Svetozar Vujkovic
Encyclopedia
Svetozar Vujković was a Serbia
n police officer and head of the Banjica Concentration Camp
in German-occupied Serbia
.
In his youth Vujković moved to Belgrade
where he finished grade school, before working in a metal factory in Smederevo
. As a youth he had sympathy towards communism, and became a member of the Communist Party of Yugoslavia. After accusations were laid on him by the party, he was kicked out. At this point he became an anti-communist.
In 1930 he joined the police. He worked in this post right up until the Second World War. He was a member of the anti-communist forces of the special police, and also worked in Belgrade's main prison, Glavnjača.
During the April War he was in Čačak
, but soon came into contact with the new fascist government of Serbia, which placed him into a higher position. He soon rose through the ranks and with the formation of the Banjica Concentration Camp
, he was made its administrator. He was in this post from July 1941 to the camp's close in 1944.
He escaped to Austria
along with Serbia's fleeing government, but was captured by members of OZNA
and returned to the newly-proclaimed Communist Yugoslavia. Vujković was sentenced to death in 1945, but did not die until 1949.
Serbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
n police officer and head of the Banjica Concentration Camp
Banjica concentration camp
Banjica concentration camp was a quisling and Nazi German concentration camp in occupied Serbia from June 1941 to September 1944 in World War II, located in the eponymous suburb of Belgrade. It started as a center for holding hostages, but later included Jews, Serbs, Roma, captured partisans, and...
in German-occupied Serbia
Nedic's Serbia
Serbia under German occupation refers to an administrative area in occupied Yugoslavia established by Nazi Germany following the invasion and dismantling of Yugoslavia in April of 1941...
.
In his youth Vujković moved to Belgrade
Belgrade
Belgrade is the capital and largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers, where the Pannonian Plain meets the Balkans. According to official results of Census 2011, the city has a population of 1,639,121. It is one of the 15 largest cities in Europe...
where he finished grade school, before working in a metal factory in Smederevo
Smederevo
Smederevo is a city and municipality in Serbia, on the right bank of the Danube, about 40 km downstream of the capital Belgrade. According to official results of the 2011 census, the city has a population of 107,528...
. As a youth he had sympathy towards communism, and became a member of the Communist Party of Yugoslavia. After accusations were laid on him by the party, he was kicked out. At this point he became an anti-communist.
In 1930 he joined the police. He worked in this post right up until the Second World War. He was a member of the anti-communist forces of the special police, and also worked in Belgrade's main prison, Glavnjača.
During the April War he was in Čačak
Cacak
Čačak is a city in central Serbia. It is the administrative center of the Moravica District of Serbia. Čačak is also the main industrial, cultural and sport center of the district...
, but soon came into contact with the new fascist government of Serbia, which placed him into a higher position. He soon rose through the ranks and with the formation of the Banjica Concentration Camp
Banjica concentration camp
Banjica concentration camp was a quisling and Nazi German concentration camp in occupied Serbia from June 1941 to September 1944 in World War II, located in the eponymous suburb of Belgrade. It started as a center for holding hostages, but later included Jews, Serbs, Roma, captured partisans, and...
, he was made its administrator. He was in this post from July 1941 to the camp's close in 1944.
He escaped to Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
along with Serbia's fleeing government, but was captured by members of OZNA
OZNA
The Department for the Protection of the People was a security agency of the FPR Yugoslavia.-Founding:...
and returned to the newly-proclaimed Communist Yugoslavia. Vujković was sentenced to death in 1945, but did not die until 1949.