Freedom Monument, Ulcinj
Miodrag Živković and Đorđe Zloković's winged concrete monument on the hill above the Ulcinj waterfront, begun in the 1970s, left unfinished in 1985 and completed in 2021
Concrete memorial of four wing-like shapes · Pristanska stijena on the Pinješ hillside
Photo: August Dominus · CC BY-SA 4.0
The Freedom Monument (Spomenik slobode) stands on Pristanska stijena, a rock on the Pinješ hillside above the waterfront of Ulcinj: four wing-like concrete shapes rising from a courtyard, about 11 m high and 15 m across, visible from much of the waterfront and from Mala plaža below. It is the work of the sculptor Miodrag Živković, whose Sava Kovačević stands in the Grahovo memorial park, and the architect Đorđe Zloković, commissioned by 1971. The monument had an unusual life: building stopped in 1985 with the planned complex unfinished, and the Freedom Monument waited 36 years for its completion and formal unveiling in November 2021, when an amphitheatre close to the original design was finally built around it.
Getting there
The monument is on the hillside directly above Mala plaža, the town beach, less than a kilometre up the narrow Mujo Ulcinaku road from the town centre. On foot you can walk up from Mala plaža; by car, park along the road. The Old Town is on the headland across the beach. By car Ulcinj is 31.2 km and about 41 minutes from Bar and 72.3 km (about 1 hour 34 minutes) from Podgorica Airport, free-flow times. From the terrace the view opens over the beach and the Adriatic.
What to see
- The four wings, Živković's abstract shapes of poured concrete rising from the courtyard.
- The abstract faces worked into the wings.
- The amphitheatre around the monument, built round the edges of the courtyard in 2021, close to the original concept, with new paving and benches.
History
A design competition for Ulcinj's war memorial was held around 1970, and by 1971 the commission had gone to Živković and Zloković. They designed not only the sculpture but a whole site: an amphitheatre and a memorial wall that was to carry the names of 172 local people killed in the war. The sculpture went up, but in 1985 work on the complex stopped, and the monument stood for decades without a formal unveiling, finished but not completed. A refurbishment planned from 2019 built the amphitheatre close to the original concept, and in November 2021 the Freedom Monument was at last unveiled.
Nearby
- Ulcinj Old Town and Balšić Tower, on the headland across the bay of Mala plaža.
- Mala plaža, the town beach directly below.
- Velika plaža and Ada Bojana, the long beaches south of the town.
- Cervantes monument in the town.
- Other memorials in Montenegro.
Questions
Who made the Freedom Monument?
The sculptor Miodrag Živković and the architect Đorđe Zloković, commissioned by 1971. Živković also made the Sava Kovačević monument in Grahovo.
Why was it unveiled only in 2021?
Work on the planned complex stopped in 1985 and the monument stood unfinished and never formally opened. A refurbishment planned from 2019 added the amphitheatre, and it was unveiled in November 2021.
How big is it?
About 11 m tall and 15 m wide, on the hill above Mala plaža, visible from much of the waterfront.
History
1971
Commission
The commission was awarded to the sculptor Miodrag Živković and the architect Đorđe Zloković.
1985
Work stopped
A larger complex with an amphitheatre and a memorial wall for the names of 172 local dead had been planned; work stopped, and the monument was never formally unveiled.
November 2021
Completed
A refurbishment planned from 2019 was completed and the monument unveiled, with an amphitheatre close to the original concept.
Sources
Spomenik Database, Ulcinj (secondary: Pristanska stijena, four concrete wings, 1985 stop, 2021 completion) · OSRM routing (car, OpenStreetMap data, ODbL; times without traffic)
