Monument to the Partisan, Parma, Besucherguide & was in der Nähe unternehmen

The Monument to the Partisan in Parma is a memorial to the Resistance of World War II, built around two partisan statues set against a brick wall. It stands on Strada Giuseppe Garibaldi and is one of the city's most direct reminders of the wartime years and of the people who fought for freedom.

The story behind it

The monument honours the partisans who took part in the Resistance during World War II. Its most striking feature is the wall behind the figures, which was built with bricks from a house destroyed in a bombing in 1944. The memorial is therefore made partly of the city's own wartime damage, not just of stone or bronze chosen for the occasion.

The two statues are more than a tribute to those who gave their lives. They also point to the survivors, who carried the duty of making sure those sacrifices were not in vain. For that reason the monument is often read as a call to keep historical memory alive as well as a place of remembrance.

What to look for

• The two partisan statues, and the way they are placed in front of the wall so the figures and the backdrop are read together.
• The brick wall itself, built from the remains of a house destroyed in 1944, which is the most direct link to the events being remembered.
• The difference in feeling between the figures and the plain wall, which gives the monument a quiet, serious tone rather than a triumphant one.
• The setting on Strada Giuseppe Garibaldi, where the monument sits as part of the everyday city rather than behind a gate.

Tips for your visit

• Allow about 10 to 15 minutes to look at the statues and the wall and to read the surroundings without hurrying.
• It is an outdoor monument in a public space, so you can see it at any time without a ticket or a visit inside.
• Morning or late afternoon light is kinder for photographs and makes the texture of the bricks easier to see.
• Parma's historic centre is compact and pleasant on foot, so the monument fits easily into a wider walk through the city.

See it on a quest

The monument is a stop you can reach on foot as part of Parma Mystery: An unusual detective, a self-guided quest through the city. The app tells you about each place as you arrive and sets a puzzle based on what is in front of you, so you look at the statues and the wall far more closely than you would passing by. You start whenever you like, with no guide and no group to join, and one ticket covers the whole group.