Spomenik na Korčanici

This memorial to the socialist period (Spomenik na Korčanici) is located in the Grmeč massif, 830 m above sea level and 33 km southwest of Sanski Most. It has fallen into disuse, but retains its elegant main monument designed by Serbian sculptor Ljubomir Denković (b. 1936): a concrete structure consisting of two half-spheres 15 m high and 10 m in diameter. Inaugurated in 1979, the complex was created as a tribute to the nursing staff involved with the partisans. The site was home to the largest underground hospital in Yugoslavia during the Second World War. Active for three months from November 1942, the 19-building complex was capable of treating up to 2,800 patients. It was evacuated in January 1943 and razed to the ground by the Germans the following month. According to their designer, the two half-spheres represent a blossoming bud. It's a symbol of life, but also of a hospital constantly ready to receive wounded arriving from the front. The work was spotted by American director Ridley Scott, who used it as a set piece in his 2017 film Alien Covenant: the monument is faithfully reproduced, forming the main entrance to a large abandoned temple. It's much the same atmosphere that emanates from the memorial today, with all the other structures in the complex looted and falling into ruin, such as the nearby carcass of the grand Hotel Korčanica, which was used to house veterans during ceremonies until 1991.