Vukovar 18 November 2026: Kolona sjećanja, arrival, programme

Since 2020, 18 November has been a public holiday in Croatia: the Day of Remembrance for the Victims of the Homeland War and the Day of Remembrance for the Victims of Vukovar and Škabrnja, set by the law on public holidays published in the Official Gazette 110/2019. In 2026 the date falls on a Wednesday and marks 35 years since the town fell on 18 November 1991. The centre of the day is the Kolona sjećanja, the column of remembrance that walks from the National Memorial Hospital Dr. Juraj Njavro through the town to the Memorial Cemetery of the Victims of the Homeland War. Thousands take part every year; the City of Vukovar publishes the programme and the instructions for participants in the first half of November.

How the day ran in 2025

The route from the hospital to the cemetery is about 5.5 kilometres, reported by regional media in 2025, and the walk takes around two hours at the column's pace. In 2025 the column was led by the women defenders of Vukovar together with the families of the fallen, missing, killed, abducted and deceased defenders, followed by the defenders themselves. Anyone may walk behind them; participants walk quietly, many carrying a candle.

Getting there

• By train: for 2025 HŽ Putnički prijevoz offered free travel from every station and stop in Croatia to Vukovar and back from 17 to 19 November, with seven extra trains between Vinkovci and Vukovar on the day, leaving Vinkovci at 05:55, 07:30, 09:13, 12:00, 13:53, 15:30 and 20:03 and returning from Vukovar at 06:42, 08:20, 10:21, 12:47, 14:43, 16:23 and 21:00. The offer has been repeated for years; the 2026 notice appears on hzpp.hr in early November.
• By bus in a group: in 2025 buses could drop participants until 09:00 at the roundabout where Priljevo, Županijska and Ivana Gundulića streets meet, then park in the Vukovar business zone (VGZ), on the Vučedol road, at the port car park or at the bus station. Pick-up was allowed after 16:00.
• By car: the town runs a special traffic regime on the day, with the route closed as the column passes. Follow the traffic police, arrive before 09:00 and park away from the route between the hospital and the cemetery.
• Going back: in 2025 participants could walk back to the centre or to the buses from 14:30, after the Mass.

For visitors

• It is a commemoration, not an event: no stalls, no music, plain clothing, phones away during the Mass and the wreath laying.
• Plan for a 5.5 km walk in November weather and for standing at the cemetery afterwards; the programme runs from 10:00 to about 14:30.
• 18 November is a public holiday, so most shops and offices across Croatia are closed and public transport runs on holiday timetables.
• Driving from 15 November means winter equipment on the motorways A3 and A5 towards Vukovar, which are winter sections regardless of the weather.