Ossario Commemorativo dei Caduti Jugoslavi a Barletta. Dal cantiere di costruzione al cantiere di restauro / Commemorative Ossuary of Yugoslav Fallen in Barletta: from the construction site to the restoration site

Abstract

The Ossuary of the Yugoslav Fallen in Barletta is the largest and earliest of four monuments in Italy dedicated to the People’s Liberation War, built after diplomatic agreements between Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and Italy in the 1960s. Designed by sculptor Dušan Džamonja and inaugurated in 1970, it stands within the city cemetery on land granted to the Yugoslav government, housing the remains of about 800 soldiers. Its custody and maintenance were entrusted to the Yugoslav Embassy in Rome. After the dissolution of Yugoslavia, disputes over ownership arose, preventing legal protection under Italian heritage law. Today, the monument suffers from severe neglect and structural instability, threatening the collapse of part of its seaside terrace. Archival records on construction techniques and later repairs, combined with innovative digital survey methods, provide essential knowledge for a conservation plan, focusing on the most vulnerable material and structural issues.