Trg zmage Square Murska Sobota

The former castle park once extended into the town’s centre, but along with its urban development a section of the park was cut down and the moat filled in, thus creating a wide area that was called Main Square. Statesmen were welcomed here and the square also saw other political meetings, parades, and celebrations in the successive countries. It was in this square that the Germans, who occupied Murska Sobota in April 1941, ceremonially handed over authority to the Hungarians. The fighters of the Prekmurje Company and the Red Army liberated Murska Sobota in April 1945; in the same year a victory monument was erected in the square in honour of the victors and it was renamed Victory Square. The monument, set in the middle of a laid-out park, is made of white marble and consists of a mighty obelisk and two guns; it dominates the square and is the by far best known symbol of the town. It was ceremonially unveiled in the presence of representatives of the victorious allies and armies in August 1945. The monument was designed by the Soviet military engineer Vladimir Arončik, and the sculptures of a Soviet and Yugoslav soldier were made by the sculptors Boris and Zdenko Kalin. It was intended to be the tomb of the fallen soldiers of the Red Army, but their remains were never transferred here; instead, they were buried in the town cemetery.