Croatian sculpture honours emigrant legacy with Mercedes-Benz monument
TDT | agencies
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Rising from a pile of limestone boulders on the outskirts of a small Croatian town, a life-sized sculpture of a vintage Mercedes-Benz resembles a mini Mount Rushmore. This unique tribute pays homage to thousands of emigrants who returned to Imotski from Germany, proudly driving what was considered the ultimate status symbol.
Like many economically disadvantaged regions across Southeast Europe and Türkiye, Imotski saw thousands of its residents leave in the 1960s and 1970s to work in Germany as "gastarbeiters" or guest workers. For those who returned home behind the wheel of a Mercedes-Benz, the car became a powerful symbol of success.
"It was a mark of achievement—anyone who owned one could choose his girlfriends and sit in the front row at church," said Ivan Topic, the initiator of the monument. Topic spent 18 years working in construction in Frankfurt before moving back to Imotski in 1997. Topic conceived the idea for the monument, likening the timeless durability of the classic 1960s W115 saloon, affectionately called "Minika" locally, to the resilience of the region’s people.
"That car was way ahead of its time and remains modern even today," he told Agence FrancePresse (AFP) as workers applied the finishing touches to the sculpture, crafted from the area's signature white karst stone.
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