The War Memorials in the Municipality of Crna Trava


Zoran Cvetković




.The municipality of Crna Trava is situated in Serbia's southeast region. The area extends from the Bulgarian border on the east to Predejane and South Morava River on the west. After the First Balkan War and the liberation from the Turks, the territory of Eastern Serbia, including the area of Crna Trava, was the target of permanent Bulgarian conquest goals. By siding with the aggressors and receiving their support, Bulgaria occupied parts of the Eastern and South-eastern territories of Serbia during the both World Wars. Those years the regular Bulgarian army committed numerous crimes against the civilian population, captured soldiers of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia in the First World War, as well as Partisans in the Second World War. The aim of this paper is to provide an overview of memorials, dedicated to soldiers and victims of wars on the territory of Crna Trava during the 20th century. This paper does not interpret the complex historical events and conflicting interests on the Balkans. The primary focus of the paper is on presenting records from the existing memorials