Vukovar Symbols of Remembrance in Preschool Education

Vukovar je grad koji je nastao prije sedam tisuća godina na obalama rijeke Dunava i Vuke, naziv grada je u uporabi od sredine 14. stoljeća. Vukovarsko-srijemsko područje bilo je pod osmanlijskom vlasti oko 160 godina, nakon čega Slavonija i Srijem padaju pod vlast dinastije Habsburgovaca. Vukovar 1919. stječe status grada, a između dvaju svjetskih ratova biva izložen velikim političkim previranjima. Po završetku Drugog svjetskog rata Vukovar preuzimaju Titove partizanske jedinice i za to vrijeme u gradu dolazi do velikih promjena. Za vrijeme Domovinskog rata Vukovar doživljava velike gubitke, postaje simbolom obrane Republike Hrvatske te dobiva simboličan naziv „Grad heroj“. Vukovar se tijekom godina nakon Domovinskog rata obnavljao uz pomoć ostalih županija u Republici Hrvatskoj tako da se danas ratna oštećenja gotovo i ne vide. Na vukovarskom području smjenile su se brojne kulture, ali najpoznatija i najvažnija je vučeldolska kultura. Najpoznatiji nalazi te kulture su Vučeldolska golubica, čizmica i terina. U Vukovaru se nalaze brojni simboli sjećanja na Domovinski rat, ali i povijest Vukovara, a neki od njih su spomenuti u ovom radu: Vukovarski vodotoranj, Nacionalna memorijalna bolnica „Dr. Juraj Njavro“ Vukovar, Spomen-dom Ovčara, Spomen-križ na ušću Vuke u Dunav, Memorijalno groblje žrtava Domovinskog rata, Grand hotel, odnosno Radnički dom, dvorac Eltz, crkva svetog Filipa i Jakova, Blago Zadro te Vučeldolska golubica, glinena čizma i terina. Obilježavanje Dana sjećanja na žrtvu Vukovara vrlo je važno kako se tragedija koja je zadesila Vukovar i Hrvatsku ne bi nikada zaboravila te kako bismo nešto iz toga naučili. Osnovana je javna ustanova Memorijalni centar Domovinskog rata Vukovar koja služi za upravljanje i održavanje simbola sjećanja na žrtvu Vukovara te za organiziranje posjeta učenika Vukovaru. U dječjim vrtićima u Vukovaru i diljem Hrvatske svake godine obilježava se Dan sjećanja na žrtvu Vukovara, ali postoje načini kako se može unaprijediti upoznavanje djece s povijesti Vukovara u Domovinskom ratu, ali i prije njega.Vukovar is a city that was founded seven thousand years ago on the banks of the Danube and Vuka rivers. The name of the city has been in use since the middle of the 14th century. The Vukovar-Srijem area was under Ottoman rule for about 160 years, after which Slavonia and Srijem fell under the rule of the Habsburg dynasty. Vukovar acquired the status of a city in 1919, and between the two World Wars, it was exposed to great political turmoil. After the end of the World War II, Vukovar was taken over by Tito's partisan units, and during that time, the city underwent major changes. During the Homeland War, Vukovar experienced great losses, becoming a symbol of the defense of the Republic of Croatia and recieving the symbolic name „Heroic City“. Over the years following the Homeland War, Vukovar was rebuilt with the help of other counties in the Republic of Croatia, so that today, the war damage is almost invisible. The Vukovar area had numerous cultures over the years, but the most famous and important is the Vučeldol culture. The most famous finds of that culture are the Vučeldol dove, boot, and terrine. Numerous symbols of remembrance in Vukovar represent not only the Homeland War but also the history of Vukovar. Some of them are mentioned in this paper: the Vukovar Water Tower, National Memorial Hospital „Dr. Juraj Njavro“ in Vukovar, the Ovčara Memorial Home, the Memorial Cross at the confluence of the Vuka and the Danube, the Memorial Cemetery of the Victims of the Homeland War, the Grand Hotel (i.e., the Workers' Home), the Eltz Castle, the Church of St. Filip and Jakov, Blago Zadro, and the Vučeldol Dove, a clay boot, and terrine. The commemoration of the Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Vukovar is essential so that the tragedy that befell Vukovar and Croatia is never forgotten, and we learn from it. A public institution, the Memorial Center of the Homeland War in Vukovar, was established to manage and maintain the symbols of remembrance of the victims of Vukovar and to organize students' visits to Vukovar. In kindergartens in Vukovar and throughout Croatia, the Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Vukovar is celebrated every year, and there are ways to improve children's familiarity with the history of Vukovar during the Homeland War and before it