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The “Sajmište” (Exhibition Grounds) in Semlin, Serbia: The Changing of Memory

November 16, 2010 | Dr. Mladenka Ivanković

In 1937 a national exhibition site opened in Belgrade. Originally intended to represent indigenous advancements, in 1941 it became a Nazi concentration camp called Sajmište and its main use became the extermination of Jewish women, children, and elderly. This was not recognized until the 1980s; until then the climate was one of socialism. During the nationalist era, history was propagandized by the state to suit its own purposes, and truth was concealed.