Rising above Ilirska Bistrica and just a short stroll from the tourist information centre, the Hill of Freedom is a small park with a number of monuments dedicated to lost lives in the two world wars at the beginning of the 20th century. The park itself is fairly open, with the exception of a number of trees planted in 1980 to commemorate Josip Broz Tito’s 88th birthday (coincidentally three days after his death in Ljubljana), but it is the huge monument at the park’s peak that steals the show. Standing almost eight metres high, this World War Two monument was designed by sculptor Janez Lenassi and architect Žive Baraga and was erected in the 1960s. Many Yugo-monuments (as we like to call them) can be less than pleasing on the eye, but this one certainly fits in the category titled ‘beautiful’. There is also a monument dedicated to the TIGR, the very first anti-fascist resistance movement in Europe. Whether you are interested in monuments or not however, the park itself is a delightful place for a stroll with great views out over Ilirska Bistrica and the surrounding area.