My first trip around the ex-Yue was a spontaneous whistle-stop tour. Revisiting Bosnia & Herzegovina (BiH) one year on, I wanted to be equipped with sufficient research to uncover gems that I had missed the first time around.
Among these treasures are Spomeniks. ‘Spomenik’ is a Serbo-Croatian word meaning monument. Across the Balkans you can find these monuments dedicated to the memory, suffering and victories of the people from war. Many were constructed after World War II, through the founding of the Non-Aligned Movement in the '60s, right through until the early '90s.
Often dedicated to partisans and victims of concentration camps, they stand as symbols of strength, sorrow and patriotism.
There are over 100 known Spomeniks in the former Yugoslavia and more than 20 scattered across BiH alone.
Nemanja and I had a tight schedule as we’d agreed to give half a dozen presentations in various cities. Many of these monuments are in isolated areas, making them difficult to get to. On the road from Trebinje to Foča is a small village called Tjentište, which is home to the Valley of Heroes.
Continuing on our hitchhiking tour of BiH, we had one day to get from Trebinje to Foča. After walking for an hour to the edge of town, it began to rain; it was a welcome relief when a driver stopped to pick us up.
Typically Nemanja would sit in the co-pilot's seat. He is a native speaker and can have unhindered and insightful conversations with the driver; I lack the Serbian required but would still try.
I asked if we could be dropped off in Tjentište, 30km south of our final destination, to see the Spomenik. Our new friend said he’d wait for us in the lodge nearby and have a coffee. Not only was this kind man taking us the 130km to Foča, he waited 20 minutes for us to see the memorial. Of course more time would have been preferable, however, the road was quiet and I think he offered to wait as the weather was so poor.
Approaching the 25m (82ft) high concrete wings, we climbed the snow-dusted stairs. To respect the man's car, I was conscious not to pick up the slurry of mud onto my boots.
Looking left from the stairs you can see the second monument building, 'Spomen-dom' or 'Memorial House'.
The Spomenik at Tjentište commemorates the fighters and fallen soldiers of the Battle of the Sutjeska, which took place from May 15th to June 16th, 1943. Inside the museum are engraved names of 7000 partisans who fell during the battle.
In May of 1943, Axis powers initiated Operation Case Black, a mission to destroy the partisan forces and capture Marshal Josip Broz Tito. This came after another initiative with the same objective, Operation Case White, failed.
127,000 Axis forces pursued 22,000 Yugoslav partisans across the Durmitor Mountains and into the Zelengora Mountains. Trapped within the Sutjeska River Valley, the partisans made their stand near the small village of Tjentište. The Battle of Sutjeska ensued in June of ‘43.
The Axis powers were unsuccessful in apprehending or killing Tito; his surviving fighters were able to break through German lines and escape through the mountains into eastern Bosnia.
Tito's escape and the failure of Operation Case White is considered a significant and pivotal turning point for Yugoslavia against the German-Italian Axis powers. Vastly outnumbered, the partisans proved they were a formidable fighting force.
As you approach the Spomenik there is an engraved stone tablet; Nemanja translated the following inscription:
Here lies 3301 soldiers - partisans from the Battle for Sutjeska.
Designed by Ranko Radovic & Miodrag Živković, it was constructed in 1971. The Battle of Sutjeska Memorial Monument sits upon a hill looking across to the mountains opposite.
Winter had come early and patches of snow lay at the base. I wanted to take pictures but after the Mostar incident, I knew it would be difficult with the icy precipitation. Still, the cardboard hitchhiking sign gave its last life to protect the lens. You cannot see the true conditions in these pictures but I assure you it looks much calmer than it was.
Each angle brings a new perspective. The projections obscure the rest of the structure and your curiosity leads you around to discover more.
From a distance it is difficult to make out the profile of the Spomenik. Standing next to it, I was surprised at its depth.
If you visit the coast of Croatia, especially near Sibenik or Split, there is a high chance you’ll be near one of these monuments. They permeate the whole region and I’d highly recommend visiting one, their unconventional beauty and powerful meaning leave a lasting impression.
Sadly, many of these monuments have been abandoned and have fallen into disrepair. The rusted steel rebar bleeds from fissures, reflecting on the nature of the monument. This Spomenik is considered to be in good condition; many have perished from neglect or vandalism.
The rugged structure and material heavily contrast the memorials seen across much of Western Europe.
The scale is almost intimidating
I find the architecture incredibly captivating and until recent years, I had no idea such things exist.
I can begin to learn the history and try to understand what happened here, but it is difficult for me to comprehend.
I asked Nemanja how he felt visiting the memorial, the site where thousands of his countryman gave their lives.
This was his response:
As I visited this Spomenik for first time in life, emotions were cold. Actually, I didn't know how to react.
As a child I grew up during infamous Yugoslavian civil war. I watched old communist movies while waiting my father to come back from active duty, he was mobilised as a soldier.
I enjoyed watching the partisan movies without questioning real story behind it. Even my family background; many of my family members were communist or partisans. Northern Bosnia was one of strongest communist regions in ex Yugoslavia.
In my life I watched at least 20 times movie, Battle of Sutjeska, where partisans were fleeing with wounded soldiers from Nazi occupation forces. It can carve into your psyche, suffering and torment of a common soldier.
I wanted to grow up to become a soldier who will fight against fascism and all evil on this world, but as I grew I found that world is not black and white. When you finally manage to read "blank" and "grey" pages, and neutral research about history, World War II and Cold War, you realise that there are no villains or good guys, only pure interests.
After growing up in that kind of society, I finally visited this Spomenik. Even all the way I was thinking about it, what kind of emotions are gonna pop up in my heart? Should I start remembering war time period, when i was eager to see my father after years of active duty? Will it unburry my old wishes to become a hero who gonna fight against everything unjust in this world?
Surprisingly no.
When I saw the spomenik, my heart was empty and cold. It was depressing. All my childhood illusions were broken like a mirror on the rock.
I found a lot of respect for the common people who were uneducated and manipulated by Communist Party, and recruited as partisans. But on the other hand, also people who were brave in hard times and fought for something. It is complicated.
Now it’s just a reminder where the fallen lie, scattered.
I feel it's such a powerful sight and so I will end with the opening image. Perhaps with the history and Nemanja's testimonial above, you may see something different to your first impressions.
If you enjoyed this, you may also like Inside Mostar's Abandoned Sniper Tower & Abandoned Relics of War: Exploring A Deserted Yugoslavian Aircraft Hangar.