Jagodina in the World War II (1941–1945)

The exhibition “Jagodina in the World War II (1941–1945)” is being organized to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of the World War II. The theme of the exhibition is Jagodina and its surroundings in the period from the beginning of the World War II until the end of the largest world conflict in history (April 1941–September 1945). Through selected material presented by exhibition panels and objects from museum collections, a period of history that left a deep mark on the people of this area is depicted. Some objects will be presented to the public for the first time.

This exhibition, unlike previous exhibitions on the aforementioned topic, examines the period of the World War II in this area in a comprehensive way. While previous presentations has been focused on the activities of the communists and the partisan movement, this time the activities of other actors in the events of 1941–1945 are also presented in parallel (Kosta Pećanac’s Chetniks, Draža Mihailović’s Chetniks, Nedić’s, Ljotić’s…). During the preparation of this exhibition, precise identification was determined for certain objects, so this exhibition will feature their full names, which is new compared to previous exhibitions. This primarily applies to weapons and military equipment.

The Regional Museum of Jagodina has a very rich collection of materials related to the period of World War II. Great credit for this goes to Dušan Vukićević, the founder and first director of our Museum, as well as Dimitrije-Mita Abadić, an official of the People’s Committee of the City Municipality of Svetozarevo (Jagodina) and an associate of the Museum. The part of this material was exhibited in the former Museum of the National Liberation Army (1952–1963). The exhibition “Jagodina in the World War II (1941–1945)” includes material from the Regional Museum of Jagodina, the Historical Museum of Serbia, Belgrade, the Museum of Yugoslavia, Belgrade, the National Library of Serbia, Belgrade, the Genocide Victims’ Museum, Belgrade, the Historical Archives of Jagodina, the Historical Archives of Požarevac, the property of Nemanja Dević and private property.

The significance of this exhibition is that it complements previous knowledge about the period of World War II, thereby actively joining the Museum in marking the 80th anniversary of the end of this great conflict. The exhibition will be open to the public until October 11, 2025.