The Memorial Centre Lipa Remembers opened in April 2015 on site of the former memorial museum in Lipa which functioned from 1968 up to 1989. By restoring the museum one also restores the heavy burden of Lipa’s history, a village that on April 30th 1944, in just a few hours lost 269 of its inhabitants, mainly elderly people, women and children. This crime was commited by Nazis and Fscists during the Braunschweig offensive, a military operation aimed againts the insurgent partisans „gangs“. The killings of civilians were followed by ransacking and arson of their homes and outbuildings. The end of World War II brought Lipa to its knees. Surviving inhabitants had no homes to return to. At this point a long and painstaking restoration began, and the continuation of life marked by a sense of loss. Today Lipa lives and remembers.
Memorial Centre’s permanent display interprets WWII history in the region of Liburnian Karst which, besides Lipa, incorporates villages of Pasjak, Rupa, Šapjane and Brdce. The heritage of WWII is complemented by a showcase of continuity of life in this area, starting from prehistory until today. By using holistic approach, tragic event of April 30th 1944 can be seen in a broader context, as only one of many identity features belonging to the vital community of Lipa.
The Centre’s activities are based on the museological concepts known as community museum and homeland museum. In unity with the local population, Centre is actively contributing to the research and creation of this region’s identity and to discovering new and sustainable possibilities of development and growth. Most importanly, its activities are always concentrated on promoting tolerance, nonviolence and values of life in a multitude of its manifestations and features.

Memorial Centre is a subsidiary of Maritime and History Museum of the Croatian Littoral in Rijeka, Croatia. The Centre’s opening was financed by the Matulji Municipality, the Primorje-Gorski Kotar County and Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Croatia.