Fall of the town of Vukovar, "Croatia's Stalingrad", after a three month siege

Once a prosperous river port on the Danube at the far east of the country, and the birthplace of Nobel Prize winning chemist Lavoslav Ružička, Vukovar was burned to the ground during three months of uninterrupted bombing and was conquered after 87 days of siege. The first demolished European town since 1945, whose inhabitants were deported, Vukovar became a symbol of the Croatian resistance: despite the overwhelming superiority of the assailant, its 110 armoured combat vehicles were nevertheless destroyed and the heroic resistance of the town drew the Serbian offensive to a halt, which then lost momentum along the 960 km front line in Croatia, stretching from Vukovar to Dubrovnik.

1991

18 November

Photo: Ron Haviv

More than 2500 dead and missing, survivors deported

During the siege and destruction of Vukovar, 1131 civilians and 879 defenders were killed. 260 wounded and staff of the town hospital were executed, 550 persons were reported missing and more than 20,000 civilians were deported to camps in Serbia, many of whom would never return. The total destruction of Vukovar, its heroic resistance and the immense suffering of its residents are a poignant reminder of the struggle for Croatia's independence and the high cost of freedom.