Today, millions of people in and from former Yugoslavia celebrate Republic’s Day, Dan Republike. It is the anniversary of the proclamation of the New Yugoslavia in 1943. This New Yugoslavia had to be liberated from fascist occupation in World War II. Many monuments all over Ex-Yugoslavia still honor the people who fought this battle.

This spomenik in the center of Rožaje in Montenegro honors the partisans who were killed during the liberation of the town on September 30, 1944.

Most were from Rožaje and the surrounding villages. Their names mark most of them as Bosnjaks.

The Murić family gave almost all of its sons to free Yugoslavia. Thirteen fallen fighters bear that name.

Ramiz bez Boro

This monument looks down of Prishtina, today the capital of Kosovo.

This Spomenik, also located in Prishtina, celebrated the unity of the Yugoslav people regardless of ethnicity for decades.

Boro and Ramiz were a Serb and a Kosovar partisan. They were shot together by Germans. As they were shot they embraced and dies in each others‘ arms.

Today Boro’s head is missing. Albanian nationalists removed it.

In Tito’s Garden

This heritage of the struggle for National Liberation  is still named after New Yugoslavia.

Tanjug (Telegrafska agencija nove Jugoslavije) was founded by the Comittee for National Liberation about three weeks before New Yugoslavia was proclaimed in Jajce in Bosnia.

The news agency was instrumental to the efforts to free the country from fascist occupation.

In the lobby there is a statue of co-founder Moša Pijade. He was Tanjug’s first director.

There aren’t that many statues of Tito in public space any more.

In Beograd, most are on display in the park of the former residence of the partisans‘ commander in chief and later head of state.

This sculpture commemorates the liberation of Zagreb. Once, it was a gift of the people of Zagreb.

Heroes’s Square

There were particulary many victims in Banja Luka in Bosnia.

Here, fascist rule was particularly hard. The Ustaša genocide against Serbs made many people join the Partisans.

All people honored on this square in the city center were proclaimed Narodni Heroji, National Heroes of Yugoslavia.

Not all died during WW II. Some survived.

Vahida Maglajlić wasn’t so lucky. The Muslim freedom fighter was killed in a battle against the Germans in 1943.

She was and is an icon of the women’s antifascist movement throughout all of Ex-Yugoslavia.

This Is Valter

He is an icon, too. Valter, the liberator of Sarajevo.

The small square along the bank of Miljacka river across Skenderija where the monument is located was named after him until Bosnian independence.

Vladimir Valter Perić was made popular in several Partisan movies, particularly by „Valter brani Sarajevo“ which is also very popular in China.

He is probably the most popular Yugoslav freedom fighter of WW II after Tito.

The phrase „This is Valter“ has come to stand for exceptional courage and the will to oppose superior forces.

An Eternal Flame in the city center still honors the liberators of Sarajevo in WW II.

What The War Meant

This spomenik on the walls of the citadell of Novi Pazar in Serbian highlights the many facettes of the struggle for National Liberation.

It honors Simeun Karamarković. The Serb was killed in a Croat concentration camp in 1942.

Next to him, there is a plaque in honor of Derviš-Dedo Šehović. The partisan was killed in 1943, apparently during a battle against Germans and Albanian Gendarms.

This momument in the citadell’s park honors all who contributed to the liberation of Yugoslavia.

There are many monuments like this all over former Yugoslavia.

Many have been removed following nationalist restaurations after the break up of the country, particularly in Croatia.