Memorial Center in Škabrnja Completed After 14 Years, Opening Possible on Municipality Day
The 400-square-meter building with a multimedia hall, memorial room, and municipal offices awaits only formalities before welcoming its first visitors
The 400-square-meter building with a multimedia hall, memorial room, and municipal offices awaits only formalities before welcoming its first visitors
More than thirty years after the tragedy of the Homeland War and fourteen years after construction began, the Memorial Center in Škabrnja has finally been fully completed. The building has received its use permit, and only the agreement on the official opening date remains, Zadarski list reported on Friday, July 31, 2026.
The center spans 400 square meters across two floors. The ground floor features a multimedia hall intended for veterans' associations, local residents, and visitors, while the upper floor houses the municipal administration: a council chamber and four offices. On the right side of the building is a memorial room bearing the names of the victims, above which the roof opens up in the shape of a cross.
Work on the Center began back in 2012, but the project was plagued by financial difficulties from the very start. Inflation significantly raised costs, and the bankruptcies of two construction companies involved in the build caused further delays. Despite everything, the Municipality of Škabrnja, in cooperation with the relevant ministries, managed to bring the project to completion.
"Work on the Center is finished, the building has its use permit, and everything is in order. Only minor formalities remain, along with coordinating the opening date so that everything can be properly organized," said Ivan Škara, the mayor of Škabrnja Municipality, for Zadarski list.
Although the exact opening date has not yet been confirmed, Mayor Škara has announced the possibility that the Center will open on Municipality Day, October 18 (year not specified). The date is still being coordinated with the Ministry, but he stresses that the doors of the Memorial Center will open soon.
"We are excited to finally open the space and be able to welcome veterans' associations, visitors, and everyone interested in what happened here during the Homeland War. After more than 30 years, we will finally have a space dedicated to preserving memory," Škara emphasized.
Škabrnja suffered greatly in 1991 when it was attacked and destroyed, and a large number of residents lost their lives. The Memorial Center is conceived not only as a permanent reminder of the victims but also as a new center of municipal social life, a space where associations will gather, events will be held, and visitors will be welcomed.
According to Zadarski list, the building with its memorial room and the symbolic cross on the roof is expected to become a place where the memory of the suffering will be preserved, but also a place of gathering and everyday life for the people of Škabrnja.
