Trebjesa is the wooded park hill of Nikšić, and at its south foot stands the town's memorial to the 32 Partisans and anti-fascists whom the Italian occupiers shot there on 9 May 1942, among them Ljubo Čupić. The present complex, opened on 17 September 1987, the 43rd anniversary of the town's liberation, is a concrete sculpture about 20 m tall whose round face resembles a gear, with a five-pointed star inside it. Around it are 32 round black stone plaques, one for each tooth, engraved with the names, and a tall black inscribed panel at the front. It is the third memorial on the site, and wreaths are still laid here each year on 9 May.
Getting there
The memorial stands at the south foot of Trebjesa, in the park forest that wraps around the end of the hill. From the centre of Nikšić it is about 1.9 km and 23 minutes on foot. By car Nikšić is 52.1 km and about 1 hour 2 minutes from Podgorica, and the Grahovo memorial park, the municipality's other big Partisan memorial, is 47.6 km and about an hour away on the road to the Bay of Kotor.
What to see
- The 32 plaques, round and of black stone, each engraved with the name and the years of one of those shot on 9 May 1942.
- The gear-shaped sculpture with its star, and the tall black panel at the front with the dates 1941-1945 and a dedication to the fighters' valour.
- Trebjesa park itself, the town's park forest around the hill.
History
The execution of 9 May 1942 was a reprisal ordered by the Italian command in Nikšić: the 32 were shot and buried in a mass grave at the foot of the hill. The first marker, a marble plaque set into a boulder, is dated 13 July 1952; it gives the number of the dead as 29. In 1961 it was replaced by a monument of two concrete arms 11 m high, which was torn down in the mid-1980s to make way for the present complex. The Nikšić sculptor Ljubo Vojvodić designed the new memorial, opened on 17 September 1987; it is also attributed to Bogdan Bogdanović, the architect of the Monument to Freedom in Berane. The complex declined after the 1990s and was vandalised in 2016, but it remains the site of the yearly commemoration on 9 May.
Nearby
- Bedem fortress, the Ottoman fort in the town.
- Grahovo memorial park, Sava Kovačević's monument on the road to the coast.
- Ostrog Monastery, in the cliff above the Zeta valley towards Podgorica.
- Other memorials in Montenegro.
Questions
Who are the 32?
Partisans and anti-fascists executed by Italian forces at the foot of Trebjesa on 9 May 1942. Their names are on the 32 black plaques, Ljubo Čupić's among them.
Who designed the memorial?
The Nikšić sculptor Ljubo Vojvodić, for the complex opened on 17 September 1987. It is also attributed to Bogdan Bogdanović.
How do I get there?
On foot from the town centre to the south foot of Trebjesa: about 1.9 km and 23 minutes.
History
9 May 1942
The execution
32 Partisans and anti-fascists, Ljubo Čupić among them, were executed by Italian forces at the foot of Trebjesa.
1952
Plaque
A marble plaque set into a boulder, dated 13 July 1952, marked the place.
1961
First monument
A monument of two 11 m concrete arms, torn down in the mid-1980s.
17 September 1987
Present complex
Opened on the 43rd anniversary of Nikšić's liberation: a gear-shaped base carrying 32 black stone plaques with the names, by the Nikšić sculptor Ljubo Vojvodić, also attributed to Bogdan Bogdanović.
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Sources
Spomenik Database, Nikšić (secondary) · Wikipedia, List of Yugoslav World War II monuments and memorials in Montenegro (secondary, unreferenced) · National Tourism Organisation of Montenegro, Cities of Montenegro (Trebjesa park forest) · OSRM routing (car and foot, OpenStreetMap data, ODbL; times without traffic)
