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Memorial to The Fallen Fighters of the Revolution

Stip, North Macedonia
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Memorial complex to the fighters of the Revolution is a lesser-known work by Bogdan Bogdanovic. The monument - the winning solution of the competition held in the late 1960s - was built between 1969 and 1974. It stands on the eastern side of hill Isar, under the remains of a mediaeval fortress above the town of Stip. It is dedicated to fighters of the People's Liberation Struggle killed in action (1941-1944) and to civilian victims of fascism from Stip and its vicinity. Owing to the specific character of the narrow and steep terrain, Bogdanovic opted for a vertical arrangement instead of a commonplace horizontal design. The lower platform paved with granite features a ceremonial portal with three carved monoliths measuring approximately 3m in height. From here, a steep stairway leads towards the upper granite platform. On either side of each step, there is a small memorial stone inscribed with the name of a fighter. The upper platform is the central element of the complex. Overlooking the town, there are twelve white-marble monoliths approximately 2.3m tall and 80 cm wide, arranged along the slope in a kind of free composition. The monoliths, equal in their size and geometry, follow the same division of volume: placed on a trapezoid plinth, they comprise a lower portion with horizontal flutes and an upper portion with a circular recess featuring a rosette design which symbolically concludes in two horns. Despite appearing uniform at a glance, they differ in the chiselled designs and patterns and as such form a "family" of individual elements - a motif often found in Bogdanovic's work. On the opposite end of the platform, there is an equally tall urn-like column with a crypt containing the remains of those killed beneath it. The significance and use of the monument diminished after the dissolution of Yugoslavia. However, local remembrance events still take place at the memorial complex Stip. Despite the complex never having been listed as a cultural monument, the area is in relatively good condition; the only sign of neglect and vandalism is graffiti writing on the white marble surfaces.

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milosk, October 28th, 2019
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