Spomen-obeležje Kamenolom
About 500 m from the monastery, beside the road up to Zmajevac, stands the memorial complex known as Kamenolom (“the quarry”). It marks the place where in September 1941 two squads swore the partisan oath: one of Rakovac villagers and one of workers from the quarry.
By the road, tall concrete pylons, one with a five-pointed star cut through its top, and stone-clad pillars form a gateway. From there a path crosses the lawn to the foot of the hill, where the memorial wall is built into the slope.
Above the entrance to the gallery, a mosaic shows Tito’s portrait with the words “Druže Tito, mi ti se kunemo” (“Comrade Tito, we swear to you”). It was painted over in the 1990s; today the portrait and the words are visible again.
Below the portrait runs an abstract mosaic frieze of sharp black, white and ochre shapes, and below that a stone arch that looks like the mouth of a mine gallery, closed with a grille. In front of it lies a stone with a worn inscription. Its legible part says that villagers of Rakovac and workers of the quarry took the partisan oath “on this spot on 24 September 1941”.
A separate stone wall nearby carries four black plaques: the introductory plaque of 1961, the names of the fallen fighters, and two plaques with the names of the victims of fascist terror (see below).
The back wall of the gallery carries the text of the partisan oath of 1941, laid in mosaic:
„Mi, narodni partizani Jugoslavije, latili smo se oružja za nemilosrdnu borbu protiv krvoločnih neprijatelja koji porobiše našu zemlju i istrebljuju naše narode. U ime slobode i pravde našeg naroda zaklinjemo se, da ćemo disciplinovano, uporno i neustrašivo, ne štedeći svoje krvi i živote, voditi borbu do potpunog uništenja fašističkog osvajača i svih narodnih izdajnika.“
“We, the people’s partisans of Yugoslavia, have taken up arms for a merciless struggle against the bloodthirsty enemies who have enslaved our country and are exterminating our peoples. In the name of the freedom and justice of our people we swear that, with discipline, persistence and without fear, sparing neither our blood nor our lives, we will fight until the fascist invader and all traitors of the people are completely destroyed.”
Two plaques on the side walls, in newer-looking lettering, name the two squads (desetine, “groups of ten”):
19 September 1941, the squad of Rakovac villagers: Nikola Mojić · Gligorije Matić Giga · Slavko Mojić · Jova Belić · Draga Kadić · Đoka Mojić · Božo Jović · Đurica Mojić · Branko Matić · Branko Božanić-Brinja.
24 September 1941, the workers’ squad of the Rakovac quarry: Toma Banjanin · Boža Čanković · Dušan Savić · Dušan Nedimović · Dragan Skular · Rista Vukelja · Anđelko Jureškov · Đura Čujzek · Mita Belić.
The introductory plaque reads, in Serbian: „Rakovac selo i Kamenolom iako su mali i u blizini jakih fašističkih uporišta nisu se predali okupatoru. Pod rukovodstvom Komunističke partije odvažnih radnih ljudi iz mesta i Kamenoloma ubrzo su počeli zadavati udarce okupatoru. Borilo se i ginulo. Već početkom 1942 god. uništena je okupatorska vlast. Rakovac i Kamenolom se ponose svojim žrtvama i učešćem u oslobodilačkoj borbi naših naroda. 1941–1961.“
In English: “Although small and close to strong fascist strongholds, the village of Rakovac and Kamenolom did not surrender to the occupier. Led by the Communist Party, brave working people from the village and the quarry soon began to strike at the occupier. They fought and they died. By the beginning of 1942 the occupiers’ authority had been destroyed. Rakovac and Kamenolom are proud of their victims and of their part in the liberation struggle of our peoples. 1941–1961.” The date on this plaque is the basis for dating the memorial to 1961.
Transcribed from our photographs of October 2026, in the order and spelling of the plaques (surname first). In the plaque lettering the letters Л (L) and П (P) look almost the same, and a few letters are worn, so single names may be misread. Corrections are welcome. Some names appear more than once: Mita Belić, Dušan Savić and Rista Vukelja are listed both in the workers’ squad and among the fallen fighters, and Slavko Mojić both in the villagers’ squad and among the fighters.
Comrades from Rakovac who fell as fighters of the People’s Liberation War, 1941–45 (44 names): Mojić Slavko · Belić Mita · Đuričić Josif · Jelić Arka · Đuričić Marko · Likić Mita · Kostić Jova · Matić Pera · Osmanov Anđelka · Nićiforović Laza · Nedimović Đorđe · Nićiforović Steva · Munđan Mirko · Janković Marko · Matić Mika · Božanić Ninko · Čakić Dušan · Pavlović Momčilo · Dasović Ante · Ursa Boža · Lukić Gojko · Ivanović Rada · Lukić Milka · Fajn Joška · Fajn Joška-sin · Veselica Dane · Savić Dušan · Vukelja Rista · Stojković Dane · Veselica Miladin · Ilić Đura · Novaković Todor · Stupar Ilija · Lalić Đorđe · Trbojević Sima · Marić Vlada · Faor Steva · Milić Dušan · Mrčela Dragutin · Zorić Drago · Hinić Todor · Žarić Mirko · Erbežnik Vid · Erbežnik Janez.
Comrades from Rakovac and Kamenolom who died as victims of fascist terror, 1941–45 (90 names on two plaques): Bogić Dragutin · Božanić Jova · Božanić Đoka · Božanić Đoka · Božanić Nenad · Božanić Milivoj · Božanić Koja · Belić Gliša · Belić Dušan · Belić Smilja · Veselica Sima · Galović Marko · Gavrilović Mirko · Grujić Đoka · Grujić Jova · Đuričić Nikola · Đuričić Gordana · Jović Mita · Jović Koja · Jović Laza · Jović Boža · Jović Milenko · Jović Dafina · Jović Steva · Jović Sima · Jović Slobodan · Jovanović Đoka · Jovanović Steva · Jovanović Žarko · Jovanović Laza · Jovanović Jova · Jovanović Mita · Janković Relja · Jovičić Vojin · Kostić Kosta · Kostić Đura · Kostić Soka · Kostić Gaja · Kostić Dušanka · Kostić Duško · Kolarić Boža · Kadić Milorad · Kadić Obrad · Kadić Danilo · Kadić Steva · Kadić Kajka · Likić Lazar · Likić Ljubiša · Matić Luka · Matić Sava · Matić Jova · Matić Milenko · Matić Jovica · Matić Milan · Mojić Đurica · Mojić Maksim · Mojić Milan · Miljković Milovan · Mandić Mile · Milanov Mita · Milanov Ilija · Nićiforović Jaša · Nićiforović Mika · Nićiforović Pera · Osmanov Steva · Obradović Velimir · Pavlović Katica · Pavlović Slavica · Pejčić Ilija · Plačkov Sima · Rebrača Mile · Stanković Vlada · Teofilović Miloš · Teofilović Aca · Teofilović Pera · Hadžić Stanimir · Cvejanović Nikola · Vuksan Živan · Skular Dragan · Faor Paja · Miletić Pera · Glišić Jova · Jovanović Milenko · Mirković Đoka · Grbić Ljubomir · Molan Tonka · Fejzović Jusuf · Pantelić Lazar · Kuzmanović Đura · Kuzmanović Mita.
Right next to the memorial there is a small children’s playground, see Playgrounds and picnic spots.
Archaeological site · protected cultural property
Seven thousand years in one place: a Neolithic village, a Roman villa, a medieval Benedictine abbey that became a fortress, and today an excavation site on the edge of Rakovac.
From a legend of 1498 to today
A hunter’s vow, a scriptorium that copied Serbia’s medieval law code, a baroque golden age, destruction in 1943 and a slow rebirth.
1941–1945
Quarry workers who swore the partisan oath, raids on the quarry’s dynamite store, the great offensive of August 1942, and a village burned in 1943.
Rakovac
