Sustainability of Cultural Memory: Youth Perspectives on Yugoslav World War Two Memorials

Abstract

The noticeable urgent need for the preservation of collective and cultural memory in Europe, coupled with a fear of loss of important aspects of heritage, indicates the importance of educating the youth who will become future policymakers in the field. Analyses of the survey conducted through this research show the current perspective of youth on the typology of World War II memorials on the territories of the former republics, now independent states, of SFR Yugoslavia in Southeast Europe. Targeting architecture and civil engineering students as a specific youth group who are directly involved in learning about the built memorial structures, as well as the phenomenological background of space, creation of place and memories, resulted in a qualitative observation of the group’s understanding and judgement of the topic. This article investigates the level of knowledge and emotional response to memorial heritage within the target group. It addresses relevant issues of age, gender, level of study, and respondents’ backgrounds, demonstrating the existence of an initial interest in memorial heritage among the architecture-oriented youth. With an additional focus on a possible active role in heritage preservation and future placement, the research indicates a segment in the youth’s comprehension of valuable memorial heritage that needs to be improved.

Urbanisation as a Tool for Economic Growth – Novi Sad the Developmental City

“…As early as the mid-1950s, industrial production accounted for the largest part of the GDP of Novi Sad, and in the period from 1957 to 1960, the number of employees in the Novi Sad economy sector increased by about 3.900 people annually, outpacing the growth of the working population [14]. The emerging architectural production was a "specific social phenomenon and the defining mark of an epoch of liberation and the blossoming of intellectual and cultural creativity" [17], along with the rise of the production base. All of this is reflected in the construction of apartments: 1.900 apartments were built in the period 1946-1956, and 18.500 from 1957 to the end of 1.968 [18].…”