Dom Penzionera

A few kilometres from the EU external border, in Bihać, northwestern Bosnia and Herzegovina, stands Dom Penzionera, an unfinished retirement home dating back to the late Yugoslav era. In recent years, it became a temporary shelter for people trying to reach Europe, despite extremely unsafe conditions: open elevator shafts, unfinished staircases, no heating or privacy. At times, several hundred people stayed there.

In February 2025, people were still living in the building, preparing to cross into Croatia. They call this dangerous journey “The Game”, marked by failed attempts, violence by Croatian border officers and illegal pushbacks.

The building was later closed, and its residents were transferred to Camp Lipa, 25 kilometres away in an isolated mountain area. Nearby, a detention unit built with Austrian taxpayers' money remained unopened due to missing permits, as revealed by SOS Balkanroute.