Wandering Monuments of Zenica

Abstract

Through archival and field research in the central Bosnian industrial city of Zenica, a comprehensive list of monuments constructed between 1878 and 2023 has been established. Additionally, the study identified all of the changes affecting these monuments over the specified period, including whether they have been preserved, wandered off, completely disappeared, or been destroyed. The research also examined how these monuments were perceived in different historical periods, what was their role in constructing ideological narratives, and what was their function in hosting commemorative gatherings. Given the large number of identified monuments and their wide spatial distribution, the study focused on four specific locations that have undergone sedimentary and erosive processes over time, sometimes occurring simultaneously. Special emphasis was placed on a comparative analysis of two case studies with different outcomes to contribute to understanding why some monuments endure while others vanish. By combining historical and ethnographic research methods, the study provided an interpretation of the relationships between monuments and space, places and commemorative practices, highlighting the importance of a community's identification with symbols and narratives materialized in the form of monuments.