The Municipality of Nova Gorica has launched an initiative to protect the giant inscription on Sabotin Hill, with similar intentions in Dekani. Locals highlight Tito's contributions to the annexation of the Littoral and the fight against fascism.
The Municipality of Nova Gorica has submitted a proposal to the Institute for the Protection of Cultural Heritage to declare the stone inscription "Tito" on Sabotin Hill, right next to the border with Italy, a cultural monument of local significance. The initiative was launched by the local civic initiative Naš Tito, and a similar move is being prepared in the settlement of Dekani near Koper, where a huge Tito inscription also stands above the town.
The inscription on Sabotin dates back to 1953. After the Osimo border demarcation between Italy and the then Yugoslavia, it remained on Italian territory. In 1978, young people and soldiers moved it to the Slovenian side, where it has been maintained in an organized manner ever since, and is occasionally illuminated with torches.
Aleksander Škrlj, a member of the civic initiative Naš Tito, explained the motives behind the protection request for TV Slovenia. "Josip Broz is responsible for us having Nova Gorica and for the Slovenian Littoral being annexed to Slovenia; we want to preserve that, it means a lot to us," said Škrlj.
The inscription near Dekani was created during the 1960s and is larger than the one on Sabotin. It was built by locals, volunteers, and even elementary school children. Denis Opatič from the Association of Veterans Dekani emphasized the importance of this symbol for the local population. "Citizens should know that this is a person who helped us become what we are today, that we have our own language, that we were liberated from Nazism and fascism," Opatič stated for TV Slovenia.
However, the path to protection in Dekani is more complex. While the inscription on Sabotin is already located in an area of protected registered cultural heritage from World War I, the one in Dekani is not listed in the registry. The Institute for the Protection of Cultural Heritage stated that the initiative will have to undergo a professional assessment, adding that "the first two letters are located in an archaeological site area."
Mateja Sedmak from the Institute for Social Studies ZRS Koper believes that such an initiative should not become a subject of political disputes. She emphasized that "it should not be a subject of political polarization and disputes, but should be viewed in the context of the aspirations of families and rural communities."
The decision to declare it a cultural monument of local significance, based on expert findings, is made by the municipal council.
A similar trace of Tito's legacy is also found in Croatia. On Jelensko Hill above the Raša Valley, near Barban in Istria, stands a large "Tito" inscription. It is ten meters wide and six meters high. After it deteriorated over time, it was restored on the initiative of local anti-fascists. The inscription is associated with the post-war annexation of most of Istria to Yugoslavia, i.e., Croatia within the then state.
