Under the slogan “Save Slobodište,” students in blockade from Kruševac have announced a gathering in response to what they describe as the violation of the integrity of the Slobodište Memorial Complex through the construction of a Military Equipment Park.
Slobodište is one of the most significant memorial sites in Serbia. It was built in memory of thousands of patriots and anti-fascists executed by German occupiers during World War II, and the complex was designed by renowned Serbian architect Bogdan Bogdanović. Over the decades, Slobodište has become a symbol of suffering, freedom, and resistance to fascism, as well as one of the most recognizable landmarks of Kruševac.
“We will not remain silent in the face of the desecration of our historical heritage. See you on Sunday,” the students wrote on the Instagram profile @krusevacki.studenti.u.blokadi.
According to the organizers, the gathering is scheduled for Sunday, June 21, from 6:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. at Actors’ Square in the city, after which participants will march to Slobodište.
Part of the public had already reacted at the end of May when construction work began on a section of Slobodište, on a parcel near the Jurassic-era-themed park “Šarengrad,” where an exhibition complex for military equipment is being built. At that time, the civic initiative “Defend Slobodište” was formed. The group organized several public gatherings, engaged members of the professional community, contacted relevant institutions, and, in cooperation with the Citizens’ Assembly of Kruševac, launched a petition against the construction of the proposed park.
In the meantime, the Institute for the Protection of Cultural Monuments in Kraljevo informed the City Administration of Kruševac and its Department for Urban Planning and Construction in a document dated June 17 that it could not issue technical protection measures for the construction of the military equipment exhibition park on the designated cadastral parcels. The institute stated that such a facility could not be permitted at that location and proposed finding an alternative site outside the protected cultural property.
It should be recalled that the civic initiative “Defend Slobodište,” which brings together numerous experts, drafted a Declaration for the Preservation of the Slobodište Memorial Park. The document states that the ongoing construction lacks the necessary documentation and approvals, and that neither the citizens of Kruševac nor the professional public were given an opportunity to express their views regarding changes to an area that forms part of the city’s cultural and historical heritage.
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The declaration calls for the immediate suspension of construction works, the restoration of damaged green areas and forest land, the relocation of the Military Equipment Exhibition Park to a site outside the protected cultural property, and the preservation of the Slobodište Memorial Park in its original form.
Numerous representatives of the professional community have also reacted to the project, including the Association of Serbian Architects, the Faculty of Architecture, University of Belgrade, the ICOMOS National Committee, the Center for Research and Valorization of Architectural Heritage, and prominent intellectuals, including acclaimed film and theater director Nebojša Bradić. All of them have emphasized the need to preserve the integrity and wholeness of the Slobodište Memorial Complex without altering it or adding new facilities.
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Source: Serbian Times Foto: Instagram/ @krusevac.studenti.u.blokadi