The Broken Ring Spomenik, Pleso suburb of Zagreb, Croatia
Designed by Marijan Burger, 1978
With the occupation of Zagreb by Axis forces in 1941, and the establishment of the fascist puppet state the Independent State of Croatia (NDH), citizens of the city have suffered, like many others in occupied Yugoslavia, from harsh race laws resulting in deportation, persecution and even torture and execution of ethnic minorities.
It wasn’t long before the resistance started gaining momentum and the people of the area started grouping into Partisan groups, rising up to face the Nazi and Fascist offenders.
Their main efforts were focused on breaking the ring of defense built by Ustaše forces. Over and over again they planned and executed sabotage attacks against Ustaše infrastructure, especially around the airports in Pleso and Kurilovec.
On May 1945 the final fight over Zagreb was launched. The 1st Yugoslav Partisan Army attacked the Axis forces, and despite suffering more than 150 casualties, they managed to liberate the city and break the ring of defense.
The Broken Ring Spomenik was designed by the Croatian designer Marijan Burger in the mid-70s. It is situated in Pleso, a short distance from the airport, featuring an 11m high monument in a shape of a white squared wall with a round opening in its center. The wall is open on the upper side symbolizing a broken ring.
Around 20 years later, during the Croatian war of independence, Croats were called to defend Zagreb once more as the city suffered many attacks and bombings. On 1997 a small plaque was added to the Spomenik at Pleso, to commemorate two local soldiers who died during the war.
I visited the Spomenik at Pleso on June 22nd, the National Anti-Fascist Struggle Day in Croatia. A date that makes the formation of the first Partisan detachment in Sisak. I paid respect to the memory of the fallen freedom fighters and tried not to disturb the quiet neighborhood with my shutter clicks. As I was about to leave the place, an old lady approached the spomenik and leid a bouquet of flowers at its feet. I watched her silently. This was a familiar sight. Too familiar I’m afraid.
This and more information about the Spomenik can be found here:
https://www.spomenikdatabase.org/pleso