The Wings of Victory of the Tjentiste memorial.
Where the Sutjeska fought, and heroes fell, a valley of memories now will tell.
After regretting not visiting the Makedonium at Kruscevo, Macedonia, I forked out more money online for a private tour than I had for food and accommodation for the past fortnight to ensure I didn’t miss viewing firsthand one of the most spectacular spomeniks in the Balkans, the fractally sculptural War Memorial at Tjentiste. Tjentiste is a small town in the Sutjeska National Forest and to access it you need to drive a narrow two way road around mountains, approximately two and a half hours from Sarajevo.
Side view of Tjentiste memorial.
The memorial, featuring two large walls that the visitor walks between was built in 1971 to remember Operation Fall Schwarz, otherwise known as the Battle of the Sutjeska, which occurred during World War II. This battle between the Nazis and Yugoslavian forces saw most of the Yugoslav forces able to escape, including their leader, foiling the Nazis’ plan. However, over 7,000 people including civilians were killed. The memorial therefore commemorates both victory and the tragic loss of life. Like many spomeniks of this time, it was constructed in grey cement using abstract shapes. The main sculptures represent ‘wings of victory’.
Rainforest behind the Tjentiste memorial.
Behind the museum is a rainforest which would be a hiker’s delight and adjacent to the museum are two very different museum buildings.
The walkway towards and the view looking downwards from the Tjentiste memorial.
Like the Partisan Cemetery in Mostar, During the Bosnian siege between 1992-1995, all three were partially destroyed and the museum looted; the monument was only saved through lack of sufficient explosive by the Bosnian Serbs. Then in 2018 a landslide came close to destroying it didn’t quite reach the memorial.
Having paid for a private tour (the only choice as there were no group tours on offer) I sought to maximise the chance to talk to a real Bosnian. My guide Emina was a local in Sarajevo and was 12 years old during the siege and more than happy to talk about her experiences and opinions. As we drove up the steep hills out of the city, we came across road works occurring on heavily damaged roads. ‘See, this is the first time these roads have been attended to since the siege’, she pointed out, her frustration at being forced to slow down showing. As we drove towards Tjentiste she pointed out the different flags and regions within Bosnia and discussed the complicated system of government which includes having three presidents reflecting the three main ethnicities in the country. Bosnia is predominantly Bosniak (Muslims) and Croat (Catholics), while the Republika Srpska is Serb (Orthodox). Then there are the minorities of the Roma and Jewish communities.
It was when we enjoyed a coffee together in the café below the Tjentiste memorial that our conversation deviated from the history of the memorial – in fact she didn’t tell me much about it at all, to be about drinking and smoking. She was of the firm belief that alcohol does more harm than cigarettes, citing news items of crimes committed in Bosnia when men were under the influence of alcohol. When she asked if there was any corruption in Australia, I answered that there is always some sort of corruption within governments, but nothing I discussed was going to hold her interest given what she had to discuss about her life during the siege. Throwing all my trumps on the table, I bravely mentioned the Cardinal Pell case, at this point not knowing what her religious affiliation was, and this led to a discussion on religion and her affiliation with Islam, and how she did indeed pray to God, but didn’t wear a veil/ hijab even though many of her friends do, citing that they are relieved to not be stared at by men. Lighting her third cigarette and with her guttural Arabic accent, with rolled r’s that added syllables to each word, she stated ‘My friend used to say ‘cigarettes are your friends.’’
After coffee, I decided it was time to ascend the many steps up to the memorial and leave Emina to her cigarettes and text messaging. On the way a small snake slid through the holes in the pathway.
Memorial House of Battle of Sutjesca with the Tjentiste memorial in the background.
After exhausting every possible angle of view photographing the memorials, I remembered that I had purchased a ticket to the museum so ventured over to what I thought was a museum. I walked past a heavy triangular Brutalist building but found the front doors chain locked with a red sign; although not in English, I assumed this meant it was closed.
Memorial House of Battle of Sutjesca side view.
Two elderly men sat outside the far more modern-looking museum and, seeing me wave my ticket, ushered me towards a side door. Neither spoke English, but their enthusiastic pointing did the trick. Inside, the modestly titled Battle Museum of Sutjeska turned out to be a single-room display, reportedly reopened in late 2018. I was rather taken aback to find it packed with Nazi memorabilia, considering the Nazis were, in fact, the enemy. When I mentioned this to Emina later, she cheerfully revealed that she collects such items herself (“antiques,” she insisted) and sells them on eBay. Her biggest market? Australians, apparently. Eek! She seemed entirely unfazed by the irony, or the profit.
Entry to the Battle Museum of Sutjesks is through the side door.
After a dutiful wander around (as the museum’s sole visitor under the watchful eye of its sole attendant), I was about to leave when he motioned for me to follow. With great ceremony, he led me to another building and unlocked it just for me. Hooray for VIP treatment in the middle of nowhere!
Nazi memorabilia inside the Battle Museum of Sutjeska.
This building is known as Memorial House of Battle of Sutjesca and was built in 1971, opened in 1975 and is devoted to the battle of Sutjeska led by Partisans against invade German forces in 1943. The angular interior with natural light is filled with pretty grim but well painted frescos by Krsto Hegedusic and these have been recently restored. Although the attendant spoke no English, he was still able to excitedly point out ‘Tito’ on the mural which was probably a good idea, given that it was a somewhat glorified picture of the Yugoslavian leader, depicting him in handsome and heroic stance.
Different views of the Tito mural inside Memorial House of Battle of Sutjesca, by Krsto Hegedusic, recently restored.
Plenty of grim subject matter.
This complex proves what can be achieved with a little care and imagination. “It will definitely be the best museum in former Yugoslavia, with an extraordinary location,” proclaimed Dean Pavliovic, director of the national park, to Balkan News.
On the drive back, Emina shifted into full Grand Prix mode, careering around hairpin bends on roads that clung to the cliffs, one hand on the wheel and the other scrolling through her messages.
Switching from war to small talk, I asked Emina what the most popular sport in Bosnia was. Football, she said, but she preferred playing it to watching it. Her true passion, however, was car racing (the penny dropped). She confessed she found the crashes the most interesting part, watching how quickly the drivers escaped. She also mentioned she used to practise Taekwondo.
When she asked if I drove a manual, I said yes. She nodded approvingly. “Manual is best,” she declared. “Otherwise you can’t overtake, and in Bosnia, you have to.” To illustrate her point, she dropped a gear, roared past a lumbering car, and slipped back into lane a nanosecond before an oncoming vehicle flew past.
Emina’s life has been shaped by the war. She has lost many friends, some now hospitalised with trauma. Schooling took place in basements, and attendance was optional. She remembers rationing vividly; food was survival, and she prides herself now on being able to eat anything. As for sport, she concluded matter-of-factly, she is only interested in those where there is real danger. After all, when you have lived through a war, anything else seems a little dull.
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