The German refugees who found shelter in Yugoslavia

After the Nazis seized power in 1933, many Germans escaped by fleeing abroad.

Some ended up in what was then Yugoslavia.

German historian Marie Janine Calic tells their story.

When it became clear to renowned German actress Tilla Durieux and her husband Ludwig Katzenellenbogen, a businessman of Jewish origin, in mid‑1934 that their residence permit in Switzerland would not be renewed, the two decided to leave for Zagreb — the capital of Croatia, in what was then the Kingdom of Yugoslavia.

Few Europeans really had a sense of where Zagreb was located, Durieux later noted in her diary.

"People thought Zagreb was a suburb of Vienna or of Prague.

Yugoslavia was somewhere 'down there,' in a part of the world no one could quite make sense of." Friends of the couple admired their courageous decision, though feared the two might be attacked by robbers on their way.

By that point, the couple had already been on the run from Germany's Nazi regime for over a year.

They had left the German capital Berlin on March 31, 1933.

At that time, Adolf Hitler had already seized full political control, with basic rights suspended, and Nazi terror unleashed.

SA thugs roamed the street.

Thousands were arrested, sent to concentration camps, tortured and murdered.

Those able to flee packed up their belongings and went abroad, among them many Germans of Jewish origin, Communists, Social Democrats, trade unionists, artists and intellectuals.

Most fled westward to Switzerland, France, and the UK, and even the US.

Many Jews journeyed across the Mediterranean to Palestine.

Many of these stories are well documented.

Less attention has been given to those who found refuge in the Kingdom of Yugoslavia between 1933 and 1941 — in today's Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Kosovo, Montenegro and North Macedonia.

"Very few wanted to stay there long term," German historian Marie‑Janine Calic tells DW.

Yugoslavia had ports on the Adriatic Sea from which it was possible to continue traveling onward.

And while many European countries closed their borders to emigrants from Germany after 1933, entering Yugoslavia was possible with a temporary visa that could be extended several times.

Initially, refugees were even allowed to work.

"That attracted people to the country, even though most knew very little about Yugoslavia — and what they did know was often negative and connected to assassinations and the First World War," Calic explains.

Her book Balkan Odyssey 1933–1941 examines an often overlooked chapter of World War II history and was awarded the Leipzig Book Prize for Non‑Fiction in 2026.

Refugees receive help and support
Durieux and Katzenellenbogen reached Zagreb without incident.

Industry, banking, trade and transport were developing at a rapid pace in the city which boasted Belle Epoque architecture alongside modern buildings influenced by one of the pioneers of modern architecture, Le Corbusier.

Much like in western Europe, people in Zagreb enjoyed tennis and golf, car and motorcycle races, movies and jazz concerts.

Emancipated young women could be seen wearing Parisian fashion and hairstyles.

"Many migrants initially came to Zagreb, where humanitarian organizations, especially Jewish ones, were present.

They collected money, registered refugees and helped them continue their journey," Calic says.

Ordinary people helped out as well.

"All the documents and testimonies left behind by these new arrivals express deep gratitude for the support provided by everyday folks," Calic tells DW.

Often, refugees would receive assistance from people they had run into by chance, who would take them in, organize their onward travel, provide meals or offer support in other ways.

At least 55,000 people fled to Yugoslavia from Germany until 1941, according to available data, though the actual number is likely higher.

Some traveled onwards to Palestine or other Mediterranean countries by ship.

Others stayed and tried to build a new life.

In April 1941, the Wehrmacht and its allies occupied Yugoslavia.

They then began persecuting Jews and others in the country.

Some 5,000 refugees were unable to get out in time.

"As early as October 1941, hundreds of Jewish refugees were shot," Calic tells DW.

Those who managed to flee to the Italian‑occupied part of Yugoslavia, along the Adriatic coast, were better off, as the Italians interned but did not kill refugees.

By contrast, refugees who found themselves in the Independent State of Croatia (NDH), a Nazi-allied country created in 1941, were murdered in the Jasenovac extermination camp.

Durieux survived, thanks to relatives who put her up in Zagreb, though her husband was arrested while attempting to flee in 1941 and deported to Germany, where he died.

After the war ended in 1945, Durieux remained in Zagreb for another nine years.

She was held in high regard because she had supported Yugoslav partisans during the period of Croatian fascism.

She helped found the Zagreb Puppet Theater and was granted Yugoslav citizenship.

After returning to Germany, Durieux continued her theater career and remarried.

She frequently visited friends in Zagreb, a city she loved and to which she felt deeply connected.

To this day, Zagreb City Museum showcases items from her estate.

This article was originally written in German.