MEMORY
AND HOPE

​Concrete, Brutal, and at the Same Time Organic: The Monument on Freedom Hill

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By Dragica Jaksetič

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Thanks to growing interest in the history and context of the World War II monuments built across Yugoslavia — and in particular the fascination with the Monument on Freedom Hill — we will soon be able to watch a short film recorded by Mexican filmmaker Agustín Garza.

Agustín first reached out to the Municipality of Ilirska Bistrica by email, asking permission to photograph and film the monument on Freedom Hill. A few days later, historian Aneja Rože welcomed him, providing all available information about the site and its authors. Soon after, Agustín shared his story with us.

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Why did you choose this topic within the vast map of the former Yugoslavia, and this particular memorial in Slovenia?

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The seed was planted in October 2018, when I visited the MoMA exhibition Toward a Concrete Utopia: Architecture in Yugoslavia, 1948–1980 in New York. I didn’t know when the opportunity would come, but the themes of time, memory, and the scars they leave have always been central to my photographic and cinematographic work.

At the exhibition, I saw two large photographs of this monument, and they impressed me deeply. Magnificent! When I finally climbed the hill and stood before Lenassi’s work, I felt excited, fascinated — a strong energy came from the monument. I love how these shapes resemble both caves and bones… For me it is a great work of art, very powerful, with perfect geometry. Concrete, brutal, and at the same time evoking natural, organic forms.

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Our municipality will seek to have the monument recognized as cultural heritage of national importance. We only truly became aware of its significance through the MoMA exhibition and catalog, and later media coverage, which made us realize the importance of this brutalist monument we have here.

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That makes me very happy, because so many monuments across the former Yugoslavia have been destroyed or abandoned, left without care. The fact that this one is so well preserved was one of the reasons I came here.

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What kind of film are you going to make?

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The monuments are both beautiful and important — they must be preserved. The title of my film is Memory and Hope. It is important to remember, but also to have hope, especially for younger generations.

My film is less about history and more about showing my personal experience with the monuments — the gaze of a photographer and filmmaker. The project is poetic, metaphorical, artistic. It contains my reflections on the texture of the material, the play of light, the rustling of leaves, the sound of bells… all the impressions that accompanied me as I encountered each memorial.

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But I am also curious: for the people whose relatives are buried here, is this monument still a part of their lives? Does anyone still come to remember their grandfathers?

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I don’t know for certain, but at this and other monuments, every November 1st flowers are laid and candles are lit. These acts of remembrance are organized by the local community or veterans’ groups that preserve the memory of World War II.

Will we be able to see your film? Could we perhaps present and watch it together? How do you plan to promote it?

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I would be delighted! I plan to send the film to international festivals dedicated to architecture and cultural heritage.

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Good luck!

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Thank you!

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