Spomenik Monument Database

The first ever spomenik guidebook features over 75 examples, complete with map references and information on their significance and creators.

"Spomenik," the Serbo-Croat/Slovenian word for "monument," refers to a series of memorials built in Tito's Republic of Yugoslavia from the 1960s to the 1990s, commemorating the horrors of occupation and the defeat of Axis forces during World War II. Hundreds were constructed across the country, from coastal resorts to remote mountains. These imaginative forms of concrete and steel envisioned a classless, forward-looking socialist society, free of ethnic tensions.

Instead of seeking artistic inspiration from the ideologically aligned Soviet Union, Tito looked to the West, drawing from the works of abstract expressionism and minimalism. Consequently, Yugoslavia developed its own distinct identity through these brutal monuments, which served as political tools to express Tito's vision of a new future. Today, following the breakup of the country and the subsequent Yugoslav Wars of the 1990s, some of these monuments have been destroyed or abandoned. Many have suffered due to ethnic tensions; once seen as symbols of hope, they are now sources of resentment and anger.

This book compiles the largest collection of spomeniks published to date. Each monument has been extensively photographed and researched by the author, making this book the most comprehensive survey of this obscure and fascinating architectural phenomenon.

A fold-out map on the reverse of the dust jacket shows the exact location of each spomenik using GPS coordinates.