MONUMENT OF THE ETERNAL FLAME

This monument (Vječna Vatra) is dedicated to the victims of the Second World War in Sarajevo. It was inaugurated on April 6, 1946, to mark the first anniversary of the liberation of the city, occupied by German and Croatian forces between 1941 and 1945. Behind the gas-fired flame, a baroque triumphal arch on the gable of an Austro-Hungarian building (the headquarters of the Federation Securities Commission) houses a plaque with a red star and the following text: "With the courage and shed blood of the fighters of the Bosnian-Herzegovinian, Croatian, Montenegrin and Serbian Brigades of the glorious Yugoslav National Army, with the efforts and sacrifices of the Serbian, Muslim and Croatian patriots of Sarajevo, on April 6, 1945, Sarajevo, the capital of the People's Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, was liberated. Eternal glory and gratitude to the fallen heroes for Sarajevo and our part, on the first anniversary of its Liberation, grateful Sarajevo." Many more grandiose monuments were erected throughout socialist Yugoslavia in the aftermath of the War of National Liberation (1941-1945). This one, ironically called the "burning of tires" (guma koja gori), nevertheless occupies an important place in the hearts of Sarajevans.

A symbol of resistance. It is both a meeting point and a place full of symbols, since the date of April 6 has marked the history of Sarajevo: it is both the first day of the bombing of the city in 1941, the day of liberation in 1945, but also the date chosen as the first day of the siege, in 1992. According to a legend, peddled by some professional guides, the Flame remained lit during the siege. In fact, all gas supplies were cut off by the besiegers in April 1992, and the flame remained extinguished for several years, even after the war, due to the lack of an agreement between the gas company and the municipality. More anecdotally, the Flame was also extinguished by revelers in 2011. Evidence of a certain detachment from the socialist past. The Eternal Flame remains nevertheless the symbol of the spirit of resistance of the inhabitants. Every year, in addition to a wreath laying here, April 6 is marked by commemorations and a big party in the city. Nearby, notice the electronic panel where the names of the victims of the siege are still scrolling.