Monument:
108th HVO (Croat Defence Council) Infantry Brigade

Location: Brčko, city centre, in front of the town hall

Entity: Brčko district

Erected in year: 2011 (official inauguration 11 May 2012)

Text on the monument:

108th HVO Infantry Brigade
Our sacrifice is your signpost

In memory of:

Members of the 108th HVO Infantry Brigade

Ethnic group: Croats

Location choice:

Location chosen by the Committee for the construction of monuments (of the HVO Association of Brčko) at the suggestion of the Brčko District government, in cooperation with associations representing the two other ethnicities.

Dimensions: The stone portal has the outer dimensions of 4.5 x 4.5 meters and is 1.2 m deep. Globe with a 180 cm diameter.

Built by the means of:

HVO associations from Brčko. Funding provided by the government of Brčko District.

Authorship: Anto Jurkić, academic sculptor

Interpretation of the idea:

"The memorial has been reduced to three practically archetypal elements–the triangle, the square and the circle–or rather to three-dimensional shapes that are projections of the aforementioned elements. The three elements, the three signs symbolise the Holy Trinity: the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, the basis of the Christian faith. The portal symbolises impermanence and passage to another dimension. The globe symbolises eternity and perfection and the slits in the globe symbolise the cross, itself a symbol of suffering but also of resurrection. There are glass cubes at the end of the slits that allude to elements of the historical Croat coat of arms. Vitality, mortality, eternity–all are intertwined to produce something deeper, greater and sadder, even more so than we are willing to admit.

The whole construction is located on a triangular base symbolising the three peoples. Light from ten or so directed light sources from the walls of the portal simulate a starry sky on the ceiling of the portal. The illuminated and gilded globe contributes to the cosmic effect and the cross refers to a reunion in eternity.

Therefore, the design of this memorial, dedicated to members of the 108th HVO Infantry Brigade, provides a timeless message, shows reverence to fallen soldiers and inspires thought, while the simple form symbolises Croat reality and tradition while imparting a message about tolerance among the three peoples of this area and their future." The quotation from the conceptual design for a monument. Source: President of Ravne-Brčko HVIDR (Association of Croat Disabled Veterans of the Homeland War)

Data source(s): President of Ravne-Brčko HVIDR (Association of Croat Disabled Veterans of the Homeland War) , Fieldwork

Photographed: 30 October 2012

Map: