The Spomenik of Barletta

Authors

  • Rosanna Rizzi Architect and academic, she has long been conducting research into the Spomenik in Barletta and oversaw the translation of the Ossuary’s brochure

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.61007/QdC.2026.2.435

Keywords:

spomenik, memory, yugoslavia, resistance

Abstract

The memorial ossuary of Fallen Yugoslav partisans in Barletta, designed by Dušan Džamonja (1970), is the largest and earliest Spomenik in Italy dedicated to partisan memory. Born from Italian-Yugoslav agreements, it houses more than 800 urns of fighters and civilians, intertwining secular architecture, the Apulian landscape, and anti-fascist brotherhood. This contribution explores its historical genesis, conservation challenges, and recent initiatives in order to understand its future perspectives: shared restoration efforts and Digital Humanities tools fostering a European dialogue on the memory of the twentieth century.

References

Džamonja, D., Auf-Franić, H. (1968). Argomentazione spaziale, ideale e tecnica del progetto 11570 per l’Ossario Commemorativo dei Combattenti Jugoslavi caduti e deceduti sul territorio della Repubblica Italiana nella Seconda Guerra Mondiale e nelle guerre precedenti, a Barletta/zona Bari, Zagabria, Relazione di progetto conservata presso l’Archivio di Stato di Bari.

Galleri, G. (2025). Spomenik. Viaggio spaziale nella Jugoslavia che resta, Pordenone: Bottega Errante Edizioni.

Niebyl, D. (2018). Spomenik Monument Database. London: Fuel Publishing.

RSFJ-ITALIA (1968). Protocollo Italia-Jugoslavia sull’applicazione dello scambio di note del 15 aprile 1964, Ossario di Barletta (Zona di Bari), Roma, 10 gennaio 1968.

Toniato, E. (2025). “Ossario Commemorativo dei Caduti Jugoslavi a Barletta. Dal cantiere di costruzione al cantiere di restauro / Commemorative Ossuary of Yugoslav Fallen in Barletta: from the construction site to the restoration site”. Restauro Archeologico, n. 33 (1 Special Issue, vol. II), pp. 368-373. DOI: 10.36253/rar-19092.

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Published

2026-07-27

How to Cite

Rizzi, R. (2026). The Spomenik of Barletta. Community Notebook. People, Education and Welfare in the Society 5.0, 1(2), 43–51. https://doi.org/10.61007/QdC.2026.2.435

Issue

No. 2 (2026): Eastern Europe Echoes: Narratives, Cultures, And Memories From Cold War To Dayton’s Legacy (1946–2026)

Section

Empowerment Column

License

Copyright (c) 2026 Community Notebook. People, Education and Welfare in the Society 5.0

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.