August 19, 2020 – The 11-metre high steel Zagreb Holocaust Monument will stand between the central Post Office and Glavni Kolodvor (main train station)
The new Zagreb Holocaust Monument has been completed and is ready to be installed. The 11-metre high structure will sit atop a concrete pedestal on which six million tiny Stars of David will be imprinted. The stars signify the total number of Jews killed in the Holocaust
The Zagreb Holocaust Monument itself is made of steel and is an irregular-shaped wall comprised of three hundred suitcases, representing the essentials Jews were told only to pack prior to deportation. It was designed by Rijeka-born architect Krešimir Rogina and sculptor Dalibor Stošić. The monument will be illuminated at night and will sit next to the old locomotive train which already stands between the Post Office and train station.
Although the monument is completely finished, it is currently being kept in parts across three different factories in Zagreb. After the concrete plinth is in place, it will take approximately one month to assemble the monument on the site. Weathering steel (cor-ten steel) was specifically chosen as the construction material. Unlike some other types of steel, this metal ages over time. Different shades of rust begin to appear in patches after just six months and slowly progress to encompass the whole surface.
Some members of the Zagreb City Assembly along with the Jewish Community of Zagreb (ZOZ), the World Jewish Congress (WJC), and the Israeli Ambassador to Croatia have previously criticised the move to dedicate the Zagreb Holocaust Monument solely to the victims of the Nazi-helmed Holocaust in Europe. They say it fails to properly recognise the abhorrent crimes of ethnic cleansing committed in Croatia by the German-allied NDH. The City of Zagreb is said to be addressing the criticism by looking at the wording of the dedication that will appear on the Zagreb Holocaust Monument. It is hoped the new monument will be fully in place in time for Holocaust Memorial Day, 27 January 2021.
