National Liberation War Memorial

The Pohorje-granite memorial dedicated to residents of Laško who fell in the National Liberation War was designed by Marjetica Pirkmajer, a student of Jože Plečnik. Their architectural concept combines a three-part base with a dedication inscription, a vase and a triangular element. Behind it rises the central column engraved with the names of 82 victims, while a stone block bearing a star crowns the composition.

The great Slovenian architect visited Laško several times while the memorial was being built. He also prepared a plan for landscaping the surrounding park, although it was never realised.

Verses by the poet Alojz Gradnik are carved into the central base. They are the final lines of his poem Žrtvam (To the Victims) from the collection Spev svobode:

Without the final gift,

without the wine

pressed from the vine of suffering,

without tears and without blood,

without death,

the earth can never become a homeland.