Lepoglava concentration camp

{{Main|Lepoglava prison}}

The Lepoglava prison was established in Austria-Hungary in the 19th century{{harv|Miletić|1986|p=351}}:"Kazneni zavod Lepoglava osnovan je još u Austro-Ugarskoj Carevini, sredinom 19. veka u prostorijama samostana fratra Pavlina i ...." and continued to serve as a prison in the nations that succeeded Austria-Hungary, including Yugoslavia (1918–41) and Croatia (1992–present). During World War II, it was transformed into a concentration camp.

The Lepoglava camp had similar atrocity rates as other concentration camps in Croatia,{{harv|Stopar|1959|p=293}}: "Iako je nastao kasnije od onih u Jasenovcu i Gradiški, logor se u Lepoglavi, po zvjerstvima koja su u njemu izvršena, ne razlikuje od ostalih." and a similar organizational structure to the Jasenovac extermination camp. Administrative, Labor, Economy, and Security departments each had a separate commandant.{{harv|MS|1974|p=160}}: " У погледу организационе структуре логор у Лепоглави био сличан логору у Јасеновцу. Постојао је заповједник логора, Управни одјел са картотеком, Радни одјел, Господарски одјел и благајна, и Сигурносна служба." The commandants were Mirko Cvitkovac, Ljubo Miloš, Miro Natijević, and Nikola Gađić.{{harv|Megargee|White|2018|p=70}}

The camp's first prisoners included Jews who, after their arrival, were supported by food, clothing, and medicine from the Jewish community of Zagreb.{{harv|Megargee|White|2018|p=71}}:"Additionally, the Jewish community in Zagreb sent clothing, medicine, and food to Jewish prisoners in Lepoglava."

In July and August 1943, Yugoslav Partisan units requested approval from the Croatian Partisan headquarters to attack Jasenovac extermination camp and release its inmates.{{harv|Komarica|Odić|2008|p=246}} The headquarters refused the requests{{harv|Komarica|Odić|2008|p=246}} but proposed attacking Lepoglava instead.{{harv|Komarica|Odić|2008|p=246}}: "Umesto da napadnemo jasenovački logor oni nam savetuju da tu akciju sprovedemo na logor Lepoglava." This proposition was accepted.{{harv|Komarica|Odić|2008|p=246}}: "Uzgred da napomenem da smo ispoštovali predlog da napadnemo Lepoglavu..."

The Partisan forces captured Lepoglava on 14 July 1943, intentionally on Bastille Day.{{harv|Dedijer|1990|p=420}} They first attacked the camp with artillery and then charged it with infantry.{{harv|Dedijer|1970|p=387}}:"Пошто je наша артилерија засула Лепоглаву извршен je jypиш... " On the day it was captured, the commandant of the camp was Mirko Cvitkovac.{{harv|KS|1988|p=119}} About 15% of its inmates were Communists who subsequently joined the Partisans.{{harv|KS|1988|p=119}}

This was the Partisans' most important action in northwestern Croatia.{{harv|Kožar|1964|p=3}}

After the Partisans took over the camp, Croatian forces recaptured it and put it under the control of Bureau 3 of the Ustaše Surveillance Service. Ljubo Miloš was made commandant{{harv|Peršen|1963|p=}} at the beginning of 1944.{{harv|Dedijer|1987|p=442}}

In 1945, Ustaše decided to close the camp and move its inmates to Jasenovac because they considered Lepoglava insecure.{{harv|MS|1974|p=160}}: "Да би се осигурале од сваке евентуалности усташе су преселиле логор Стара Градишка и Лепоглава јер им је то подручје постало несигурно. " Some 1,300 inmates were transported to Jasenovac,{{harv|Megargee|White|2018|p=71}} where all of them were killed, except for around 50 who managed to escape during the transport.Honestly the camp was pretty boring it was pretty much a basic place.{{cite news |last=Porobija |first= Željko |date=30 April 2017 |title=Prije točno 72 godine u Lepoglavi je pobijeno 961 maturanata i studenata - ubijeni i urotnici protiv Pavelića |url=https://evarazdin.hr/nasim-krajem/prije-tocno-72-godine-u-lepoglavi-je-pobijeno-961-maturanata-i-studenata-363297/ |work=evarazdin.hr |location=Varaždin, Croatia |access-date= 15 July 2018 }} On 30 April 1945, Ustaše killed about 80 inmates who remained in the camp, as well as 961 young people, mostly students at a nearby facility that is now known as Memorial Cemetery ({{langx|hr|Spomen groblje}}).{{cite news |last=N.L./V.V. |date=30 April 2017 |work=varazdinske-vijesti.hr }}

{{Reflist|30em}}

{{refbegin|20em}}

• {{cite book|last1=Megargee|first1=Geoffrey P.|last2=White|first2=Joseph R.|title=The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Encyclopedia of Camps and Ghettos, 1933–1945, vol. III: Camps and Ghettos under European Regimes Aligned with Nazi Germany|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8nBTDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA70|date=29 May 2018|publisher=Indiana University Press|isbn=978-0-253-02386-5}}
• {{cite book|last=Stopar|first=Vlado|title=Hrvatsko Zagorje u narodnooslobodilačkoj borbi|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=I6QaAAAAIAAJ|year=1959|publisher=Epoha}}
• {{cite book|last=Miletić|first=Antun|title=Koncentracioni logor Jasenovac 1941-1945: dokumenta|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=SaOEAAAAIAAJ|year=1986|publisher=Narodna knjiga|isbn=9788633100250}}
• {{cite book|last=Dedijer|first=Vladimir|title=The War Diaries of Vladimir Dedijer: From November 28, 1942, to September 10, 1943|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rW3zAAAAMAAJ|date=1 May 1990|publisher=University of Michigan Press|isbn=978-0-472-10109-2}}
• {{cite book|last=Peršen|first=Mirko|title=Lepoglava|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lE8-AAAAIAAJ|year=1963|publisher=Epoha}}
• {{cite book|last=Dedijer|first=Vladimir|title=Vatikan i Jasenovac: dokumenti|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QbcMAAAAIAAJ|year=1987|publisher=Rad|isbn=9788609000751}}
• {{cite book|last=MS|title=Proceedings in history|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=t51mAAAAMAAJ|year=1974|publisher=Odeljenje za društvene nauke, Matica srpska}}
• {{cite book|last=Kožar|first=Boris|title=Lepoglava, 1943-1963|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yVx5AAAAIAAJ|year=1964|publisher=Novinsko izdavačko i štamparsko poduzeće}}
• {{cite book|last=Dedijer|first=Vladimir|title=Od 28 novembra 1942 do 10 novembra 1943|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8IsrAAAAMAAJ|year=1970|publisher=Prosveta}}
• {{cite book|last=KS|title=Kaj|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=D-vlAAAAMAAJ|year=1988|publisher=Kajkavsko Spravišče}}
• {{cite book|last1=Komarica|first1=Slavko|last2=Odić|first2=Slavko F.|title=Zašto Jasenovac nije oslobođen|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JfshAQAAIAAJ|year=2008|publisher=Iros|isbn=978-953-6300-43-3}}

{{refend}}

{{Concentration camps in Independent State of Croatia}}

{{Genocide of Serbs}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lepoglava, concentration camp}}

Category:Concentration camps of the Independent State of Croatia

Category:History of Slavonia

Category:Holocaust locations in Yugoslavia