Monument to Edvard Rusjan

The monument is dedicated to the first Slovenian aviator Edvard Rusjan, who on 25 November 1909 flew for the first time in a homemade plane called EDA 1. On 9 January 1911, Edvard, who together with his brother Josip continued creating his own aircraft models, had an accident during his flight in Belgrade and died. The monumental memorial was solemnly unveiled on 11 September 1960 and set into a green backdrop of trees and bushes. It’s creator, academic sculptor Janez Lenassi imaged the sculpture as a 10.5-metre-high stylised shape of a man with wings. This idea originates from Greek mythology and represents the first aviator Icarus, who flew too close to the sun, broke his wings and fell. The monument is a vertically emphasised construction made of reinforced concrete and the largest public monument in Nova Gorica. Throughout the decades, the view of the monument itself has changed, particularly as a result of buildings built nearby, whereas a cork oak is the only thing that has remained of the surrounding green scenery.