Roadside Memorials

A way to honour the memory of those who died out of their homeland was to place the so-called roadside memorials (krајputаš). Those are unique monuments, not to be found nowhere else in the world. They are dedicated to the fallen soldiers who were buried in faraway lands and whose graves are unknown.

GEOGRAPHY

Most of the roadside memorials can be found in the western Serbia countryside.  They are usually of quite a simple rectangular shape, about 1-1.5m tall. On the front side there is a soldier’s figure drawn or chiselled and on the sides there are epitaphs inscribed, containing words of praise or gratitude.

HISTORY

The roadside memorial appear after the First World War as a way of marking the memory of those who died in a family, as well as to stand as a reminder to everyone in a village or an accidental passer-by about the lives sacrificed for freedom.