European experts call for urgent action to revitalise the endangered Partisan Memorial Cemetery in Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina

Press release | Report
 
Europa Nostra, the leading European heritage civil society network, has released a comprehensive Report  urging for the Partisan Memorial Cemetery in Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina, to be revitalised, properly managed and made publicly accessible. The Report was prepared by a European team of experts following the inscription of this national monument on the list of the 7 Most Endangered Programme. This programme is run by Europa Nostra with the support of the European Investment Bank Institute and the Creative Europe Programme of the European Union.

On 11 May, Sneška Quaedvlieg-Mihailović, Secretary General of Europa Nostra, handed the first copy of the report to Nermin Nikšić, Prime Minister of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and presented its key findings at a conference held at the Parliamentary Assembly of Bosnia and Herzegovina in Sarajevo. (Find the recording of the event here; Sneška Quaedvlieg-Mihailović’s remarks begin at 32:00.)

The Report marks two important anniversaries: the 60th anniversary of the inauguration of the Partisan Memorial Cemetery in Mostar and the 20th anniversary of the designation of this heritage place as a National Monument of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Despite its status as a protected masterpiece of memorial and anti-fascist architecture by Bogdan Bogdanović, the cemetery remains critically endangered by systematic neglect and extremist vandalism, notably following the deliberate destruction of over 700 stone memorial markers in 2022.

The European team of experts recommends a series of concrete measures for the safeguarding and revitalisation of the Partisan Memorial Cemetery, highlighting:

• Urgent security needs: The alarming and unacceptable state of the site requires the implementation of physical protection and the criminal accountability of perpetrators of acts of vandalism.
• Shared responsibility: It is important to mobilise and duly coordinate all levels of government to prioritise the site’s revitalisation, with due involvement of all relevant experts and other stakeholders (local, regional, national and European), and with an adequate supervisory role  by the Commission to Preserve National Monuments.
• European/international support: Given the European significance of the Partisan Memorial cemetery and its multilayered values, securing strategic and/or financial support from the EU, UNESCO, and the Council of Europe is essential.
• Investing in education and interpretation: Appropriate educational and interpretation activities must be developed for the benefit of all generations, centred on Bogdan Bogdanović’s legacy.
• Multifunctional use: Leveraging the site’s potential for tourism and climate resilience, for the benefit and  well-being of inhabitants and visitors of Mostar.

“The publication of this Report is not merely an alarm bell. It is also an invitation: to recommit to European values, to defend the rule of law, to invest in institutional resilience and professional knowledge, and to place cultural heritage at the heart of democratic renewal and of a shared European future for citizens and communities in Bosnia and Herzegovina,” the Report emphasises.

The Report was compiled by a European team of experts, namely Guy Clausse, Vice-President of Europa Nostra (Luxembourg); Sneška Quaedvlieg-Mihailović, Secretary General of Europa Nostra (The Netherlands);  Dr Joachim Schneider, Economist and Urban Planner (Germany); and David Castrillo, Architect (Spain). It was produced in consultation with the following independent experts from Bosnia and Herzegovina and the wider region: Dr Senada Demirović, Head of the local NGO IDEAA, which submitted the nomination of the Partisan Memorial Cemetery for the 7 Most Endangered Programme 2023; Dr Amra Hadžimuhamedović, President of the HIDR – Centre for Peace and Heritage, and member of the Advisory Panel of the 7 Most Endangered Programme; Dr Dragan Markovina, Historian from Croatia, who was born and raised in Mostar; and Dr Slavica Vujović, President of Europa Nostra Serbia, Conservation Architect, who was born and raised in Mostar. 

The Report builds on a mission to Mostar and Sarajevo (October 2024), during which experts from Europa Nostra met with representatives of relevant  authorities and agencies, as well as with representatives of the EU and UNESCO, academics and civil society. 

The findings of the mission were complemented and enriched further by expert inputs and recommendations, including the conclusions of the First Regional expert conference held on 25-28 September 2025 in Mostar for the 60th anniversary of the inauguration of the Partisan Memorial Cemetery.

 

Press materials

Photos of the Mission to Mostar and Sarajevo
Recording of the 11 May event at the Parliament

Find out more

Press release | Report

www.europanostra.org
www.7mostendangered.eu