On this day, July 5th, 2026, it has been 85 years since the establishment of the Banjica concentration camp. Already in the first weeks of the occupation, the idea of founding a camp in Belgrade was considered, and the first written traces connected to the establishment of the Banjica camp date from May 1941.
The decision to establish the camp in Belgrade was made before June 22nd. The Germans initially proposed using the building of the former prison of the State Protection Court on Ada Ciganlija, but this was abandoned. A special commission, composed of members of the Belgrade City Administration and the Gestapo, decided that the camp would be located in the building of the 18th Infantry Regiment at Banjica. The building had two floors and a basement and was chosen because it was believed it could accommodate a large number of prisoners.
The formal decision to establish the Banjica camp was made by the German occupation authorities before July 10, as seen in a letter from Dragomir Jovanović, head of the City of Belgrade, sent to the president of the Belgrade municipality. Although the exact date cannot be determined from the letter, it is assumed to have been July 5, the day Svetozar Vujković arrived at Banjica as camp commander. The first prisoners, 87 men and 12 women, arrived on July 9th, among them Slobodan Luković from Kraljevo, a philosophy student and communist, who was executed on August 15th.
At the time of the first arrivals, iron bars had been installed only in one larger basement room but work quickly began to adapt the building to its new purpose. Massive doors with iron bars were erected, bars were placed on all rooms, and metal partitions were installed between corridors and halls. In September 1941, five‑meter‑high walls replaced barbed wire. The wall was pentagonal, with five towers at the corners equipped with machine
guns.
At night, the camp was lit by searchlights, and lights in the rooms were not allowed to be turned off. Vujković was camp commander, with Đorđe Kosmajac as his assistant, but they had to obey Gestapo decisions. Among the Germans in the camp were Volksdeutsche, and particularly notorious for cruelty were Sergeant Peter Krieger and physician Major Jung.
Each room had its purpose: some housed prisoners sent by the Germans, others those arrested by the Special Police, and some were mixed. The placement of new prisoners often hinted at their fate — whether they would be executed, sent to forced labor, or released. Hostages were usually placed in the “German wing of the camp” and could move more freely. In June 1942, prisoners were classified into four categories according to the severity of their alleged crimes. The first category included those accused of the most serious offenses, while the fourth included those who could be released. However, even those in the third or fourth category were sometimes executed.
Upon arrival, prisoners’ personal data were recorded, and all belongings were confiscated. They were entered into camp registers in order of arrival. Wake‑up was around 5 a.m, followed by a brief time for washing. If there was crowding, guards punished prisoners physically. The first meal was served around 10 a.m, usually a small piece of cornbread made from moldy flour. Lunch was a thin soup, and after 6 PM prisoners were locked in rooms. Walks were occasionally allowed, but talking during them was forbidden. Prisoners had to walk with hands behind their backs and heads lowered. Interrogations were the hardest. Hunger and poor hygiene led to epidemics such as dysentery and typhus. Political discussions, singing, noise, or possession of any items (especially writing tools) were strictly forbidden. Despite this, prisoners recited poetry, held small performances and lectures, and even managed several successful escapes.
The Banjica camp operated until October 1944. The last prisoners were freed on October 4th. The camp registers recorded 23,697 names, though this is not the final number, as those held only briefly before execution were not listed. Among the prisoners were about 1,000 minors. Several dozen people from Kraljevo and nearby villages passed through the camp. In addition to the aforementioned Slobodan Luković, prisoners included Olga Milutinović, brothers Jovan and Života Pirić, Branko Nasakanda (who led firefighters that managed to leave occupied Kraljevo in autumn 1941), Jovanka Hljup Đorđević (imprisoned with her daughter Mirjana), and Vladimir Radičević (deputy commander of the Goč Chetnik detachment, later joining the Ibar detachment). While some survived, for others, such as Luković and Radičević, Banjica was the final chapter of their lives.
Milena Baltić
Editor of the Education and Scientific Program
of the Official Internet Presentation of the National Museum Kraljevo