FRANJA PARTISAN HOSPITAL AND PASICE GORGE
Franja Partisan Hospital is a symbol of international alliance and resistance against Fascism and Nazism in the time of World War II.
It was built between 1943 and 1945 and it consists of 14 wooden cabins and several auxiliary facilities. It lies in the narrow and of difficult access Pasice gorge which was formed by the Čerinščica stream.
The hospital was named after Dr Franja Bojc Bidovec who took on the job of administrator in the hospital soon after its establishment.
The total number of the patients, among which most were heavily wounded, was 578. There were also 300 not severely wounded persons in ten separate units of the hospital. The access to the hospital led along the Čerinščica stream. Wounded persons were blindfolded before they were carried to the hospital, so they would not give away information about the location of their treatment. With its effective defensive system, the hospital was well hidden, because enemies never found it.
The monument was almost completely destroyed after the flood in 2007, then it was reconstructed. Wooden cabins and other medical equipment were replaced by replicas while the remains of original objects are found in The Cerkno Museum.
The Franja Partisan Hospital is a cultural monument of national importance and on the waiting list in the UNESCO’s Tentative List of World Heritage, and bears the European Heritage Label.
The Pasice gorge in the village of Dolenji Novaki between the hills of Veliki Njivč and Mali Njivč is marked by the Čerinščica torrent. On its way it carved many pools, waterfalls, and potholes. The limestone as bedrock is characterized by karstic phenomena. The terrain is practically inaccessible without helpful accessories. Franja Partisan Hospital lies deep in the gorge to which a maintained steep walkway with small wooden bridges leads.