Monument to the Twelve Babies
A memorial to twelve newborns who died in the war in 1992, in the park beside the Museum of Contemporary Art
In the small park beside the Museum of Contemporary Art of Republika Srpska, on Trg srpskih junaka, stands a monument dedicated to twelve newborns who, according to the commemorative account, died in a Banja Luka maternity ward in the spring of 1992.
The monument was built from the winning entry in a public design competition, as a lasting memorial to one of the most harrowing episodes of the war's first months in the city. It stands in a small park next to the old railway station building, today home to the Museum of Contemporary Art of Republika Srpska.
What the monument commemorates
According to the commemorative account, twelve babies died between 22 May and 19 June 1992 in the intensive-care unit of the Banja Luka maternity ward because they could not be supplied with medical oxygen. The besieged city could receive oxygen neither overland, because of the wartime blockade of the roads, nor by air. Of the fourteen babies in the unit, two survived, but with severe lasting consequences.
Design and author
The design was created by the architect Maja Milić, whose entry was chosen unanimously by the competition jury. The monument takes the form of a broken circle — evoking a mother's womb and the interrupted circle of life — holding twelve elements that represent the twelve babies and move in the wind. It was raised in 2008 and funded by the City of Banja Luka and the responsible ministry.
Remembrance and disputed accounts
Each 22 May, Banja Luka marks the anniversary with the laying of flowers at the memorial; the date has also been designated a day of remembrance for the babies who died from the lack of oxygen.
The circumstances and causes of the deaths have also become a subject of dispute. Some journalists and researchers have questioned parts of the widely repeated account — including the claim that the deaths were caused by a ban on flights over Bosnia and Herzegovina, which was only introduced in October 1992, after the babies had died — while other authors defend the official version in full.
Location
The monument stands in the park beside the Museum of Contemporary Art, in the very centre of the city, not far from the banks of the Vrbas. It is easily reached on foot from the old town.