Kadinjača Memorial Complex, Kadinjača, Serbia
Designed by Miodrag Živković and Aleksandar Đokić, 1979
14 kilometers, that’s the distance between the field in Kadinjača where this monument stands, to the city of Užice. 14 meters is the tallest element in this wide memorial complex.
In 1941, not long after Axis forces took over Yugoslavia and Serbia within it, the rebelling Partisan forces managed to liberate the region surrounding the town of Užice. In this liberated territory, they formed a small state called the ‘Republic of Užice,’ and the Partisan leadership, including their commander Joseph Tito, moved to Užice and formed a base in the fortified cellars of the city’s bank.
Determined to re-take the Užice territory and destroy the Partisan resisting forces, the Germans launched a counter-strike.
When Partisan intelligence learned about the strike, there was not much time to prepare and so a battalion of workers was ordered to march and meet the Nazi forces in battle on the Kadinjača mountain, only 14 km from Užice.
The balance of forces was one-sided, with the Germans outnumbered and far better trained. Yet, the partisans kept fighting, stalling their enemy’s progression, allowing enough time for the citizens of Užice and the partisan leadership to escape the city. After 6 hours of fighting, with almost all its 400 troops killed, the workers’ Batallion stopped fighting, and the Germans kept on marching towards Užice.
The first monument to the battle of Kadinjača was established already in 1952. It was a marble spire designed by Stevan Živanović, built on the top of the mountain with the remains of the soldiers killed in the battle buried underneath it (center of the image below).
In the late 1970s, the building of a wide memorial complex, designed by sculptor Miodrag Živković and architect Aleksandar Đokić, started. The complex consisted of a memorial museum from which a walkway was stretched along the top of the mountain with sculptural elements erected from the ground on both sides. The old 1950s monument was integrated into its middle, and the pathway ended with a 14-meter tall wall that appeared to be split into two by a bullet hole (top image).
I passed through Užice on a Sunday afternoon, climbing through the mountains to the top of Kadinjača.
The place was empty, and although the memorial complex seemed well maintained, the museum was closed and seemed to be out of service for a long time.
I walked through the trail slowly, impressed by the power of the white stone erected from the ground. The first impression that came to mind was of the people of Israel, led by Moses, crossing the red sea. For a second, I thought how strange the way one culture’s memorial is reflected on another’s…
My thinking was stopped by the sight of the broken wall. I approached it, standing right beneath it, feeling so small and fragile. The bullet hole, facing the direction of Užice, didn’t need any explanations.
More information about the Spomenik can be found here:
https://www.spomenikdatabase.org/kadinjaca