The idea of holding the ‘Tito’s Relay’ to celebrate the birthday of Josip Broz Tito (May 25) originated in Kragujevac and was embraced throughout the former Yugoslavia. After Josip Broz Tito expressed his wish for this date to be commemorated as Youth Day, the event was renamed the ‘Relay of Youth’ and, from 1957 onward, was held under that name.

The Monument to the first Tito’s Relay was unveiled on May 22, 1977, and is the work of sculptor Matija Vuković. It is located at the corner of 27th March Street and King Alexander I Karađorđević Street. The monument was erected in honor of the first Tito’s Relay, which set off from this location on May 24, 1945. The monument previously bore the date May 22, 1945, as the starting date of the first relay, but thanks to the research of dr Živadin Stepanović, it was established that the relay actually departed from Kragujevac on May 24, 1945.

In September 2021, the Cultural Heritage Preservation Institute Kragujevac carried out conservation and restoration works, which included thorough cleaning of the Monument to the First Tito’s Relay and the reconstruction of the inscription on the monument’s pedestal.