In Ljubljana: the Tomb of National Heroes and the Square of the Republic
The Tomb of National Heroes in Ljubljana, Slovenia is a tomb and a monument for the national heroes of the World War II resistance struggle in Slovenia, created in 1949. The designers of the tomb and the monument were the architect Edo Mihev and the sculptor Boris Kalin. It stands next to Šubic Street, at the southern side of National Heroes Square, west of the National Assembly Building. It has been protected as a cultural monument of local significance.
The tomb is located underground, and a monument in the shape of a sarcophagus stands beside it, in the shade of the trees on the western side of the National Assembly Building. Since it was installed, the monument has been modified several times and placed on a granite base. The eastern and western faces of the sarcophagus are covered by bronze reliefs depicting scenes from the Second World War. A patriotic eptitaph, written by the poet Oton Župančič, runs along the top edge. It was designed in December 1948 as one of his last works and carved in 1949.
Opposite to the National Heroes Square there is the Republic Square or Square of the Republic. At first named Revolution Square, is the largest square in Ljubljana. It was designed in the second half of the 20th century by Edvard Ravnikar. Independence of Slovenia was declared here on 26 June 1991. The National Assembly Building which its two storey main portal – four oak doors surrounded by statues by Zdenko Kalin and Karel Putrih which represent working people, stands at its northern side, and Cankar Hall at the southern side.
This square has two important monuments: the Drago Tršar's Monument to Revolution, made in 1964 and the Monument of Edvard Kardelj unveiled in 1975.
Dragos Tršar's work is a large bronze sculpture, one of the largest public sculptures in Slovenia. The monument weighs 19 tons and is made up of geometric surfaces, verticals and triangles. The sculpture is an artistic interpretation of the mass movement and is described by the sculptor as a set of crowds, fights and revolutionary victories.
Edvard Kardelj (Ljubljana 1910 - Ljubljana 1979) was a Slovenian journalist and one of the leading members of the Communist Party of Slovenia before World War II. During the war he was one of the leaders of the Liberation Front of the Slovenian People. The sculpture consists of a Monument of circa 15 standing people with abstract faces, except for one in the front, which is a statue of Kardelj.
These photos were taken in March 2018 and show these four monuments conected to Slovenia recent past.
