak condition from other camps within the Ustaše camp system, with a total of 3,336 children passing through the camp. Between 449 and 1,500 children died, mainly from disease and malnutrition. A sub-camp was established in nearby
Donja Reka
Donja Reka is a settlement in the Jastrebarsko administrative area of Zagreb County, Croatia
, image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg
, image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg
, anthem = " Lijepa naša domovi ...
. The
Yugoslav Partisans
The Yugoslav Partisans,Serbo-Croatian, Macedonian, Slovene: , or the National Liberation Army, sh-Latn-Cyrl, Narodnooslobodilačka vojska (NOV), Народноослободилачка војска (НОВ); mk, Народноослобод ...
liberated about 350 children from the main camp inAugust 1942. In October 1942, about 500 of the surviving children were dispersed among local families by the Catholic aid group,
Caritas; in total, 1,637 boys and girls were taken in by families in Jastrebarsko, Zagreb and surrounding villages, and another 113 were relocated to
Gradiška.
Background
In April 1941, the
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
**Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ger ...
-led
Axis
An axis (plural ''axes'') is an imaginary line around which an object rotates or is symmetrical. Axis may also refer to:
Mathematics
* Axis of rotation: see rotation around a fixed axis
*Axis (mathematics), a designator for a Cartesian-coordinate ...
invasion of Yugoslavia
The invasion of Yugoslavia, also known as the April War or Operation 25, or ''Projekt 25'' was a German-led attack on the Kingdom of Yugoslavia by the Axis powers which began on 6 April 1941 during World War II. The order for the invasion was p ...
overran the country. While the invasion was still underway, the Germans orchestrated the proclamation of the
Independent State of Croatia
The Independent State of Croatia ( sh, Nezavisna Država Hrvatska, NDH; german: Unabhängiger Staat Kroatien; it, Stato indipendente di Croazia) was a World War II-era puppet state of Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy (1922–1943), Fascist It ...
( hr, Nezavisna Država Hrvatska, NDH) by the
fascist
Fascism is a far-right, Authoritarianism, authoritarian, ultranationalism, ultra-nationalist political Political ideology, ideology and Political movement, movement,: "extreme militaristic nationalism, contempt for electoral democracy and pol ...
and
Croat
The Croats (; hr, Hrvati ) are a South Slavic ethnic group who share a common Croatian ancestry, culture, history and language. They are also a recognized minority in a number of neighboring countries, namely Austria, the Czech Republic, Ge ...
-chauvinist
Ustaše
The Ustaše (), also known by anglicised versions Ustasha or Ustashe, was a Croats, Croatian Fascism, fascist and ultranationalism, ultranationalist organization active, as one organization, between 1929 and 1945, formally known as the Ustaš ...
party. The government of this
Italo-German quasi-
protectorate
A protectorate, in the context of international relations, is a State (polity), state that is under protection by another state for defence against aggression and other violations of law. It is a dependent territory that enjoys autonomy over m ...
immediately implemented a "savage policy aimed at fashioning a largely homogeneous state out of a heterogeneous population". According to the historian and political scientist
Sabrina P. Ramet
Sabrina Petra Ramet (born June 26, 1949) is an American academic, educator, editor and journalist. She specializes in Eastern European history and politics and is a Professor of Political Science at the Norwegian University of Science and Techno ...
, the NDH was run by the most brutal and bloody puppet regime in Axis-dominated Europe during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, which incited widespread massacres and operated concentration camps targeting
Serbs
The Serbs ( sr-Cyr, Срби, Srbi, ) are the most numerous South Slavic ethnic group native to the Balkans in Southeastern Europe, who share a common Serbian ancestry, culture, history and language.
The majority of Serbs live in their na ...
,
Jews
Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...
,
Romani people
The Romani (also spelled Romany or Rromani , ), colloquially known as the Roma, are an Indo-Aryan ethnic group, traditionally nomadic itinerants. They live in Europe and Anatolia, and have diaspora populations located worldwide, with sig ...
and other "undesirables". In particular, the Ustaše regime expelled large numbers of Serbs from the NDH, and was involved in widespread mass murder, resulting in Ramet's conclusion that it was
genocidal
Genocide is the intentional destruction of a people—usually defined as an ethnic, national, racial, or religious group—in whole or in part. Raphael Lemkin coined the term in 1944, combining the Greek word (, "race, people") with the Latin ...
in both intent and in practical terms.
The
Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
had a complex relationship with the NDH government, particularly due to the close relationship between Catholicism, Croatian nationalism, and historical Croatian polities. Some Catholic clergy, especially younger members, were intolerant towards Serbs and the
Serbian Orthodox Church
The Serbian Orthodox Church ( sr-Cyrl, Српска православна црква, Srpska pravoslavna crkva) is one of the autocephalous (ecclesiastically independent) Eastern Orthodox Christian denomination, Christian churches.
The majori ...
for a range of reasons, with some Catholic clergy participating in forced conversions of Orthodox Serbs to Catholicism in accordance with Ustaše policy.
Under the
Treaties of Rome
The Treaty of Rome, or EEC Treaty (officially the Treaty establishing the European Economic Community), brought about the creation of the European Economic Community (EEC), the best known of the European Communities (EC). The treaty was sig ...
of 18 May 1941, Italian occupation troops had withdrawn south of the so-called "Vienna Line" which divided the NDH into Italian and German spheres of influence. They re-occupied this area in August in order to properly secure the
Adriatic
The Adriatic Sea () is a body of water separating the Italian Peninsula from the Balkans, Balkan Peninsula. The Adriatic is the northernmost arm of the Mediterranean Sea, extending from the Strait of Otranto (where it connects to the Ionian Sea) ...
coast. However, in June 1942, they again withdrew most of their troops from this area, concentrating only on securing large population centres and railroads. Included in this withdrawal were Italian troops that had been garrisoned in the
Jastrebarsko
Jastrebarsko (; hu, Jaska), colloquially known as Jaska, is a town in Zagreb County, Croatia.
History
Antiquity
In 1865, remnants of a Roman settlement were uncovered in Repišće, Klinča Sela, a village in Jastrebarsko metropolitan area ...
area.
Origins
The decision to establish the Jastrebarsko children's camp was taken due to the large numbers of Serb children who had been rounded up during anti-Serb massacres conducted by NDH forces since April 1941. Children had also been taken during anti-
Partisan
Partisan may refer to:
Military
* Partisan (weapon), a pole weapon
* Partisan (military), paramilitary forces engaged behind the front line
Films
* ''Partisan'' (film), a 2015 Australian film
* ''Hell River'', a 1974 Yugoslavian film also know ...
operations conducted by German, NDH and other
collaborationist
Wartime collaboration is cooperation with the enemy against one's country of citizenship in wartime, and in the words of historian Gerhard Hirschfeld, "is as old as war and the occupation of foreign territory".
The term ''collaborator'' dates to t ...
forces between April 1941 and June 1942, such as the
Kozara Offensive
The Kozara Offensive (also known as Operation West-Bosnien) was fought in 1942 on and around the mountain of Kozara in northwestern Bosnia. It was an important battle of the Yugoslav Partisan resistance movement in World War II. It later became ...
. Their parents and older siblings had often been killed or sent to labour camps both within the NDH and elsewhere in Axis-occupied Europe. Those children who had not been killed in the massacres and counter-insurgency operations were rounded up, as their villages had in most cases been burned to the ground, and they had no means of support.
By mid-1942, over 1,000 children that had been rounded up during the Kozara Offensive were being held at the
Stara Gradiška concentration camp
Stara Gradiška was a concentration and extermination camp in the Independent State of Croatia (NDH) during World War II. The camp was specially constructed for women and children of Serb, Jewish and Romani ethnicity. Victims also included commun ...
, itself a sub-camp of the
Jasenovac concentration camp
Jasenovac () was a concentration camp, concentration and extermination camps, extermination camp established in the Jasenovac, Sisak-Moslavina County, village of the same name by the authorities of the Independent State of Croatia (NDH) in I ...
complex. Information about the plight of these children was passed to concerned citizens in the NDH capital,
Zagreb
Zagreb ( , , , ) is the capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Croatia#List of cities and towns, largest city of Croatia. It is in the Northern Croatia, northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slop ...
, one of whom was
Diana Budisavljević
Diana Budisavljević (; 15 January 1891 – 20 August 1978) was an Austrian humanitarian who led a major relief effort in Yugoslavia during World War II. From October 1941, on her initiative and involving many co-workers, she organized and provi ...
, an Austrian. Budisavljević approached an Ustaše-appointed member of the board of the
Croatian Red Cross
The Croatian Red Cross ( hr, Hrvatski Crveni križ) is the national Red Cross Society of Croatia.
The organization has over 370,000 volunteer members, as well as 550 professionals. The Red Cross has been active in the country since 1878.
Externa ...
, Kamilo Brössler, and told him about the children at Stara Gradiška. Brössler was horrified, and with the support of representatives of the
International Committee of the Red Cross
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC; french: Comité international de la Croix-Rouge) is a humanitarian organization which is based in Geneva, Switzerland, and it is also a three-time Nobel Prize Laureate. State parties (signato ...
, began to place pressure on the NDH government to release the children. Budisavljević also used her contacts with the German Army to intervene with the Ustaše regime on behalf of the children.
The NDH government struck upon the idea of trying to re-educate the children to become something akin to an Ustaše version of the
Hitler Youth
The Hitler Youth (german: Hitlerjugend , often abbreviated as HJ, ) was the youth organisation of the Nazi Party in Germany. Its origins date back to 1922 and it received the name ("Hitler Youth, League of German Worker Youth") in July 1926. ...
, thereby turning them against their Serb parents. The regime saw this as a more effective way of placing pressure on the Partisan movement than killing the children outright. However, the NDH regime had not made any arrangements to implement this idea, so the children's camp was established in haste, especially as there was strong pressure to do something for the children. NDH regime propaganda advanced the idea that the children were being liberated from slavery at the hands of the Partisans.
Establishment
![Dvorac Erdödy Jastrebarsko](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/df/Dvorac_Erd%C3%B6dy_Jastrebarsko.jpg)
The camp was established in the town of
Jastrebarsko
Jastrebarsko (; hu, Jaska), colloquially known as Jaska, is a town in Zagreb County, Croatia.
History
Antiquity
In 1865, remnants of a Roman settlement were uncovered in Repišće, Klinča Sela, a village in Jastrebarsko metropolitan area ...
, about southwest of the NDH capital, Zagreb. This location was chosen due to its close proximity to Zagreb, which reduced exposure to Partisan influence and made defence easier. The buildings earmarked to accommodate the children were: the castle Dvorac Erdödy, the nearby
Franciscan
The Franciscans are a group of related Mendicant orders, mendicant Christianity, Christian Catholic religious order, religious orders within the Catholic Church. Founded in 1209 by Italian Catholic friar Francis of Assisi, these orders include t ...
monastery, and the former
Italian
Italian(s) may refer to:
* Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries
** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom
** Italian language, a Romance language
*** Regional Ita ...
barracks and stables. It was located in an area that had previously been garrisoned by Italian troops under an agreement with the NDH government.
The castle had previously housed a children's home and, in the spring and summer of 1941, a transit camp for Jews and political opponents of the regime, in which they were held, tortured, and then moved to other concentration camps. Preparations for the reception of the children were completed hastily by the Croatian Red Cross and local peasants. At the head of the camp administration was a nun, Sister
Barta Pulherija, a member of the
Daughters of Charity of Saint Vincent de Paul
The Company of the Daughters of Charity of Saint Vincent de Paul ( la, Societas Filiarum Caritatis a Sancto Vincentio de Paulo), commonly called the Daughters of Charity or Sisters of Charity of Saint Vincent De Paul, is a Society of Apostoli ...
order, and Sister Gaudencija was the manager of the camp estate. Pulherija was the sister-in-law of
Mile Budak
Mile Budak (30 August 1889 – 7 June 1945) was a Croatian politician and writer best known as one of the chief ideologists of the Croatian fascist Ustaša movement, which ruled the Independent State of Croatia during World War II in Yugoslavia ...
, a senior Ustaše ideologist and high-ranking NDH official. The staff otherwise consisted of members of the
Ustaše Youth
The Ustaše Youth (, hr, Ustaška mladež) was the youth wing of the Ustaše, a Croatian fascist and ultranationalist organization active during the interwar period and World War II. The Ustaše governed a German-Italian puppet state called the ...
and female Ustaše.
A sub-camp was established on 31 July at
Donja Reka
Donja Reka is a settlement in the Jastrebarsko administrative area of Zagreb County, Croatia
, image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg
, image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg
, anthem = " Lijepa naša domovi ...
, north of Jastrebarsko, under the same administration as the main camp. It was situated in an old brick factory, and barracks and stables previously used by the Italian Army. Conditions at this sub-camp were even worse than at the main camp, with no electricity, running water or sanitary facilities. Food was extremely poor, and disease and death were common among the up to 2,000 children kept there.
Operation
Initial transport
In early July 1942, 16 Red Cross nurses were sent from Zagreb to the Stara Gradiška concentration camp to collect 650 children and bring them to Jastrebarsko. The journey of from Stara Gradiška to Zagreb took 24 hours, during which 17 children died. During decontamination procedures in Zagreb another 30 children died. Another 37 very ill children were placed in a Zagreb hospital, but they also died soon after. The remaining 566 children made it to Jastrebarsko alive, and the camp opened on 12 July 1942.
Further transports
A second group of 770 children from Stara Gradiška followed on 13–14 July, while a third, consisting of another 850 children, were transported from the concentration camps at
Mlaka and Jablanac near Jasenovac at the end of the month. On 5 August, 800 more children arrived from Mlaka. The final group arrived at the Donja Reka site from the
village of Gornja Rijeka on 14 August with 150 children, all boys. In total, 3,136 children arrived at the camp up to 14 August. According to the historian Dragoje Lukić, a total of 3,336 children passed through the camp during its existence, aged between one and fourteen years old.
One survivor, Dušanka Šmitran, who had previously been held at one of the sub-camps of the Jasenovac concentration camp complex, stated that she was dragged away from her mother at the sub-camp and she and the other children were packed tightly into railway wagons for the journey. On arrival in Zagreb, she said they were taken to the Croatian Red Cross building where they were washed, had their hair cut, and were allowed to eat as much as they could. She remarked that this was the only time such things occurred during her time in the Ustaše camps.
Arrival
![Ustaše symbol](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/42/Usta%C5%A1e_symbol.svg)
Upon arrival, the children were exhausted and virtually naked. Their appearance was skeletal, especially those transported from Stara Gradiška. Many had swollen bellies due to malnourishment, thin pale faces, and teeth falling out. Almost all were suffering from severe
diarrhea
Diarrhea, also spelled diarrhoea, is the condition of having at least three loose, liquid, or watery bowel movements each day. It often lasts for a few days and can result in dehydration due to fluid loss. Signs of dehydration often begin wi ...
, and most had multiple diseases. Some children died after the effort of simply getting up.
No preparations had been made for the arrival of the initial transport, accommodation had not been set aside and no food had been prepared. The children were placed in different parts of the camp based on their condition. The healthier and stronger children were housed in the barracks, weaker and sick children were accommodated in the castle, and the very weak and those suffering from
typhus
Typhus, also known as typhus fever, is a group of infectious diseases that include epidemic typhus, scrub typhus, and murine typhus. Common symptoms include fever, headache, and a rash. Typically these begin one to two weeks after exposure.
...
were lodged in the monastery. Upon arrival, the children were clothed in the black uniform of the Ustaše with caps bearing the Ustaše symbol.
The former castle comprised the camp "hospital" and accommodated about 300 children. Another 250 girls were housed in the nearby former Italian barracks. The monastery area of the camp consisted of three former Italian Army stables, which contained about 700 boys between the ages of 10 and 15 years. Only Serb children were kept in the camp, and they came from all over the NDH. They had previously been kept at the camps at Stara Gradiška, Jasenovac, Jablanac,
Cerovljani
Cerovljani ( sr, Церовљани) is a village in the municipality of Gradiška, Republika Srpska, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh, / , ), abbreviated BiH () or B&H, sometimes called Bosnia–Herzegovina and often ...
, Mlaka, Gornja Rijeka and areas of Slavonia. Those accommodated in the barracks had no electricity or running water, and food initially consisted of little more than cornflour.
Camp routine and punishments
According to a survivor, Nada Požega from Slavonia, the children were forced to go to church to pray, and were required to greet others with the Ustaše greeting ''Spremni'' (Ready) or the
Nazi salute
The Nazi salute, also known as the Hitler salute (german: link=no, Hitlergruß, , Hitler greeting, ; also called by the Nazi Party , 'German greeting', ), or the ''Sieg Heil'' salute, is a gesture that was used as a greeting in Nazi Germany. Th ...
''Heil Hitler''. Those children who failed to do so were punished by the Ustaše guards with beatings or
solitary confinement
Solitary confinement is a form of imprisonment in which the inmate lives in a single cell with little or no meaningful contact with other people. A prison may enforce stricter measures to control contraband on a solitary prisoner and use additi ...
. Požega further stated the nuns did not treat the children with sympathy or care. Another survivor, Mihajlo Veljić, recalled that the barracks were fenced with barbed wire, and that they slept on the straw-covered floor. He stated that the Ustaše tried to
convert the children to Catholicism. He personally feared a nun, Sister Mercedes, but all the children feared Pulherija.
Another survivor, Radomir Krnjajić, recalled that they were fed a variety of foods, including pumpkin soup, cucumbers, beets and similar vegetables, and sometimes received a little macaroni or beans, but very little bread. Gojko Knežević, another camp survivor, recounted many years later that the nuns beat the children with birch branches dipped in salt water or vinegar. The author and former military judge Ivan Fumić concludes that the children were systematically punished for various infractions, and were treated harshly by the Ustaše and the majority of the nuns. Some of the nuns at the camp, however, did demonstrate affection and pay attention to the children.
Humanitarian response
In response to the parlous conditions and poor state of the children's health, the Croatian Red Cross and some locals from Jastrebarsko and Donja Reka, led by , a local teacher, Communist and social worker, collected food and distributed it among the children, decorated the walls, and treated their illnesses. It took some time for the helpers to earn the trust of the children due to the latter's harsh treatment at the hands of the Ustaše, but gradually their health began to improve. The helpers lived in the camp and at the sub-camp with the children. Pulherija railed against all this but was unable to stop it.
Disease and deaths
The parlous state of the children's health is apparent when at one point, 400 were suffering from
dysentery
Dysentery (UK pronunciation: , US: ), historically known as the bloody flux, is a type of gastroenteritis that results in bloody diarrhea. Other symptoms may include fever, abdominal pain, and a feeling of incomplete defecation. Complications ...
, 300 had
measles
Measles is a highly contagious infectious disease caused by measles virus. Symptoms usually develop 10–12 days after exposure to an infected person and last 7–10 days. Initial symptoms typically include fever, often greater than , cough, ...
, 200 had
typhoid
Typhoid fever, also known as typhoid, is a disease caused by '' Salmonella'' serotype Typhi bacteria. Symptoms vary from mild to severe, and usually begin six to 30 days after exposure. Often there is a gradual onset of a high fever over several ...
, 200 had
diphtheria
Diphtheria is an infection caused by the bacterium '' Corynebacterium diphtheriae''. Most infections are asymptomatic or have a mild clinical course, but in some outbreaks more than 10% of those diagnosed with the disease may die. Signs and s ...
and another 100 had
mumps
MUMPS ("Massachusetts General Hospital Utility Multi-Programming System"), or M, is an imperative, high-level programming language with an integrated transaction processing key–value database. It was originally developed at Massachusetts Gener ...
. Many children were also suffering from
scurvy
Scurvy is a disease resulting from a lack of vitamin C (ascorbic acid). Early symptoms of deficiency include weakness, feeling tired and sore arms and legs. Without treatment, decreased red blood cells, gum disease, changes to hair, and bleeding ...
due to the poor diet. Based on incomplete records, monthly mortality figures have been given as: July – 153; August – 216; September – 67; and October – 8. To these can be added five children who died in hospital in Zagreb, for a total of 449.
Lukić states that this figure, and the figure of 468 victims which is engraved on the monument to the victims of the camp in Jastrebarsko, are unreliable. He cites documentary evidence provided by the local
gravedigger
A gravedigger is a cemetery worker who is responsible for digging a grave prior to a funeral service.
Description
If the grave is in a cemetery on the property of a church or other religious organization (part of, or called, a churchyard), g ...
Franjo Ilovar, whose notes indicate a much higher mortality among the children. Ilovar listed a total of 768 burials of children at the Jastrebarsko cemetery, but Lukić points out that Ilovar was not the only gravedigger burying children, and further reports that Ilovar himself believed that the figure on the monument was too low. A survivor interviewed in 2010 quoted Ilovar as saying that he buried 1,018 children from the camp. A news report in 2010 stated that 1,500 children died in the camp. According to the records of the Croatian Red Cross, of the 1,507
Kozara
Kozara ( sr-cyrl, Козара) is a mountain in western Bosnia and Herzegovina, in the town of Kozarac and in the Bosanska Krajina region, bounded by the Sava River to the north, the Vrbas to the east, the Sana to the south, and the Una to the ...
n children brought to Jastrebarsko, 163 died. When the children died, they were placed into empty sugar crates which were stacked along the fence of the camp awaiting disposal.
Lukić notes that the mortality rate among the children at Jastrebarsko was much lower than that of children at Stara Gradiška and
Sisak
Sisak (; hu, Sziszek ; also known by other alternative names) is a city in central Croatia, spanning the confluence of the Kupa, Sava and Odra rivers, southeast of the Croatian capital Zagreb, and is usually considered to be where the Posavin ...
for two reasons. Firstly, almost half the children at Jastrebarsko were older children more able to cope with the harsh conditions. More importantly, from the end of July, twenty-six volunteer nurses from the teachers' school at
Rude
Rudeness (also called effrontery) is a display of actual or perceived disrespect by not complying with the social norms or etiquette of a group or culture. These norms have been established as the essential boundaries of normally accepted beha ...
near
Samobor
Samobor () is a city in Zagreb County, Croatia. It is part of the Zagreb metropolitan area. Administratively it is a part of Zagreb County.
Geography
Samobor is located west of Zagreb, between the eastern slopes of the Samobor hills ( hr, Samo ...
, along with several doctors and other medical personnel, under the leadership of Marinić, began to intervene with the camp administration and Ustaše guards to improve the health of the children. The Ustaše propaganda soon took advantage of the improved condition of the children.
Partial liberation of camp
The local Partisans had been advised of the presence of the camp and the children, probably by Branko Davila, a doctor who had worked at the pre-existing children's home on the camp site. At dawn on 26 August 1942, the Partisan 4th Kordun Brigade attacked the camp and dispersed the Ustaše guards. The children heard shooting and began shouting that the Partisans had arrived. Despite attempts by the nuns to hide the children, Partisan troops broke into the buildings and rescued many children. Some of the fighters even found a brother or sister within the camp. The Partisans gave what food they had to the children, and led away from the camp all the children who could walk.
According to Fumić, the weaker and ill children were lodged with compassionate local peasants, but 350 of the strongest children were taken away by the fighters. According to Lukić, a total of 727 children were liberated from the camp, but at the first rest stop at Svetojanska, medical examinations by Davila identified about 400 weak and sick children who could no longer walk, and they were returned to Jastrebarsko. Davila estimates the number of children actually liberated from the camp at around 400.
During the march through vineyards and cornfields, the emaciated children ate as much as they could. Lukić states that the Partisans rested the remaining children at
Žumberak for a day, before arranging for them to be transferred across the
Kupa
The Kupa () or Kolpa ( or ; from la, Colapis in Roman times; hu, Kulpa) river, a right tributary of the Sava, forms a natural border between north-west Croatia and southeast Slovenia. It is long, with its border part having a length of and th ...
river into liberated areas of the
Bosanska Krajina
Bosanska Krajina ( sr-cyrl, Босанска Крајина, ) is a geographical region, a subregion of Bosnia, in western Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is enclosed by a number of rivers, namely the Sava (north), Glina (northwest), Vrbanja and Vrba ...
. According to one survivor, Mihajlo Veljić, some of the children who were liberated from the camp by the Partisans in August 1942 were placed with families in the Žumberak district and were subsequently re-captured by the Ustaše. Some were killed and others were returned to the camp.
Closure and aftermath
The Partisan attack on the camp and their liberation of a significant number of children brought the Ustaše to the realisation that this and similar camps for children could not be maintained. In late October 1942, 500 of the remaining children were dispersed to families in the surrounding villages by the Catholic aid group,
Caritas. A total of 1,637 boys and girls were taken in by families in Zagreb, Jastrebarsko and surrounding villages. Of the remaining children, 113 were relocated to
Bosanska Gradiška. The Jastrebarsko camp was then dismantled, although the castle continued to house about 300 sick children, many of whom remained there until the war ended.
![Grobnica djece sa Kozare Mirogoj](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/32/Grobnica_djece_sa_Kozare_Mirogoj.jpg)
On 15 October 1944, Marinić filed charges against Pulherija and Gaudencija before the Croatian State Commission for the Determination of Crimes by the Occupiers and Their Supporters. Pulherija fled to Austria before the end of the war, the only nun working at the camp to do so. Gaudencija remained at the Children's Home, eventually moving to
Ljubljana
Ljubljana (also known by other historical names) is the capital and largest city of Slovenia. It is the country's cultural, educational, economic, political and administrative center.
During antiquity, a Roman city called Emona stood in the ar ...
. Although she was sentenced to death by the Partisans after the liberation of Zagreb and her year of death is listed as 1945, there exists no firm proof or reliable source that confirms she was actually executed. No attempt to extradite Pulherija was ever made. According to Fumić, the inhumane actions of Pulherija and other nuns and their role in the deaths of many children has never been addressed, much less condemned, by the
Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
. Pulherija died in Austria in 1981.
Those children who survived the Jastrebarsko and Donja Reka camps did so only because concerned individuals from Zagreb, Jastrebarsko, and surrounding villages offered humanitarian aid. Among those who worked to alleviate children's suffering were Marinić, Budisavljević, and Davila. One survivor, Milan Vujić, was taken from the camp when he was sick and cared for until the end of the war by a Croatian family in
Koprivnica
Koprivnica () is a city in Northern Croatia, located 70 kilometers northeast of Zagreb. It is the capital and the largest city of the Koprivnica-Križevci county. In 2011, the city's administrative area of 90.94 km2 had a total popu ...
. They had never accepted the Ustaše regime or its policies. Many Croats, he stated, took in and even adopted children from Jastrebarsko and treated them kindly.
On 26 August 2010, the 68th anniversary of the partial liberation of the camp by the Partisans, children who died at the camp were commemorated in a ceremony at a monument in the Jastrebarsko cemetery. It was attended by only 40 people, mainly members of the Union of Anti-Fascist Fighters and Anti-Fascists of the Republic of Croatia. No journalists, locals, politicians or officials attended the memorial, aside from the local deputy mayor, Aleksandar Stanić, who said that the locals "have nothing to do with what happened in the camps".
In 2022, the Serbian Orthodox Church canonized the victims of the camp along with those of the
Sisak II children's camp as the "Saint children martyrs of Jastrebarsko and Sisak". In response, the
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Zagreb
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Zagreb ( hr, Zagrebačka nadbiskupija, la, Archidioecesis Zagrebiensis) is the central archdiocese of the Catholic Church in Croatia, centered in the capital city Zagreb. It is the metropolitan see of Croatia, an ...
sent a letter to
Patriarch Porfirije protesting the canonization, stating that "with regard to this matter, the
Holy Synod of Bishops of the Serbian Orthodox Church has obviously accepted rhetoric and
communist propaganda
Communist propaganda is the artistic and social promotion of the ideology of communism, communist worldview, communist society, and interests of the communist movement. While it tends to carry a negative connotation in the Western world, the t ...
, full of untruths and manipulations, with which it is being attempted to blame innocent people for the alleged torture and murder of children, thousands of whom, owing to the love and care of Croatian Catholics, were saved from death and survived the difficult wartime conditions."
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{{Authority control
1942 establishments in Croatia
1942 disestablishments in Croatia
1940s in Zagreb
Anti-Serbian sentiment
Anti-Eastern Orthodoxy in Catholicism
Catholicism and far-right politics
Catholic Church in Croatia
Concentration camps of the Independent State of Croatia
Croatian nuns
History of the Serbs of Croatia
Murdered Serbian children
Persecution of Eastern Orthodox Christians