European Heritage Label goes to Franja Partisan Hospital

Imagine wonderful hills full of green tree canopies. At the heart of the Cerkno Hills, the trail leads you to the Pasica Gorge, which hid Franja Partisan Hospital, one of the better equipped hospitals between 1943 and 1945. Franja is a cultural monument of national importance entered on the UNESCO Tentative List. Its importance was also acknowledged at the European level, since it was awarded the European Heritage Label. Franja Hospital thus joined a prestigious group which also includes the Acropolis of Athens, the French Cluny Abbey and others.

"Franja Hospital is an outstanding symbol of human fortitude and medical care, of solidarity and companionship in hardship, between staff and wounded of various nationalities and the enemy", stated the jury in its citation. The European Heritage Label was established by the European Commission and is awarded to sites of interest which represent milestones in European history and symbolise European integration, ideals and values.

The hospital was named after the Partisan doctor, Franja Bojc Bidovec, who managed it for several years. Some 578 wounded soldiers were treated here, and more than 300 soldiers with minor injuries were treated at its external units. In addition to Slovenians, Yugoslav, Soviet Union, Italian, French, Austrian and American soldiers were also treated at the hospital.

At the time, Franja was one of the better equipped hospitals. The wounded and staff accessed the hospital by a secret path which was narrow and steep. Due to the path and a thoughtful defence system, the complex of 14 wooden buildings and auxiliary facilities has been preserved until today. Venture on the path along the gorge, which many wounded soldiers travelled at night, frequently blindfolded.

In addition to Franja Hospital, the European Heritage Label was also conferred on the Church of the Holy Spirit in Javorca near Tolmin. The Ljubljana Žale Cemetery which the jury recognised as an important cemetery of the 20th century and Žiče Charterhouse located in Loče pri Poljčanah near Maribor also contended for the European Heritage Label.

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