Monument to the Fallen Soldiers of the Kosmaj Detachment
Kosmaj Mountain Park, Serbia
Designed by Vojin Stojić, 1971
When Axis forces occupied Serbia in 1941, the rebelling locals started grouping spontaneously in many cities and towns. Tito’s communist partisans were the main driver in grouping them into an organized resistance force.
In July that year, 45 members of the Communist Party of Yugoslavia met secretly on top of the mountain of Kosmaj not far from Belgrade. This gathering marked the formation of what later will be called “The Kosmaj Detachment” or “The Kosmajska Brigade”.
During the long four years of war, the Kosmaj Detachment took a major part in many of the battles including the liberation of the city of Belgrade in 1944.
This came with a cost of the life of hundreds of soldiers.
The “Spark of Freedom” Spomenik, designed by Serbian sculptor Vojin Stojić, was built on the top of mount Kosmaj, where the first meeting took place back in 1941, to commemorate those fallen soldiers and the story of Kosmaj Detachment.
It is a huge 30-meter-high concrete monument made of five separate elements that form a spark or a star that is well-seen over the forest's treetops.
During the Yugoslav era, this Spomenik was a highlight. It drew up many people to climb the mountain and visit it. But with the fall of Yugoslavia in the 1990s, it fell into a state of disrepair that can be seen even today.
Like many Spomeniks, it suffers from negligence, graffiti, and vandalism. The memory of those it was designed to honor is long forgotten, and the alien-like monument is used not once as a set for amateur Sci-Fi movies and commercials.
The graffiti was mostly cleaned and repainted when I visited the place. I had to photoshop the remains out when post-processing my images. I was overwhelmed by the power of the Spomenik. It stands for years against all forces- gravity, wind, rain, snow, and the destructive forces of men and it is still one of the most remarkable things I have ever seen.
This and more information about the Spomenik can be found here:
https://www.spomenikdatabase.org/kosmaj