Kulturno dobro „Staro sajmište - Logor gestapoa” - mesto zaborava i/ili sećanјa

Abstract

Kulturno dobro „Staro sajmište - Logor Gestapoa” u Beogradu, osmišlјeno i realizovano kao reprezentativan sajamski kompleks koji je trebalo da bude podstrek ekonomskom razvoju Kralјevine Jugoslavije, za vreme rata pretvoreno je u koncentracioni logor, gde je internirano oko 39000 zatočenika, od kojih je oko 17000 stradalo. Danas ovaj prostor sa očuvanim sajamskim/logorskim pavilјonima predstavlјa snažno svedočanstvo tragičnog perioda naše nedavne istorije. Međutim, nakon rata, umesto mesta sećanja postaje mesto zaborava, umesto memorije mesto stanovanja i poslovnih aktivnosti njegovih novih stanovnika/korisnika. Iako je, u periodu od 1945. do sredine osamdesetih godina prošlog veka, više puta pokretano pitanje njegovog obeležavanja, izostala je konkretna realizacija. Tokom poslednje tri decenije, i nakon podizanja jednog skromnog spomen-obeležja i javnog spomenika, koji je ujedno mesto održavanja komemorativnih skupova posvećenih Holokaustu i Genocidu, potom utvrđivanja prostora za nacionalnu kulturnu baštinu i donošenja plana detalјne regulacije, kao osnove uređenja prostora spomenika kulture, do danas je ostalo neobeleženo mesto stradanja jevrejske zajednice u Srbiji, kao i ostalih žrtava najvećeg nemačkog logora na području Jugoistočne Evrope. Zakon o Memorijalnom centru „Staro sajmište”, donet 2020, najavlјuje novi odnos prema jednom od najznačajnijih mesta sećanja na stradanja u Drugom svetskom ratu ne samo na području Beograda, nego i čitave Srbije.

The cultural monument Staro Sajmište Gestapo Concentration Camp in Belgrade, sumptuous fairgrounds conceptualised and erected to be the impetus to the economic development of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia, during World War II was turned into a concentration camp, where some 39,000 souls were interned, and 17,000 of them perished. The preserved fairground pavilions turned into concentration camp barracks now stand as poignant reminders of a tragic period in our recent history. Once WWII was over, instead of becoming a place of remembrance, Staro Sajmište became a place of oblivion, providing residential and office space to its new tenants rather than commemorating those of the past. Although between 1945 and the mid-1980s, the issue of properly marking the place was repeatedly raised, actual action was never taken. Apart from the erection of a modest memorial plaque and a public monument where Holocaust and genocide commemorative events have been held, designating the complex as the national cultural heritage, and adopting the detailed regulation plan to serve as a base for planning the cultural heritage site, the last three decades have seen no progress in properly marking the place of perishing of the Jewish population in Serbia, as well as other victims of the biggest German concentration camp in South-East Europe. The Law on the Staro Sajmište Memorial Complex, passed in 2020, stands as a herald of the changed attitude towards one of the most important memorial points of those who lost their lives in WWII not just in Belgrade, but across Serbia.