Spomenik Database Video Archive
Amateur Content
This section of the video archive is dedicated to videos of amateurs (tourists, locals, non-professionals, etc) creating various styles of videos which feature or highlight the abstract WWII (NOB) monuments (or 'spomeniks') of the former Yugoslavia. My inclusion of any videos here is not meant to be an endorsement of them, instead, I merely include various resources for users to choose from. If you have or know of a video you think might be appropriate for this section, please contact me.
'Spomenik Tour' by Keith Brown
This video, by UK travel enthusiast Keith Brown, is a travelogue which follows Keith and a friend of his on a journey exploring and visiting many of the abstract WWII (NOB) Yugoslav spomeniks on an extended road trip. On his journey they explore the monument sites at Kozara, Jasenovac, Knin, Petrova Gora along with many many other memorial locations and Yugoslav points of interest. In addition, they also describe the odd encounters and funny situations they run into along the way making their way across all of these former republics. The video is presented in English.
'The Makedonium in Kruševo' by 'For 91 Days' Travel Blog
This short video, which is by travel team Jürgen and Mike of the 'For 91 Days' travel blog [website] who are from Germany and the USA, shows them visiting the Makedonium monument located in Kruševo, Macedonia. This video is from 2014, so it shows the condition of the monument and its outer structure before the 2016 start of the massive restoration project is has been undergoing for the last few years. The video shows not only the outside of the monument, but also the interior, along with the amazing stained glass windows and the wall-mounted relief sculptures.
'Tjentište 2017' by 'Rudyvgd2'
This short video, which is by by YouTube user Rudyvgd2 [link], offers a on-the-ground view of the 'Valley of the Heroes' monument located near the village of Tjentište, Bosnia. While this video does not include any audio descriptions or information about the site, the video gives a very good impression of what it feels like to explore and walk around the site and its surroundings. Also, this video is interesting in the fact that it was filmed in the final months just before the monuments cleaning processes began to bring the structure back to its original white color, as well as just before the landslide which afflicted the monument in Feburary of 2018.
'Kozara National Park' by 'An Englishman in the Balkans'
This short video, which is by travelogue writer who goes by the moniker "An Englishman in the Balkans" [website], uses drone photography to exhibit the central monument of Kozara National Park in the western Bosnian mountains. While the video is not accompanied by any verbal description or information about the site, the drone shots give a stunning aerial view of the monument's very massive and impressive structure, as well as the surrounding terrain and mountainous landscape.
'Jasenovac Memorial Site' by 'Edwin Mermans'
This short video, which is by YouTube user Edwin Mermans, is a on-the-ground view of the central memorial sculpture at Jasenovac, Croatia, which commemorates the concentration camp that existed at this location during WWII. In the description section of this particular video, Mermans specifically notes that even though he had heard Jasenovac is often referred to as the 'Auschwitz from the Balkans', he writes that he found the site to have a significant lack of visitors and patrons compared to other such sites across Europe.
'Kadinjaca' by 'Charles Cather'
This mini amateur documentary by American YouTuber Charles Cather gives viewers a tour of the Kadinjača Memorial Complex located near Užice, Serbia. In this video, Cather attempts to relate to viewers a history of the WWII events which happened at Kadinjača, as well as giving some insight into the layout and symbolism of the monument complex itself. Interestingly, Cather notes in an annotation within the video that he has gotten significant amounts of hate mail for his references to the interactions between the Partisans and the Chetniks.
'Does it Skate?' by 'Fifti Fifti'
This video by Croatian YouTuber 'Fifti Fifti' is a short skate film which documents a group of friends getting together at a skate park in Sisak, but who all then travel to the the 'Monument to the Revolution' in Podgarić, Croatia. While there, the video shows them skating around and along the monument's walkways, in addition, the show some drone photography they took at the site while there skating. The video is presented in the Croatian language, but embedded English subtitles are available.