GOLI OTOK - THE HISTORY OF THE CAMP

The island of Goli Otok is a site of great symbolic importance in the contemporary history of Croatia and ex-Yugoslavia. It is a place marked by the labor camp for political prisoners and later prison which existed on this island in the second half of the 20th centry. This abandoned spot has been in decay for decades, but the history of Goli Otok is still a source of disputes in Croatia and beyond. In the summer of 2020, NGO Documenta and the Friedrich Ebert Foundation (FES) presented the virtual guide to the history of the camp on Goli Otok. The intention of the guide is to provide the wider public in Croatia and abroad insight into Goli Otok’s historical events and contemporary interpretations. The guide establishes a didactically appropriate mode that confronts the wider public with an important issue from the past. In this way, it contributes to building democratic political culture in Croatian society. The presentation of the new edition of the virtual guide will be followed-up with a discussion on the importance of critically addressing the topic of political violence and a short-guided tour of Goli Otok.