Pobednik | |
---|---|
![]() | |
Location | Belgrade Fortress, Belgrade |
Coordinates | 44°49′22.9″N 20°26′51.7″E / 44.823028°N 20.447694°E |
Height | 14 metres (46 ft) |
Dedicated | 7 October 1928 |
Sculptor | Ivan Meštrović |
Pobednik (Serbian Cyrillic: Победник, lit. 'The Victor') is a monument in the Upper Town of the Belgrade Fortress, built to commemorate Serbia's victory over the Ottoman and Austro-Hungarian empires during the Balkan Wars and the First World War. Cast in 1913, erected in 1928, and standing at 14 metres (46 ft) high, it is one of the most famous works of Ivan Meštrović. It is also one of the most visited tourist attractions in Belgrade and one of its most recognizable landmarks.[1][2]
It is a standing bronze male figure in the nude with a falcon in the left hand and a sword in the right (as symbols of peace and war),[2] modelled by the sculptor Ivan Meštrović, set on a pedestal in the form of a Doric column on a tall cubic base, designed by the architect Petar Bajalović.[3] The statue looks forward across the confluence of the Sava and the Danube, and over the vast Pannonian plain, towards the very distant Fruška Gora mountain (until 1918 a domain of Austro-Hungarian empire), it is probably the most powerful, most popular visual symbol of Belgrade.
The statue was removed from the column in October 2019 for repairs. It was returned on the pedestal after the restoration on 14 February 2020.