When is Anti-Fascist Struggle Day?
In 2026, Anti-Fascist Struggle Day falls on Monday, June 22, 2026. It is classified here as a Croatian public holiday.
History of Anti-Fascist Struggle Day
Anti-Fascist Struggle Day, Dan antifašističke borbe, commemorates June 22, 1941, when the First Sisak Partisan Detachment was formed in Brezovica Forest near Sisak after Nazi Germany attacked the Soviet Union. The unit began armed resistance within the wartime Independent State of Croatia, an Axis client state governed by the Ustaša regime. Croatian official descriptions call it the first Croatian anti-fascist combat unit and among the earliest such units in occupied Europe. The holiday places resistance to fascism within the constitutional foundations of modern Croatia.
The principal commemoration takes place at Brezovica Memorial Park. State, parliamentary, regional and anti-fascist representatives lay flowers at the monument, the armed-forces wind orchestra performs the Croatian anthem and Beethoven’s Ode to Joy, and speakers address resistance, democracy and condemnation of totalitarian crimes. Educational programmes also confront the broader violence of occupation, genocide, collaboration and post-war reprisals rather than reducing history to ceremony. June 22 is a fixed nationwide non-working day and is not substituted when it falls on a weekend.
How Anti-Fascist Struggle Day is observed
A nationwide statutory non-working day fixed on June 22, centred on the official commemoration at Brezovica Memorial Park near Sisak.
Traditions of Anti-Fascist Struggle Day
Brezovica wreath-laying
State and civic delegations place flowers at the First Sisak Partisan Detachment monument in Brezovica Forest near Sisak.
Anthems and addresses
A military wind orchestra and official speakers connect wartime resistance with constitutional democracy, Europe and rejection of totalitarianism.
Historical education
Museums, associations and media examine occupation, resistance, collaboration and victims across Croatia’s exceptionally difficult Second World War history.
Dates and observance rules are checked against the official Croatian government holiday guidance. Local patronal dates and private-employer schedules may apply in addition to the statutory calendar.
History sources: Official Gazette: Holidays, Memorial Days and Non-Working Days Act, Government of Croatia: Anti-Fascist Struggle Day at Brezovica, Croatian Government: anti-fascists’ contribution to freedom.
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