Vukovar Remembrance Day, 18 November 2026: the Kolona sjećanja

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. For 2026 the mayor expects more than 100,000 participants. The city presented the programme on 30 October; the instructions for participants on parking and traffic follow in November.

The 2026 programme

On 30 October 2026 Mayor Marijan Pavliček and protocol officer Barbara Lovrić presented the programme (City of Vukovar). The days of remembrance run from 6 to 21 November, with the central part from 17 to 20 November. The motto stays "Vukovar, mjesto posebnog domovinskog pijeteta", and for the 35th anniversary "Hrabrost, žrtva, sloboda" is added: courage, sacrifice, freedom. What is new is who walks in front: alongside the veterans, about 70 staff of the 1991 war hospital will lead the Kolona sjećanja, doctors, nurses and technical staff. Pavliček expects more than 100,000 participants from Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and the diaspora (Index.hr, Novi list).

What it means for visitors in 2026

• 18 November is a Wednesday and a public holiday in Croatia. 19 and 20 November are normal working days. If you come only for the Kolona, plan one day; if you also want to attend Borovo naselje or Ovčara, stay until Friday.
• Arrive early: with more than 100,000 people expected, the town fills before 10:00. In 2025 buses could drop off in town only until 09:00 (see Getting there below). The 2026 instructions on parking and closures are still to come; in 2025 they were out on 15 November (Glas Slavonije).
• Allow time: the column needs about two hours for 5.5 kilometres. With the wreaths and Mass the morning runs into the early afternoon; in 2025 Mass began at 13:00.
• Driving in from Bosnia and Herzegovina: winter equipment has been mandatory there since 1 November, and in Croatia from 15 November on the designated sections, so on 18 November as well (winter tyres). Waiting times at the crossings are in our border guide.

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.