A Look at the Revolutionary Monumental Heritage

Svjedoci smo velikih promjena koje su zadesile Hrvatsku posljednjih dvadesetak godina. One su obuhvatile kako socijalne, političke i gospodarske strukture, tako i one idejne, kulturne i umjetničke. Svjedoci smo i proglašenja ideološki dogmatskim i neslobodnim većine onoga što pripada ranijem socijalističkom režimu, državnom sistemu i društvenom sustavu, što nije daleko od istine, ali je ne zahvaća u cjelini. Jedan od podsjetnika na to minulo vrijeme jest upravo spomenička baština koja, iako nije u Hrvatskoj potpuno prihvaćala dogmatske naputke socijalnog realizma, već se slobodno razvijala prateći svjetsko kulturno bilo, ipak odiše tragom toga, danas u mnogočemu, prezrenog vremena. Kako i zašto očuvati tu baštinu i je li ona zaista samo dogmatski plod vremena koje je isteklo? Prateći izvornu namjeru ranijega sustava/sistema koji veliča ljudsko dostojanstvo i ravnopravnost, dolazimo do toga da je bivše socijalističko društvo u svojoj bazi, barem na deklarativnoj razini, obuhvaćalo humane vrednote čije je mjesto danas zauzeo kapital. Promatrajući spomeničku baštinu s tog aspekta, možemo je više cijeniti i čuvati kao pokušaj promjene svijeta nabolje. Završio je neuspjehom i svojim raspadom, ali je u sebe ipak utkao i dio iskrenih ideala i namjera.We are witnesses to major changes, which Croatia has been facing for the last two decades. Their scope encompassed not only the social, political and economic structures, but also the ideological, cultural and artistic ones. We are furthermore witnesses to declaring ideologically dogmatic and constrained most of the things belonging to the earlier socialist regime, state system and social system, which, though not far from being true, in itself still is not comprehensive. One of the reminders in relation to these past times is monumental heritage, which, though in Croatia it had not entirely accepted the dogmatic instructions of the socialist realism, but had rather freely developed following the world’s cultural course, still emits the spirit of those times, today to a very high extent scorned. How and why should this heritage be preserved? Is it truly only a dogmatic fruit of the times long dead? Following the original intention of the earlier system, which praised human dignity and equality, we may come to the conclusion that the former socialist society had, at least declaratively, included human values, whose place subsequently overtook the capital. Looking at monumental heritage from this aspect, we may appreciate it more and guard it as an attempt to change the world for the better. Though this attempt failed and thus did not succeed, it nevertheless managed to demonstrate some, if a few, honest intentions and ideals