ZAGREB, 11 May 2022 - Vertreibungstag was observed in Krndija near Đakovo on Wednesday in memory of the day at the end of WWII when the Partisans expelled the majority German population and turned the village into a labour camp for villagers who had not left their homes and other members of the German community.

A prayer was said at the memorial at the local cemetery, wreaths were laid and candles lit. The commemoration was organised by the Đakovo branch of the Danube Swabians Association and was also attended by representatives of the City of Đakovo.

Parish priest Đurica Pardon recalled that 77 years ago today the expelled Germans left their homes in Krndija, whose population then was almost 2,500.

The villagers who stayed ended up in a grave at the local cemetery alongside many others from the Đakovo area and other parts of Croatia who had been brought to the Krndija labour camp, he said.

Pardon spoke of the horrors the inmates went through and said that none of the Danube Swabians who lived in Krndija until the end of WWII ever came back.

Today the village has 40 inhabitants and the church has been reconstructed, which the Partisans shelled and later used as an artificial fertiliser warehouse.

For more, make sure to check out our dedicated lifestyle section.