Pljevlja: Due to the safety of citizens, access to the monument on Stražica is prohibited

The municipal police in Pljevlja have banned access to the Memorial Ossuary on Stražica, after the separation of elements in the upper zone of the obelisk and damage to the stairs leading to the upper part of the plateau were observed.

The head of the Pljevlja Municipal Police, Tijana Vemić, confirmed to "Vijesti" that a response was made to a citizen's report that there had been a crack at the top of the obelisk.

"The municipal police received a report that the slabs in the upper zone of the obelisk on the monument in Stražica had separated. Members of the municipal police went to the scene and fenced off part of the complex with warning tape," said Vemić.

In this way, visitors to this cultural and historical monument are prevented from being endangered until the competent authorities determine how safe it is to stay on the monument's plateau.

The media has repeatedly warned that the monument is in very poor condition.

The memorial ossuary on Stražica has been renovated several times, but the works have mostly remained unfinished. According to available data, the first major reconstruction was carried out during the 1980s, and a new, more extensive reconstruction began in 2015 on the basis of a contract worth around 176.000 euros. Although the works were planned to be completed in a few months, the contract with the contractor was terminated in 2017 due to delays and disputes. After that, the Municipality of Pljevlja repeatedly announced tenders for the continuation of the works, but the contractors often did not respond, which is why the renovation has not been completed to this day.

The problems facing the memorial complex on Stražica were also highlighted in the Study on the Protection of Cultural Property for the Municipality of Pljevlja, which was prepared last year by the Administration for the Protection of Cultural Property. The document states that the monument is structurally stable, but that there is physical damage to the staircase and other access areas, as well as traces of dirt on the bronze sculptures and reliefs, which is why it was assessed that the cultural property is in relatively poor physical condition, although its cultural and historical values ​​have been preserved. The study does not state any observations regarding the twenty-seven-meter-high obelisk, which rises above the five-meter-high crypt.

The Study recalls that the monument was erected in 1961 on the occasion of the twentieth anniversary of the Battle of Pljevlja and that since 2000 it has been called the Memorial Center "December 1". It states that the complex consists of a crypt, an obelisk, bronze figures and a relief with a roof terrace, landscaped staircases and the surrounding park area, and that the crypt contains the remains of 412 fallen soldiers, including 214 participants in the Battle of Pljevlja.

The study recommended the development of a conservation project for the bronze sculptures and reliefs, the repair of damage to the access staircase and other access areas, as well as regular maintenance of the memorial complex. At the same time, it was emphasized that no work can be carried out on the cultural property without the conditions and consent of the Administration for the Protection of Cultural Property, in accordance with the Law on the Protection of Cultural Property.

Fighters from all over Montenegro are buried at Stražica, including four national heroes who died in the Battle of Pljevlja – Vuk Knežević, Dušan Obradović, Petar Jovićević and Lazar Radojević.