Monument to the Unknown Hero

Granite war memorial on Mount Avala summit, created in 1938 by Ivan Mestrovic

The Monument to the Unknown Hero stands on the summit of Mount Avala south-east of Belgrade and is one of Serbia's most impressive war memorials. It was created between 1934 and 1938 by the Croatian sculptor Ivan Mestrovic, a student of Auguste Rodin. The monument in black Jablanica granite towers above eight female figures symbolising the peoples of Yugoslavia, and marks the grave of an unknown Serbian soldier from World War I. Mestrovic is considered one of the greatest sculptors of the 20th century, and this work is regarded as one of his masterpieces. The summit also offers a wide view over Belgrade and the Danube plain.