Newborn Monument

On February 17, 2008, the government of the Republic of Kosovo declared independence from Serbia and unveiled this monument. The original monument was bright yellow with blue banners to represent the European Union colors.

“Newborn”, a single English word in a country dominated by the Albanian language, represents the birth of a new country, its positive connotations, and the potential for a modern, democratic Kosovo. At its unveiling, it was announced that the letters would be repainted annually to celebrate another year of freedom. 

People worked nonstop for 10 days to complete the monument so it could be unveiled on the day Kosovo formally declared independence. The 10-foot-tall, 79-foot-long monument is hard to miss, and it gained international attention as soon as it debuted.

The tradition to annually repaint the monument is still going strong today. One year, the monument was repainted to represent the flags of all the countries that recognized Kosovo’s independence.