The project for the “Memorial to the fallen soldiers of the defense patriotic war of the Republika Srpska” is today an opportunity not only to remember the courage of the soldiers who fell during the war in the period 1991-1996 in Bosnia and Herzegovina, but also a monument against all wars, especially those of oppression which, unfortunately, as we all know, still exist today. The word monument comes from latin word “monere” – “to remember”.
Therefore, in the very name it already possesses its profound meaning, its goal: a warning, that in this case reminides to all the people of the world of the importance of equality and freedom. A place of peace and remembrance.
But how can the monument not simply “represent” an event but bear witness to an even more important ideal? How can the monument not only be a place where war victims can be remembered, but a real space where everyone can understand even a small part of the atrocities of war? How can a space be able to ensure that the human soul is laid bare in front of the memory of people who gave their lives for an ideal greater than themselves, of peace and equality?
The main idea was not to design a square with its contemplative monument in the center, but to define an architectural space that is itself the monument. A MONUMENT-SPACE, therefore, capable of being a symbol but at the same time also being a place. Thus, space becomes a collective memory of citizens, who are able to feel it also as a space in which to be. In this way, the visit to the monument becomes a spatial experience that involves all the senses of visitors, be they citizens or tourists, to immerse them in an evocative and unique atmosphere.
A IMMERSIVE FRUITION of the space that led to a very profund and intimante PERCEPTION of the entire urban surrounding. Visitors, walking through the monument, can individually experience a memory and a collective symbol.
