In the early spring of 1945, a magnificent monument was erected in the middle of Murska Sobota for those times, and even today.
The first predecessors of the Red Army appeared in Prekmurje on March 30, 1945. Murska Sobota was liberated from the occupying forces on April 3, 1945. The front then stopped for almost six weeks along the Mura River. When Germany capitulated, the front moved, and on May 16, the Red Army also moved deeper from Prekmurje to Austria.
As early as May 1945, together with representatives of the Red Army, they began to erect a large monument in the middle of the square in Murska Sobota in memory of the bloody days of the joint struggle against fascism. As a justification, it is written: "The monument was erected by the entire Slovenian nation out of gratitude to the heroic Red Army and out of deep gratitude to the heroic fighters of the Yugoslav Army as a sign of the fighting brotherhood of the Yugoslav and Soviet nations."
The plan for the monument was drawn up by a Ukrainian officer, Aronchik, a Soviet war engineer. On the mighty pedestal is a tombstone building in which they intended to store the remains of all Red Army soldiers, but this did not happen. These were then buried in the central Soboča cemetery.
Construction of the monument began on May 24, 1945 at the initiative of the Military Council of the 57th Army of the 3rd Ukrainian Front. The organization of the construction was entrusted to the Russian commander in Sobota, Major Barsukov, and the OF District Committee in Murska Sobota. Kerimov and Lieutenant Gursky were also called in to help.
In order to speed up the construction of the monument, an honorary committee was established in Ljubljana and a working committee in Murska Sobota. The honorary committee included: Minister Ferdo Kozak, Major General Lado Ambrožič, Lieutenant General Kosta Nadj, Dušan Kveder, poets Oton Župančič and Fran Albrecht and painter Božidar Jakac. The greatest assistance to the working committee was provided by the poet Mile Klopčič in the role of secretary of the Society for Cultural Cooperation of Slovenia with the USSR.
All construction work was supervised by a local, architect Feri Novak.
The monument is built of reinforced concrete, lined with Italian Carrara marble.
The monument consists of a 17.35 m high obelisk. A five-pointed star was gilded on it. Russian cannons from the Second World War are placed on both sides of the tomb building. Below them are two soldiers - a Russian soldier on the left, and a partisan on the right. Both statues are 2.40 m high and are the work of sculptors brothers Boris and Zdenek Kalin from Ljubljana. The statue of the Red Army soldier was made by Boris, and the statue of the partisan by Zdenko. Among the soldiers is an inscription in Russian and Slovene on the tombstone building: "Eternal glory to the heroes who fell in the struggle for freedom and independence of the fraternal Soviet Union and Yugoslavia."
On the left side of the pedestal is engraved the year 1941 - the beginning of the Second World War in our country, and on the right the year 1945 - the end of the Second World War.
The inscription “Eternal glory to you, liberators of nations from fascist gloom” is also written in both languages ​​on the left side of the tombstone building, while on the right side in both languages ​​it is written: “The glory of your works does not fade forever!”
Before the opening on August 10, the Murska Sobota City Committee issued the following proclamation in Poročevalec: “I call on the owners and occupants of the houses to thoroughly clean the houses and the surroundings of the houses because of the big celebration that will take place on Sunday. In particular, they should whitewash houses, clean ditches, fences, corridors, sweep and spray roads. On Saturday, they should decorate the houses and shop windows with flags and flowers so that the whole city will have a festive face. May the city be cleansed and decorated on Sunday as never before, as we will celebrate the victory over fascism. Death to fascism - freedom of the people! ”
In the same issue of the Rapporteur, they called on all the inhabitants of Saturday to gather on Sunday morning at 8 o'clock at the district assembly points. People from District I gathered in front of the Catholic Church, from II. area in front of the castle, from III. district in Šolska ulica in front of Villa Fridrih, from IV. district in Kroška ulica. Only organized groups could enter the Victory Market, and individuals were not allowed access by guards.
"All houses in the city must be decorated by 4 o'clock on Saturday." A safety warning follows: “We would like to inform all landlords who have their houses along Aleksandra Street (today's Slovenska ulica) and along Zmaga Square that all windows must be closed on Sunday from 7 am. This will be controlled by KNOJ soldiers. ”
A call also followed: Comrades, comrades! Each Local Committee should bring wreaths, flags and slogans. Sobočani, decorate your homes with flowers, hang flags, decorate windows with flags and pictures of Marshal Tito and General Stalin! ”
The ceremonial unveiling of the monument took place on 12 August 1945, when people from all over Pomurje and even from various other parts of Slovenia gathered. The Yugoslav government and Marshal Josip Broz Tito were represented by Lieutenant General Ivan Gošnjak and Minister Vlado Zećević. Slovenia was represented by the President of the Slovenian National Liberation Council Josip Vidmar and the Prime Minister of Slovenia Boris Kidrič. Representatives of the Red Army, as well as the French and British armies, were present at the unveiling of the monument.
The ceremony began at 9 p.m. A free train ride from Hodoš to Murska Sobota and from Dokležovje to Murska Sobota was provided. Two trains came from the Gorička direction and one from Dokležovska. They also returned by train in the late afternoon.
An interesting black-and-white documentary film, which was shot at the opening and is also on display at the Provincial Museum in a permanent exhibition, has been preserved.
At the time of the Informbiro, the monument was sentenced to “death” by blasting. It was also mined, it would only be necessary to trigger it, but only someone was found who advised that it would be a shame to hurry, because we will be "good" again, and there will be no monument. And how right were those who thought so.
Over the years, the monument has undergone several restoration and conservation interventions.
Murska Sobota therefore has this special so-called social realist monument, which was built by two federations, a state that no longer exists, and the monument still stands!

Author of the text: Franc Kuzmič

Source: Pomurje Museum (http://www.pomurski-muzej.si/)