The Silence that Tore Down the Monument is the winner of the prestigious European Heritage Award in the category Protection of cultural heritage in cooperation with the local community. The project is among 26 nominees from all over Europe for the Public Choice Award. You pick the winner. You can vote for the grand prize until Sunday, September 22, 2024.

This innovative project reconstructed the monument through augmented reality. The temporary installation at the original place of the sculpture was projected on a colossal LED screen according to the project concept of Milorad Pupovac (SNV), artist Sandro Đukić, curator Davorka Perić, author of the discursive program Lana Lovrenčić. The installation brought the monument back to life, offering a reminder of its original glory.

The ceremonial opening brought together more than 400 participants, including residents of the surrounding villages and members of the Croatian Anti-Fascist Association, as well as cultural figures who deal with modernist art and socialist heritage, peace activists, representatives of civil society and the Serbian national minority in Croatia, and the general public.

Silence challenges dangerous forms of historical revisionism and advocates positive acceptance and preservation of the European anti-fascist heritage. He emphasizes the need to invest efforts — at all levels, from local to European, to preserve the authenticity of collective memory.

Bakić’s Monument to the Victory of the People of Slavonia, at the time of its completion in 1968, was the largest abstract sculpture in Europe. Consecutive blasting in the period from February 19 to 21, 1992. it was demolished only on the ninth attempt, and the local media then announced that the monument was brought down by a “strong wind”. According to DHMZ data, a wind speed of 0-1 km/h was recorded on that day, which according to the Beaufort scale is called — Silence.