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Memorial to the Revolution of the People of Moslavina

Podgaric, Croatia
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In 1965, the Union of Partisan Veterans for the Commemoration of the Anniversary of the Antifascist Uprising and the Revolutionary Struggle of Moslavina commissioned the monument's design directly from sculptor Dusan Dzamonja. From 1942, village Podgaric and its vicinity was liberated territory and an important stronghold with Partisan military bases, hospitals, and headquarters. The commission was a major professional challenge for the then already acclaimed Yugoslav sculptor as it was to be his first project which did not commemorate the memory of the victims but celebrated victory and the Revolution: "I spent a good two years working on a large number of exercises and sketches, which later helped me also with other large-scale monuments. I envisaged the monument as an architectural project, a sculpture with heavy interdependent concrete volumes which were to signify the dynamic movement of the masses. The idea for the emblem, installed in the monument and standing out, also came to me. Metal in combination with rough concrete seemed like the best choice. The emblem is a symbolic depiction of unity, which is why I used large metal plates, whose surfaces were forged with a hammer, placed in a circle." A narrow road leads to the memorial complex on a small hill above the picturesque village, terminating in a plateau designed for large commemorative events. From there, the visitors enter through a massive concrete portal and take a straight path to the monumental concrete sculpture. The narrow path, which was originally red in colour, is flanked on both sides by four symmetrically placed mounds covered in green grass marking the ossuary of 900 killed Partisans. This was Dzamonja's first realised major project. It was soon followed by others (Kozara, Barletta, etc.), together with prizes in public competitions. The landscape design, which was created in collaboration with architect and internationally renowned painter Vladimir Velickovic from architectural office Rasica, plays an important role in the project. The design of the memorial area contributed to the development of tourist infrastructure - an artificial lake, a restaurant, and a paved road.

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bostjan, October 27th, 2019
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