This magnificent monument to Prilep's Partisan soldiers who died in WWII is the 1961 work of one of the former Yugoslavia's most brilliant architects, Bogdan Bogdanović, who specialised in mixing up the historical with the antic and celestial. The eight marble monoliths, each between 3m and 5m tall, depict what is thought to be a traditional circle dance, with feminine bodies and double faces representing a continuity between beginnings and ends. Simultaneously modern and ancient, this is a treat.
The town's high number of Partisans and their activism during WWII gave Prilep the status 'Town of National Heroes' in Yugoslavia, hence Bogdanović's prestigious commission. As you enter the park you will see stone plaques marking the town's most celebrated Partisans. The marble carving of the monument's figures was done by Prilep's stonemasons, and there was a great emphasis on local workers and stone.
Set in Prilep's Revolution Park, just out of town on the road to Bitola, this is also a wonderful place to have a picnic.
