Mark O'Neill is an award winning photographer based in Reading, UK. From his travels to the former lands of Yugoslavia, Mark brought back a series of photographs of Monuments.
Each monument has a unique shape and texture. Exploring the landscape, the imagination brings these lonely monuments closer to the monuments of an ancient civilization, buried in the sands of time. In the language of sculpture, each monument invites to tell the story of its past. Wartime events worth remembering. The events are too horrific to be forgotten.
Concentrating on the interaction of light and structure, Mark uses bold hand-held lighting techniques, long exposures and strong contrast to capture dark and highly surreal scenes from within reality. The sheet of night is littered with the striking shapes and interesting textures of these abandoned places.
![Abandoned Monuments of Soviet Era The Stone Sleeper monument in the Sumarice Memorial Park in Serbia resembles haystacks to pay tribute to the farmers and peasants who were killed by the Nazis during World War II.](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYKfGzt_XgZTfiLWs9_26NHURFr8OhkR-7qTEkI_0k457v6EQj0Q6sVhYzA2DK7Zc5A_yOXEKbl9evk1Q1U6poV3FMpC_Cp5I4nD2_USi1cN7jpjsIhBa91rjuU-GmZYnZQbb1cvfI2WWP/s1600/Photographer-Mark-O-Neill-001.jpg) |
The Stone Sleeper monument in the Sumarice Memorial Park in Serbia resembles haystacks to pay tribute to the farmers and peasants who were killed by the Nazis during World War II. |
The monuments of different civilization of Soviet Era
![Abandoned Monuments of Soviet Era Located in Bosnia, the jagged and symmetrical Tentishte monument commemorates the Battle of Sutesk in 1943, when Axis forces attacked guerrilla forces.](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKA4uJI9KR11_lwWYkrue-YGlIMlwjLkUTaB0NM97IiQ25n58wAprGm-IJ_MiyxtpIcvlmSSk4tkWEAXWGSkF_0_CZ35LoYeUR51PSgk7wdHEGIQzHDF8xYrxFILZY2aS4Ndz1dStijTsB/s1600/Photographer-Mark-O-Neill-002.jpg) |
Located in Bosnia, the jagged and symmetrical Tentishte monument commemorates the Battle of Sutesk in 1943, when Axis forces attacked guerrilla forces. |
![Abandoned Monuments of Soviet Era Mark often uses headlamps to create stunning effects, such as this picture taken at the Shusnjar Monument Complex in Bosnia.](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgya0qdPBy5DQApMjMF-ppRTeJaUeUY6waxBFPu0YhJVnPhZWZdcYwJ8xCp-R6Th1emUfspWYZjQXuch7tbDiAIylOpAEqAEbOuE3z1cZ89WooofFmdEnIBdrsqhRXKWixuYWKT8_UdY_lj/s1600/Photographer-Mark-O-Neill-003.jpg) |
Mark often uses headlamps to create stunning effects, such as this picture taken at the Shusnjar Monument Complex in Bosnia. |
![Abandoned Monuments of Soviet Era This whimsical monument, located near Maclane in Bosnia and Herzegovina, was erected in 1978 and built to pay tribute to the partisans who died during the battle with the wounded (Battle of Neretva) in 1943.](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUO6u6nrypG0W5OwCp0s7980KlkksQ5qVg_yUiwUktDUNLGwH4SxvNshCpULA7IZbpjGwUHyYimULE3EZOj7IrSMQ9O2nycVcSqPO9wa7e8NEqD9_3416sERk0d8UEQw15eXSbKh5eI4WD/s1600/Photographer-Mark-O-Neill-004.jpg) |
This whimsical monument, located near Maclane in Bosnia and Herzegovina, was erected in 1978 and built to pay tribute to the partisans who died during the battle with the wounded (Battle of Neretva) in 1943. |
![Abandoned Monuments of Soviet Era The famous Petrova Gora monument in Croatia was built in 1981 on the highest peak of the mountain range of the same name and pays tribute to the memory of those killed in World War II.](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_A7BnV5IVy9yP1_yHzNnhqSdgdqWkJ5FA63xtuEzfubcuFFLJMXUXkvi8S-2rVjEkprUpkFjN5E2KZ6QdZV1iDcVa6DdLs2Xsf2JoSHoqg4SbYjPTe7ye-2AO7v3Ov6X8ipJxhIcgIHuZ/s1600/Photographer-Mark-O-Neill-005.jpg) |
The famous Petrova Gora monument in Croatia was built in 1981 on the highest peak of the mountain range of the same name and pays tribute to the memory of those killed in World War II. |
![Abandoned Monuments of Soviet Era Memorial House of the Communist Party of Bulgaria](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgv0Pir7aMVszcKzVEnj6nYRGOVtYPvQ9WQB-5tV_vOLw9hIhlxjf2m9-Nn2OXBHtHmMrs7Qec5F-P9zCuH3R1n16UUgTosvW8obTe-So0WI5K0XrT8xyJJ0k2bdaB4P2YANeOkGIv6hWU/s1600/Photographer-Mark-O-Neill-006.jpg) |
Memorial House of the Communist Party of Bulgaria |
![Abandoned Monuments of Soviet Era The Spomen Park in Serbia with monuments to tunnels and large triangular structures, erected in 1981 to pay tribute to the partisans who fought the Germans in World War II.](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIDb7vYQZ00NcUO_9sUTHKIkPiwCvmtIyg5FB6LWWe8ig77jZCfqpTtndQ7absTNigTXwvOZ4DjcqeQQPwOXyQNlt4ufZkVaF24RbHWvAAQ6Aafh6f46b5synlHF0fiypUbENLJfK-N-FE/s1600/Photographer-Mark-O-Neill-007.jpg) |
The Spomen Park in Serbia with monuments to tunnels and large triangular structures, erected in 1981 to pay tribute to the partisans who fought the Germans in World War II. |
![Abandoned Monuments of Soviet Era Observation deck of the Buzludzhi monument, Bulgari. The breathtaking view is one of the attractions.](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbXC5Qf-eflslNJz80-KPz8zZysWKU41N4ETza0BqBGr5mR-dh2ycZNT-vm9Vb9a-2QfsGnUn29aeZW0f_OHcBgEnh9RcfuWyTuHCEC1SIaD37oUU6kvFBfGXNvaREfQSP5Ck6J5PMro-e/s1600/Photographer-Mark-O-Neill-008.jpg) |
Observation deck of the Buzludzhi monument, Bulgari. The breathtaking view is one of the attractions. |
![Abandoned Monuments of Soviet Era The Gligino Brdo Monument in Bosnia is 10 meters high and resembles a flower in shape, but vandalism and graffiti are visible on the outside below.](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFi9OmB1REgO8-Gz_6qloI-VjfA_WdvALWJNexrpXFTtudg5zLbjFNol-TFEd2Dhov2weYsScaOV3dwE9t9wpBIu4-65SIUy-BlsRb_p3sN_uGl3bPpV0R-RjRA67bahapr19gCbzvXr4B/s1600/Photographer-Mark-O-Neill-009.jpg) |
The Gligino Brdo Monument in Bosnia is 10 meters high and resembles a flower in shape, but vandalism and graffiti are visible on the outside below. |
![Abandoned Monuments of Soviet Era The 20-meter monument to the detachment in the Croatian forest Brezovica was built after the death of the original elm tree that grew on the site of the WWII memorial.](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF5YHNZodm9C0ricdjm7RD7pSDxfeG6BJLB57OZPDU6MCb1UA7S6maTALGnpMyidA7bm7l6mgmQMA8DzM9jl_FqMAKJGxuxnVOJHDQIhFP7m31-xQoJILzORSn_ZKk7BYu0LX7pKqukQJZ/s1600/Photographer-Mark-O-Neill-010.jpg) |
The 20-meter monument to the detachment in the Croatian forest Brezovica was built after the death of the original elm tree that grew on the site of the WWII memorial. |
![Abandoned Monuments of Soviet Era The stunning Barutana - a monument to the fallen from the Liesańska Nahia region - stands proudly like a huge tree against the backdrop of mountain ranges.](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6ZIBigbj1Lp3ySXh3TlMT6-wpJYacUcit8yLqZ7rG9s4Xp0MqCx7yhbnNrguCHyxOC1HrIhmPldYVc-w8CXtVo9AYTlVoObTCRuREJ8xGmQ9rmzn9jR1aunQ3-3tRSvWmzbXCL8PpR15l/s1600/Photographer-Mark-O-Neill-011.jpg) |
The stunning Barutana - a monument to the fallen from the Liesańska Nahia region - stands proudly like a huge tree against the backdrop of mountain ranges. |
![Abandoned Monuments of Soviet Era Due to its remote location and protected status within the national park, the monument to the revolution in Bosnia escaped vandalism during the war in the 1990s .](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEcjZdew9EajXVR8brBtgLqMbF827VtijOLg2Y08HNVp8qvG9F9mm3wT8_vZqNLAQ-JNPRgdc62G-vWEdrMM7mVfyUrCzMV9AlrB2I6YBIULB74JIN3O2SwuuFFhyphenhyphenZM674ynpsR17PbH8Z/s1600/Photographer-Mark-O-Neill-012.jpg) |
Due to its remote location and protected status within the national park, the monument to the revolution in Bosnia escaped vandalism during the war in the 1990s . |
![Abandoned Monuments of Soviet Era This graceful, curved stone structure in Grmec in Bosnia and Herzegovina is a monument to the revolution and is reflected in a nearby lake.](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfzxSqnU5XkA46SpRoPZ-ORlBN8Qjx6-Q69qehsCWz8eMZTIOObayR6UC0bdVSEIgE8bN6SDy7K4Tb9j4UAuJMDdzAyOHaldnwVIoO6rCFM_9wio9xemlt1ZOkAlB5tChhx_Taoj8ldt9W/s1600/Photographer-Mark-O-Neill-013.jpg) |
This graceful, curved stone structure in Grmec in Bosnia and Herzegovina is a monument to the revolution and is reflected in a nearby lake. |
![Abandoned Monuments of Soviet Era The Kosmai Memorial in Serbia features a stunning star-shaped structure that Mark photographed against an equally starry night sky.](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggQj71ylJLDSFmK7ClItCZ6MEFo3bihkCX-QJ8R1aNPDgFj24ntmmpL0HDazl31xOwZ10wis1Xv1T7FWflIU0Vbilg0yG2ZN2IF0ZO3vaAO0hJLMHHUFSEUdy9OUBti6KJDQXDOyrvNigL/s1600/Photographer-Mark-O-Neill-014.jpg) |
The Kosmai Memorial in Serbia features a stunning star-shaped structure that Mark photographed against an equally starry night sky. |
![Abandoned Monuments of Soviet Era The stunning Stone Flower Monument in Croatia was built in 1966 and is dedicated to the victims of the atrocities committed in the Jasenovac concentration camp, a camp run by the Croatian government in alliance with Nazi Germany.](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbGXFbgzk1C7ERUmX7rPNIxAhuzi82HxyQf4ZIHG2OCac7CSzPWdI9YtmScFHSuc3W4DYH20yWAExn7M1CXyDJYxJ9C1RKutKXBbrhIuJO8W3y0i4JzvhTSRvr1WWn5aP4yJt4NnPJ_Vx2/s1600/Photographer-Mark-O-Neill-015.jpg) |
The stunning Stone Flower Monument in Croatia was built in 1966 and is dedicated to the victims of the atrocities committed in the Jasenovac concentration camp, a camp run by the Croatian government in alliance with Nazi Germany. |
![Abandoned Monuments of Soviet Era The huge and ominous monument at Viktorovac Cemetery in Sisak, Croatia, points to the night sky.](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVJINdJ0vd5shjwOfExh4cfh9knylENnD1vAmrZfyM1aBDjJDSyHM18X7yghxZUPX5_OtOb_b9zLWbB4McCav3H2DEpeOCqwFqol5EqRvC7YNip4DC6uPBkRx07zBaw4JFqLZTgHPCms1j/s1600/Photographer-Mark-O-Neill-016.jpg) |
The huge and ominous monument at Viktorovac Cemetery in Sisak, Croatia, points to the night sky. |
![Abandoned Monuments of Soviet Era Memorial House of the Communist Party of Bulgaria at Buzludzha Peak. Interior.](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVkHhVVNVk-pvG8R01nbGDTkttcDamzyfBjmAdHCmINq0OoDpqkXs3yG8X3WknskkE9qDanqLQ4jOxE9glzjEvA8ogzmCzhEbfZ_x4Y7LKkPFX7IPO4V_ALMmfjvlNbwdznKKWpmwKMsmq/s1600/Photographer-Mark-O-Neill-017.jpg) |
Memorial House of the Communist Party of Bulgaria at Buzludzha Peak. Interior. |
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