„Spomenik odredu policije Bosna“ – „Monument to the Bosna Police Unit“
The Monument to the “Bosna” Police Unit is located in Safet Isović Park, near the Second Gymnasium in Sarajevo. The monument is dedicated to the Bosna police special forces unit and, in particular, commemorates its members who were killed during the Bosnian War from 1992 to 1995.
The central element of the monument is a destroyed or captured tank belonging to the former Yugoslav People’s Army (JNA). It commemorates a tank that members of the Bosna special forces captured in the Stup neighbourhood of Sarajevo in 1992. The tank is accompanied by five life-size bronze figures of police officers and a concrete wall bearing the names of the unit’s fallen members. A total of 81 members of the Bosna police unit lost their lives during the war.
The concept for the monument was created by Bosnian-Herzegovinian artist NEBOJŠA ŠERIĆ ŠOBA aka SHOBA, an artist from Sarajevo who is now based in New York. During the war, Šerić himself served in the Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina. His design is based on the symbolic idea of “David versus Goliath”: the Bosnian special forces are represented by the figures confronting a militarily superior enemy and disabling the tank.
The monument originated from an initiative by veterans of the Bosna police unit, who began preparations for a memorial as early as 2015. In 2016, the Sarajevo City Council approved the basic proposal to construct the monument at this location. After several years of delays, the monument was finally completed and officially unveiled on 7th October 2024.
The monument primarily serves as a memorial to the fallen members of the unit and to their role in the defence of Sarajevo. At the same time, its design has been controversial. In particular, the presence of a tank in a public park directly opposite a school has sparked debate about the appropriate form and location of a war memorial. Veterans and the unit’s former commander, Dragan Vikić, on the other hand, emphasize the monument’s role as a reminder of sacrifice, solidarity, and the defence of the city.
The Monument to the “Bosna” Police Unit therefore combines remembrance, military symbolism, and the history of the Siege of Sarajevo. The destroyed tank functions not only as a representation of the military conflict, but also as a highly visible symbol of the resistance of the Bosnian special forces. The names of the fallen give the otherwise monumental and militaristic design a personal and commemorative dimension.
„For there is no death, really. Death merely illuminates the path of ascent from the nest to the stars.“ – Mehmedalija Mak Dizdar
„They were the best, and we, the surviving Bosnian special forces, bear witness to that.“ – Association of veterans – BOSNIA Police Detachment
INFOTHEK
Artist: NEBOJŠA ŠERIĆ ŠOBA – SHOBA
Website: https://www.shobaart.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nebojsa_seric_shoba
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