PHOTOS: Restored El Shatt memorial unveiled in Dalmatia

by croatiaweek
December 13, 2025
in News

(Photo: Office of the President of Croatia/Filip Glas)

A ceremony was held today on the Croatian island of Drvenik Veli marking the unveiling of the restored memorial to the victims of El Shatt, titled Majka Domovina.

The event was held to commemorate 80 years since the return of wartime refugees from El Shatt in Egypt and 81 years since the liberation of Dalmatia.

The restoration and unveiling of the stone memorial, bearing the names of those who died while in exile, took place under the patronage of the President of the Republic.

Addressing those gathered, President Zoran Milanović described the story of El Shatt as a deeply personal Dalmatian experience, an epic that was little known outside the region at the time.

(Photo: Office of the President of Croatia/Filip Glas)

“The story of El Shatt is a deeply intimate Dalmatian story, an epic about which very little was known beyond Dalmatia,” Milanović said. “In a time marked by very few beautiful stories, particularly during the Second World War, this one had a somewhat happy ending.”

He stressed that the evacuation of thousands of civilians to El Shatt was a carefully planned and intelligent decision, one that ultimately saved lives.

“From the beginning, it was organised wisely. People knew where they were going and that it would not be chaos or terror. After two years, most returned to their homes in Croatia, to our Dalmatia,” he said.

Milanović added that later events clearly showed how justified the decision had been. He recalled the suffering endured by the Dalmatian population under Italian occupation and warned that the arrival of Nazi forces foreshadowed even greater tragedy.

(Photo: Office of the President of Croatia/Filip Glas)

“Only a short time later, Nazi forces executed more than 1,500 civilians from the foothills of Kamešnica in just two days,” the President said. “It was a time of evil and death, but also a time when smart decisions were made.”

He emphasised that El Shatt should not be remembered solely as a story of emotion or good organisation, but as a powerful historical episode, “a deeply intimate Dalmatian epic”.

The President also recalled visiting El Shatt in Egypt during an official state visit, where he paid tribute at the memorial known locally in Dalmatia as Mater Dalmatinka.

(Photo: Office of the President of Croatia/Filip Glas)

Before the unveiling ceremony, wreaths were laid and candles lit in memory of those who died in exile. President Milanović was joined by senior officials from the Office of the President, including Chief of Staff Orsat Miljenić and advisers responsible for human rights, civil society, and regional affairs.