Croatia Unveils ‘Homeland’ Monument On Tudjman Death Anniversary

A ceremony was held to unveil the Monument to the Homeland in Zagreb on Thursday, the 21st anniversary of the death of Franjo Tudjman, the first Croatian president after the war for independence from Yugoslavia.

"This is a historic day, this is a historic national project," said Zagreb's mayor Milan Bandic, who attended the ceremony alongside Defence Minister Mario Banozic, War Veterans Minister Tomo Medved and Catholic Cardinal Josip Bozanic.

FOTO Danas Bandić svečano otvara Spomenik domovini u Zagrebu. Je li novac građana dobro utrošen? Više na: https://t.co/5dlaj8xi7Z pic.twitter.com/jyTa4xnek6

— TV N1 Zagreb (@N1infoZG) December 10, 2020

In September last year, when the foundation stone for Monument to the Homeland was laid, Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic said that the site would be used to pay tribute to all those who participated in the establishment of Croatia.

The monument was designed by architect Nenad Fabijanic, and consists of three segments, one of which is a 'Wall of Pain', inspired by a 'spontaneous' Zagreb memorial to Croats who were killed or disappeared during the 1991-1995 war, which was built in 1993 by their family members and removed in the mid-2000s.

The newly-opened monument complex cost 34.7 million kunas, around 4.6 million euros, a cost that sparked criticism.

It is located just across the road from a four-metre-high statue of Tudjman, who was president of Croatia from 1990 to 1999, leading the newly independent country through a four-year war against the Serb-led Yugoslav People's Army and rebel Croatian Serbs.

Admired by nationalists for achieving Croatian independence, he has also been criticised for Croatia's role in the war in neighbouring Bosnia and...