Abstract: This paper examines the institution of forced interment for Jewish refugees in the Kingdom of Yugoslavia from the spring of 1940 until April 1941, situating it within the broader system of internment applied to political opponents and other “undesirable” groups. It argues that forced residence was not an isolated policy but part of an established repressive framework developed during the interwar period, grounded in legal measures such as the Law on State Protection. The study traces the evolution of Yugoslav policies toward Jewish refugees, shaped by international developments, rising antisemitism, and internal political pressures. Particular attention is given to the cooperation between state authorities and Jewish organizations in organising refugee accommodation, as well as to case studies illustrating how the system functioned in practice. Forced residence entailed restricted movement, constant police super vision, and residence in geographically isolated locations, effectively constituting a form of “open internment.” The article also highlights how restrictive citizenship policies contributed to the transformation of long-term Jewish residents into refugees. Ultimately, the paper interprets forced residence as a transitional mechanism linking interwar security practices with wartime systems of persecution and internment, revealing both local specificities and broader European patterns.

Keywords: forced residence; Jewish refugees; Banovina of Croatia; internment; Kingdom of Yugoslavia

Summary: This article examines the institution of forced residence (prisilni smeštaj) for Jewish refugees in the Kingdom of Yugoslavia between the spring of 1940 and the Axis invasion in April 1941. It argues that forced residence should be understood not merely as a humanitarian measure but as a form of internment rooted in the Kingdom’s broader system of political control and administrative exclusion. The article traces the development of Yugoslav policy toward Jewish refugees and stateless Jews throughout the interwar period. As refugee numbers increased following the rise of Nazi persecution, restrictive citizenship laws, tighter border controls, and growing administrative surveillance left many refugees, and even long-term Jewish residents without Yugoslav citizenship, in an increasingly precarious legal position. Against this background, the article analyses the creation and functioning of forced residence, jointly organised by Yugoslav authorities and Jewish communal institutions. Refugees were assigned to designated small towns and spa resorts, primarily in the Banovina of Croatia, where they lived under police supervision and could not leave without official permission. Based on archival sources from the Banovina of Croatia and the Federation of Jewish Communities of Yugoslavia, the article reconstructs the negotiations surrounding the establishment of this institution and explores its everyday operation through official correspondence and petitions submitted by internees. By placing forced residence within the wider history of political internment in interwar Europe, the article argues that Yugoslavia adapted an existing mechanism originally intended for political opponents to regulate Jewish refugees. In doing so, it demonstrates how exceptional administrative measures gradually became normalized on the eve of the Second World War.