Bulgarian Military Cemetery, Vukovar

Bulgarian Military Cemetery in Vukovar is a war cemetery in eastern Croatia where 1,027 Bulgarian soldiers and officers lie buried. They died in 1944, in the closing phase of the Second World War in Yugoslavia, during the fight to liberate Vukovar from fascist forces. It is one of the quieter memorial sites in a town whose 20th-century history is marked by more than one war.

What is the Bulgarian Military Cemetery in Vukovar?

The cemetery is a collective burial ground for men of the 1st Bulgarian Army. In late 1944 this formation held the Syrmia Front line, a stretch running from Sotin through Grabovo, Berak and Orolik. The soldiers buried here fell in those battles, and the grave holds the remains of 1,027 people in total, both rank-and-file soldiers and officers.

Where is it located?

The site lies southeast of the centre of Vukovar, next to the New Cemetery of Dubrava. Anyone visiting the larger memorial cemetery for the victims of the Homeland War will therefore find the Bulgarian plot close by, which makes it easy to combine both stops in one walk through the town's remembrance sites.

How did the memorial develop over time?

The place was first marked in 1965. During the Croatian War of Independence in the 1990s the memorial was damaged, and Bulgarian accounts describe it as destroyed. A commemorative plaque was placed there in 1999. Between 1999 and 2002 the Bulgarian Embassy in Zagreb and the Bulgarian Ministry of Defence carried out a three-year restoration, completed in 2002. On 26 April 2016 a monument bearing the names of everyone buried at the cemetery was consecrated, giving each of the 1,027 men a place in the written record of the site.

Is the cemetery still used for ceremonies?

Yes. Every year around 6 May, on the Day of Valour and Holiday of the Bulgarian Armed Forces, a memorial ceremony is held here to honour the fallen. Bulgarian state delegations also come to pay respects: President Rumen Radev laid tribute at the cemetery on 15 July 2025.

What can a visitor expect?

This is a place for quiet reflection rather than a typical sightseeing stop. It suits travellers interested in the Second World War in the Balkans, in military history, or in the layered memory of Vukovar, where memorials from different eras and different nations stand within a short distance of each other. Visitors should dress modestly, keep voices low and treat the grounds with the respect due to a war grave. The monument with the list of names is the focal point of the visit, and reading it gives a sense of the scale of the losses on the Syrmia Front.

Frequently asked questions

Who is buried in the Bulgarian Military Cemetery in Vukovar? 1,027 Bulgarian soldiers and officers of the 1st Bulgarian Army, killed in 1944.

Which battles are linked to the cemetery? The fighting along the Syrmia Front, which ran from Sotin to Grabovo, Berak and Orolik, and the liberation of Vukovar at the end of the war.

Was the cemetery damaged in the 1990s? Yes. It was damaged during the Croatian War of Independence and later restored, with work completed in 2002.

When is the best time to visit? Around 6 May, when the annual ceremony for the Bulgarian Armed Forces holiday takes place, although the cemetery can be visited at any time of year.

Is there an entrance fee? It is a memorial cemetery, a place of remembrance open to those who wish to pay respects.