Croatia

Monument at Zadar City Graveyard

In year 1932, the remains of deceased Italian soldiers were collected and put in tombs in this monument. Altogether there are 88 tombs with 89 solders buried there. In one tomb there are remains of two solders. Just before the First World War, Zadar had around 20,000 inhabitants. It was one of the most developed and largest Croatian cities. Numerous newspapers were published and industry developed. In that time, Zadar was the capital of Dalmatia, but weak connections with continental Croatia and poorly developed and rarely inhabited hinterland caused it to overcome Split, which, along the wider hinterland, had the border with the more densely populated part of Bosnia and Hercegovina where Croats were the majority of the population. All this caused that in 1910, according to the population census, 60% of the population of the city were Italians. They mostly immigrated from Italy to Austro-Hungarian Empire. They represented the city’s elite. Zadar, like most of the Croatian coast, was included in the London Treaty. The secret agreement, concluded on the 26 April 1915 between Great Britain, France and Russia on the one hand, and Italy on the other hand, according to which Italy began war against the former Austro-Hungarian and German allies. Italy has in turn promised large territorial concessions amongst others – South Tyrol to Brener, Gorizia, Gradiška, part of Carinthia, Trieste, Istria, Adriatic islands to Mljet, Zadar and Šibenik with hinterland.
“Madrine dei militari morti” (Godmothers of the dead solders) was (and still is) an association gathering young women and mothers of the Italian soldiers that died in WW1 to take care of their graves. In year 1932, the remains of deceased Italian soldiers were collected to be buried inside the monument at Zadar cemetery. Altogether there are 88 tombs with 89 solders buried in the monument. In one tomb there are remains of two solders.
Italian community in Zadar is representing a bond between those who manage and those who have interest of visiting the monument to protect and maintain Italian graves in Zadar.
Each year on 2 November, the anniversary of the bombing of the City of Zadar in 1943, Italians born in Zadar who relocated to Italy after the war, gather at the monument to pay tribute to the Italians who lost their lives during the First World War. The commemoration is attended by representatives of the Italian Consulate in Rijeka, the City of Zadar, and Zadar County. A memorial Mass is also celebrated in the small chapel located within the Italian section of the cemetery.

Photos: Tihana Jurišić